Simplifying Radicals with a Deck of Cards

Jeremy Yancey at GHS showed me this amazing way to teach simplifying radicals. I love his idea because it is concrete, hands-on and even potentially fun. All you need is a few prime number playing cards.

For more ideas on how to use playing cards to teach math, check out this list of instructional math card games from Region 16.

16 Super Helpful Math GIFs

Somebody at Buzzfeed loves math. Check out this fantastic collection of math GIF's!

16 GIFs that will actually help you in maths class

I Spy - Positive, Negative, Undefined, Zero

Slope "I Spy" 

I learned this idea from Antwaun Hobbs in an algebra I PLC at Naaman Forest.

Tired of asking, "So is the slope of the line zero... or undefined...?" Try asking this way:

Teacher: I spy a negative slope somewhere in this classroom.
Student 1: Is it the ruler leaning up against the chalk board?
Student 2: No, that's positive?
Student 3: Is it the the rod the flag is hanging off of?
Teacher: Well, that does have a negative slope, but that's not it. Keep guessing...

Thanks to Antwaun for this simple, fun way to turn a question into a game.

Spiral review - How do you do it?

With our new math TEKS, we are strapped for time. So what are you doing to squeeze in review/re-teach time for concepts students didn't master? Here are a few ideasI've gleaned from GISD teachers:

1. Carefully choose your topics for whole-class re-teach. If only a few students bombed it, save it for tutorials/intervention.

2. Greet students at the door with a math question. Check out what Mr. Yancey at GHS has done to his door! (see photo below)

3. Group students using review problems. For example, check out these grouping cards. They create 7 groups of 4 students based on equivalent values (fractions, decimals, percents) 

4. Use homework as a review opportunity. Include a re-teach by assigning a short video for students to watch. You can hold them accountable by embedding the video in a short Google form (see announcement from 10-19 for more details on how to do this).

5. Add a couple of questions to your next assessment that re-test previous material.

Add your ideas to the list! :)

Flip your classroom with Google Forms

One of the trickiest aspects of flipping your classroom is figuring out how to hold your students accountable for watching the videos you want them to see. 

A simple solution is to embed a video in a Google form. After your students watch the video, they answer a few short questions. Here's an example form on Solving Equations.

Example Form: Solving Equations (8th Grade)