Middle School Math Moments (now Cognitive Cardio Math)

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Krypto is a game I learned about at a conference where Dr. Lola May presented (in like 1993, I think!). I didn't realize until recently that it was a commercial game that could be purchased :-)   I had simply used the game idea from time to time, following the rules as laid out in the book. Krypto can be played with whole numbers or fractions (and with positive and negative integers as well, I'm sure!), but for today, I'm going to talk about the use of it with fractions. The rules are simple (kind of like the "24" game): 1. Choose 5 common fractions, with denominators of halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths, tenths and twelfths. 2. Students add, subtract, multiply, and/or divide the fractions to make the 5 fractions equal the target number of 1. 3. Students can receive points for meeting the target number of 1. If they do so using only 3 numbers, they get 300 pts; 4 numbers = 400 pts; all 5 numbers = 1,000 pts....you can set up the point system any way yo...

I was a very new teacher (in my second year, I believe), when I was lucky enough to go to a conference and hear Dr. Lola May speak. She was a great presenter, and certainly made an impression on me. I still (20 years later) have the book that was given at the conference and refer to it now and again. It was at this conference that I first learned how to use "casting out nines" to check the answers to multiplication and division problems. I had never heard of this method when I was a student, but being a new teacher, I kind of assumed it was a method well-known to other teachers.....until I talked about it during a meeting at which our Curriculum and Instruction director was present. He overheard me explaining it to another teacher; he had never heard of it, was quite surprised and interested in how it worked, and asked me to show him a few more examples. Over the years, I have taught it to some classes (and not to others...I haven't taught it yet this year, but plan t...

I love to play thinking games with my students (especially when they don't really view it as thinking)! Quite a few years ago (at least 15) I went to a make 'n take workshop, and whoever was running it had quite a few activities made from cardboard circles. For this particular activity, a hole had to be made in the center of the circle, and a shoestring was secured to the bottom of the circle and threaded through the hole. The circle was divided into 32 sections, and each section was labeled with a letter of the alphabet (using some letters, like vowels, twice). As you can see, the sections can be colored so the circle is more attractive:) Yes, this is an OLD wheel!! The rules of the game were conveniently written on the back (otherwise I might have forgotten them!) Here they are: 1. Divide into 2 teams (sometimes I divide the class into 3 or 4 teams) 2. Spin the wheel for Team 1 (hold onto the shoestring and spin wheel). 3.  A member of Team 1 stops the wheel with...

I realized that I have mentioned the activity called Footloose in my blog before, but have never really explained it. It's an activity that is enjoyed by kids of all ages, and can certainly be varied according to the topic that is being studied. I use it mostly for math, because that's what I teach; but in the past, when I taught different grade levels, I used it as a review activity in other subject areas as well. It is amazing how quiet and engaged students are when doing this activity. They are up and down, out of their seats, and you'd think they'd be very distracted...but no matter what the grade level (I've used it with 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th), they work hard to complete the questions!   Here's how it works: 1. There are 30 cards, with a question on each card. Each card is numbered, from 1-30. I do laminate the cards so that they don't get ruined after one use:) Download for free from TPT 2. Students receive a Footloose grid (ther...

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I haven't had the opportunity to teach much about integers, or about how to add or subtract positive and negative integers, but I might get the chance this year. It isn't in our current curriculum, so it's an extra topic that we don't normally get to spend time on. However, we will be teaching integer concepts next year, as we work on Common Core implementation....and maybe, just maybe, we'll get to work on some integer concepts at the end of this year. Even though I don't get to teach this topic, I do have a large number line with positive and negative numbers posted in my room, with the hope that the kids will observe it and think about it. And, from time to time, when we talk about the idea that the Commutative Property does NOT work for subtraction, we will refer to the number line (that I have to be on tiptoe to reach!) to see that a problem like 7-2 = 5, but 2-7 = -5. So, we do have that visual to discuss from time to time. In preparation for next y...