Middle-grade math teachers should visit MathMovesU because it has a lot of valuable tools for classroom use.
The coolest thing on MathMovesU is a set of games for students to both enjoy and practice math skills. They set it up so that you can play the game without registering, or you can register your class to use the games and quizzes for assessment grades.
As students play, they get to explore themed settings with quizzes and games related to each location. Themes range from travel to fashion to sports.
My favorite game here is the baseball game, which lets students practice their swing, and then answer questions about ratios, percents and proportion. They can compare win/loss records and batting averages for their answers.
Another impressive game, The Sum of All Thrills, allows students to build their own thrill ride.
The website also includes an abundance of free, printable math worksheets from dozen of topics like algebra, ratios, fractions, geometry, etc. The activities also include answer keys.
I stumbled upon an excellent website for resources related to forests and biodiversity. This would be a good tool to use for science lessons on ecosystems and the environment. America's Rain Forests gathered tons of useful information and classroom activities for teacher use.
The site includes printable, complete lesson plans, worksheets and activity forms, experiments, and ideas for extensions and assessment. A few games and cooperative learning activities are also included.
A few highlights:
Several of these activities are perfect for Earth Day or any good weather day when you'd enjoy a lesson outside. Visit this page for even more outdoor learning activities.
image: microsoft
Introducing students to relatable characters is essential in increasing their enjoyment of reading. We teach students to make personal connections to their readings, and books with awesome characters make it easy for students to do so.
That's why I appreciate Byrdseed's lists of children's novels with gifted female characters. Off the top of your head, how many gifted female characters can you name? After being stumped for awhile, the only character that came to my mind that is not already named on the lists is Valentine Wiggin from the Ender's Game series. What do you think this suggests about a disadvantage faced by gifted girls you teach? Perhaps Byrdseed's two lists can be a source of inspiration for you.
Included are gifted girl characters from classics, such as Matilda, A Wrinkle in Time (Meg Murry), and The Westing Game's Turtle Wexler. Also mentioned are girls from more recent novels, like Deza Malone from The Mighty Miss Malone. Check it out!
This cool idea comes courtesy of Beg.Borrow.Teach, and it's a neat way to review almost any subject, particularly social studies and history. They call it Word Whomp.
Simply make letters for A-Z on cards or paper. Put them all in a paper bag or a shoebox. Give it a good shake, select a letter, and give students 1-3 minutes to write everything beginning with that letter that comes to mind about the subject.
For instance, if they're studying the Great Depression and the letter "S" is picked, a student may jot down "soup lines, social security, stock market crash," etc. The student with the most things listed correctly can have the privilege of picking the next letter from the bag.
I think this activity is ideal for review just prior to a unit test.
You can probably adapt this to closely resemble the game Scattegories. Perhaps you can have the students discover if anyone came up with words that no one else did, and they can win the round.
Visit the blog to see her examples of the activity and the extension she included!
I found this useful worksheet at CountOn.Org. If you're looking for a hands-on geometry activity, try this! All you need are unifix cubes. You may want to let students work in pairs as they try to recreate the models shown in the examples. They are challenged to create figures based on a bird's eye view and other perspectives. They can practice with symmetry while they attempt to build the mirror images of the same figures. There's even space so that they can even get creative and make their own challenge for a friend.
lakeshore
I came across this cool resource for math activities. Math Line Designs From Around the World: Grades 4-6
integrates math, social studies and art with each reproducible. Students work on math equations as they create beautiful artistic designs from patterns all over the world. They solve questions about multiplication and division, fractions and percents, prime and composite numbers, etc. while coloring pictures of Aztec wall art, Persian stars and other interesting designs from places like Africa and Tibet. Each design also includes a critical thinking extension. I think these activities are a good way to practice math skills, learn a bit about other cultures, and have something colorful to display in the classroom. Kids love to color and would prefer these to boring math worksheets!
The Learning Parade has provided a quick reference to online stories. They've included a list of the Top 10 Picture Books on Youtube, including classics like Where the Wild Things Are, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
These videos are ideal for a simple listening center, allowing students to follow along with the story while you're free to work with other students. You can also project these to the whole class if you have a moment of free time, like after recess or just before the final bell. Also, consider providing the link in your newsletter to parents so that they will have a good resource for stories at home. Check to see if some of your favorite read-alouds are online!
