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Need Help

by Mer

Apr 15, 2017

I teach 7th graders at an urban district. The problem is that my students come to me with a wide range of needs. I usually have students that range from 3rd grade level to 7th grade level. I am thinking of trying to separate my class into 2 groups and teach them separately. I am having trouble figuring out how to do this with the behavior problems ...See More

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Mamaseca Hi! I just joined this group and saw your post, thought I might be able to offer some advice...

If you're thinking about splitting your class, you might want to look into Guided Math and self-paced learning. I use it in my class. It has taken me a few years to work out kinks and get it really tailored to my teaching & my student's need...See MoreHi! I just joined this group and saw your post, thought I might be able to offer some advice...

If you're thinking about splitting your class, you might want to look into Guided Math and self-paced learning. I use it in my class. It has taken me a few years to work out kinks and get it really tailored to my teaching & my student's needs but it has really solved A LOT of my management problems.

For starters, you have to be very clear, from day 1, about procedures. If they don't follow procedures or instructions, they'll be hopelessly lost! But, what is amazing is that, once you knock out those procedures, your students really appreciate the "freedom" that comes with the Guided Math principle. My student loved that they could work at their own pace! My advanced kids didn't feel like they were being held back because the rest of the class was struggling and my struggling kids didn't feel overwhelmed and pressured to keep up with the "smarter" kids!

I started seeing a LOT LESS zeroes/missing assignments in my gradebook, too! Partly because the self-paced model all but eliminates late work because, well, it all but eliminates due dates. Students turn in the work when they are finished with it. You would think this would backfire and, in some ways, it does put a lot more on you, as the teacher, to make sure they are actually working. But, it also frees up a lot of your time. With the Guided Math model, you spend most of your time either wandering the classroom and working one-on-one with your students or with a small group doing some small-group instruction/interventions (or wandering to keep your proximity for optimal classroom management!). Meanwhile, the rest of your students are working at their stations on whatever assignment they're on.

I do set a few "deadlines" with my students. Most of them are "soft" deadlines, meaning they are flexible. These are the dates by which they SHOULD be finished with an assignment. But, if they're not, it is not late. There are, however, a few "hard" deadlines, which are non-negotiable. I usually have one "hard" deadline a month but it really depends on the pacing guide, for me. The "hard" deadlines are set based on when I would consider a student falling behind. So, lets say that the pacing guide says we should be finishing up Unit 1 on Friday. I would set a hard deadline for the following Friday (of course this would have been set weeks ago, so students knew ahead of time). This gives the struggling students an extra week to make sure they've finished Unit 1.

Now, there's a lot more to the principle than what I've described here and, like I mentioned before, I've tweaked my own system over the last few years to get it where it is today. If this is something you think might work for you, or you are at least interested in learning more, I might recommend searching for a few blogs/webinars that could help you get started.

Here are a few I've used (most of them are elementary but I've still applied them to my 8th grade math classroom):

http://simplyskilledinsecond.com/2016/05/get-your-groove-on-with-guided-math/ http://brownbagteacher.com/guided-math-in-1st-grade/ https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=simply%20skilled%20in%20second http://beyondtheworksheet.com/?s=stations http://www.tinasteachingtreasures.com/guided-math/guided-math-set-and-organization/ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-To-Launch-Guided-Math-2534676

Jun 25, 2017

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Feedback request for app: Tiny Math

by Brett P

Jun 15, 2017

Hi, teachers!

I know that you love math, and we made an app/webapp called Tiny Math, so we thought it would be perfect if you all could give us feedback on it. Any suggestions, improvements or praise are much welcomed!

http://tinymath.com

It's meant to be a simple way for math learners to quiz themselves. We hope you like...See More

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working out radius from perimeter of a semi circle

by HelpMyHomework

May 18, 2017

Ive thought as much as I could and couldn;t come up with the right answer. The perimeter of a shape is 25.71, calculate the value of radius x, take pi to be 3.142. Perimeter expression = pi x radius + 2 x radius

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SandArt Use the equation: 3.142r+2r= 25.71

Combine like terms for: 5.142r = 25.71

You will find that the radius is 5. The diameter is 10.

If you are using 3.142 to represent pi, you can check using the formula for perimeter of pi times diameter/2 for a semi circle. Don't forget to add the line segment for the rest of perimeter....See More

May 18, 2017

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harpazo 25.71 = 3.142x + 2x

25.71 = 5.142x

25.71/5.142 = x

5 = x

If x = radius, then your radius is 5.

Jun 13, 2017

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5th grade math curriculum

by sprousecb

May 21, 2017

Looking for recommendations for 5th grade math curriculum. Have used Singapore Math Standards Edition for 6 years. Need a change.

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Math Practice Questions

by harpazo

Feb 9, 2017

How many here would like for me to post math practice questions to help you prepare for your math state test requirement?

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Charlotte Yes, please!!!

On 2/09/17, harpazo wrote: > How many here would like for me to post > math practice questions to help you > prepare for your math state test > requirement?

May 6, 2017

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Probability of Compound Events

by Max

Apr 4, 2017

I am having trouble doing this problem:

Picking a number from 1 to 5 and choosing the color red, white, or blue.

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Betty Ann Max,

I imagine that by now you have figured out this problem. If not, try making a tree diagram.

On 4/04/17, Max wrote: > I am having trouble doing this problem: > > Picking a number from 1 to 5 and choosing the color red, > white, or blue.

Apr 6, 2017

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SandArt On 4/06/17, Betty Ann wrote:

In case you have not figured it out.... There are 15 outcomes (1,2,3,4,5) times (red, white, blue). You multiply 5 x 3 for the number of outcomes.

For probability, the number of outcomes will be in the denominator.

For the numerator, it depends on what you are looking for.

For examp...See More

Apr 6, 2017

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Trial and error

by Scott

Mar 1, 2017

possible side lengths of a rectangular frame are 6 inches, 10 inches, and 12 inches. if all measurements are whole numbers, which dimensions can be used to frame a picture that has an area between 45 and 50 square inches?

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interesting book on math essays

by chen21

Feb 28, 2017

Any good books on the geometry on surfaces?

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Revision materials

by Giving your students revision materials

Feb 5, 2017

Say you receive an email on your school email address from a company that writes maths books for exam preparation. Say they attached a pdf of their Year 8 book and said it was a free give-away and to please pass it on to their students.. how many of the teachers out there would actually pass it on??

Yes, I'm trying to sell maths books..

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