Summer Sizzler - 6th Grade

I love summer. But with the long days, warm nights and endless days in the pool, there also comes the natural desire to do anything BUT school.

I don't know about you, but I can always tell which of my students has done some math over the summer. It doesn't need to be every day, all day, but something to work out that brain muscle!

Usually, I teach Math Camps at school to keep my students brains fresh. I realize though, that not everyone has the luxury of creating such a class over the summer.

And that's why I've started a new little series of blog posts called "Summer Sizzlers".

What IS a "Summer Sizzler" you ask? Its a 30-day math book that will give students that little spark at the beginning of the school year. There is a different concept revisited each day with most having critical thinking woven in. There is also an answer key included for you to check each students work.


This is a great way for students to sharpen their skills over the long, beautiful summer break.

Here's a preview of what's inside the 6th grade Summer Sizzler:

Concepts Covered:
 comparing fractions
operations with decimals
order of operations
problem solving
mental math
critical thinking
operations with whole numbers
measurement
customary & metric systems
area and perimeter

To download YOUR digital copy, simply click below:
Note: Any purchase made AFTER 8pm CST may not be emailed until 6am the next morning. If you cannot wait that long, visit my TpT store.

Follow Me {on facebook, that is}

I have absolutely NO idea why I haven't thought of this sooner.... But I've created a facebook page for Math-N-Spire! This way everyone can stay in tune with new products, posts, and ask questions if need be. Feel free to "share" the page with your friends and if you "like" Math-N-Spire, you'll be eligible for top-secret, super-special giveaways!!!  Just click the "like" and be transported to my facebook fan page :)

Real World Math {aka Consumer Math}

Well, I have to say  I've been bitten by the "digitally creating" bug. One of the courses I am teaching next year is Consumer Math, which I of course refer to as "Real World Math". It's designed for Seniors through Sophomores who do not need Calculus or higher level math for their intended career or college. I also think its a great idea b/c there are people out there (like me) who are really good at Math, but not so great at Applicable math....at least I used to be. I guess that's why I wanted to teach this course.


So that when my students graduate, they will have a real understanding of things like student loans, car loans, paychecks, interest rates, and just how money works. It's the real world they are stepping into.

I may not be able to change the entire world, but I CAN change one student at a time to leave my room feeling READY to take on that great big world out there.

It's really neat because while browsing through the curriculum choices, I really didn't see one that grabbed my attention. There were a lot of books that had good "info", but were rather dry and boring in my opinion.

And you know me.

I like to have FUN in my classroom. So that my students ENJOY being in my class while learning.

So, I've decided to create my own curriculum. It's in the baby stages right now. I've got it all in my head, and am just starting to put it on the computer. I can tell you this - You. Won't. Be. Disappointed.

Here's the cover design:

 

This is my new summer project and I am hoping to get it finished before the start of school, but I also know I tend to be too much of an optimist sometimes. Stay tuned for updates and the launch of a new resource!

1950's to Today {Percent of Change Project}

So I guess it's no secret that I love to do projects to reinforce what my students are learning. One of the most applicable concepts in middle school math is percentages. And sometimes it can be difficult to get it across to students how valuable it is that they learn them.

Enter fun project about percent of change.

 

This project is designed to help students make the connection between math we do in school and math we need to survive in the real world. I also noticed it excited my students to see how much things have changed in the past 60+ years!

 

 

Here's a sample page from the project directions (which include a project rubric)

There are lines under each item - for some reason, when I created a snapshot of the document, it only saw lines every three or so items.

 

Isn't it amazing how much things have changed?

 

In this project, students will also be using critical thinking skills to evaluate and form a conjecture or opinion about the age old phrase "America's Golden Age". Did they really have it "better" in 1950's America? It's overall a great project t0 get students thinking outside of the box and apply their math skills.

 

This project is available from my TeachersPayTeachers store, as well as through Paypal. Cost is $3.00 - a great investment to get your students excited about learning math!

 





Note: Any purchase made AFTER 8pm CST may not be emailed until 6am the next morning. If you cannot wait that long, visit my TpT store.

Polygon Posters - {Chevron Theme}

So, my school is in the process of building it's building (we've been in different locations the past eight years working on getting a permanent home and since we're private, we don't receive state funding). So next year, I will have my own classroom in which I can plan on really going all out in decorating. Not that I haven't had my own classroom, but it's always been shared by a youth group or some other organization when we're not there.

So I get to let my creativity flow onto the walls....

And I'm a tad excited about it!

I've also been learning about digitally creating things.

Like posters.

So, I just created some polygon posters to put up on my walls for my high school geometry students. These would work great in middle school too...

Here's a sample of one of the posters:

 

They are made to print out on 8.5 x 11" paper, but in the print screen, you can easily change the paper size. I made them in different colors, and have all the polygon names from triangle through dodecagon. Ten pages total.

 

If you would like a download of these awesome posters, you can get it from my TeachersPayTeachers store, or from the link below through PayPal. The set of TEN posters is a steal at only $5!

 

 

Note: Any purchase made AFTER 8pm CST may not be emailed until 6am the next morning. If you cannot wait that long, visit my TpT store.

 

Hope you're having a great summer. If you're like me, you're probably already planning for the upcoming school year! 

Interactive Math Notebook {7th Grade Level}

It's FINALLY complete!

Let me just say that this project was more complex than I imagined, but I think you will be happy with the product...

Why? Because I tend to be a perfectionist....and I had to make sure every. little. detail. was right.

Here are a few snapshots of the product:

The complete book is 185 pages in length and INCLUDES a complete teachable answer key. 151 pages are interactive, 34 are answer key pages. That means if you are a homeschooling parent, you don't just have an answer. Each problem is worked through and steps are shown for you to feel confident in teaching your middle schooler!

 

 

Although this is intended for seventh grade, it can be used in 5th - 8th grades as many of the concepts are the same. This is the material I taught my 6th graders who took 7th grade level math. It is also written as a supplement to Glencoe's Course 2 curriculum, but can also stand alone as well.

 

 

Get YOURS TODAY!

 

Want to see a preview of some pages inside???   Click  HERE

 

To download a digital copy, click on any of the links below. Once your payment clears PayPal, I will get an email and your file will be on its way!

  - $30

Note: Any purchase made AFTER 8pm CST may not be emailed until 6am the next morning. If you cannot wait that long, visit my TpT store.

So what's in this book anyways?? Here's a list of the concepts covered in depth in this book:
- Problem solving
- Operations with fractions, decimals, percents
- Equations
- Sequences
- Area, Perimeter, Circumference . Volume, Surface Area
- Operations with integers
- Graphing
- Metric & Customary System
- % of a number, sales tax/discount
- Factoring
- Ratios, Rates & Proportions
- Pythagorean Theorem
- Statistics
- Simple Interest
- Probability
- Polygons
- Angles