Pi R Scared

  Circles have really been helpful this year as we compared different amounts so I'm using them to teach adding fractions.  For middle school the students are limited to denominators of 12 so most of the circles can be cut into those pieces easier than high school student standards.  This is also a great way to show when you are converting from an improper fraction to a mixed number what is happening and why. 

  Comparing fractions has been a challenge for my students in past years so I decided to take a new approach this year.   In the past, I showed the students all of the mathematical steps to compare, this year I started with circles instead.  For the visual learners, this has helped them see what is happening. For the students who just prefer the math steps, I showed them both ways and let them decide. 

  This is a template that you can update to use in your classroom.  A copy of the template can be found here .  Below is a video on how to update it to your classroom needs. 

  As a new school year has started, I have found my students asking for worksheets.  I wanted to make them a little more fun so I started making color by number worksheets.  After making the first Mandala worksheet, I found a faster way.  I'll share both ways with you so you can decide what works best with your students.  Fast way to make the coloring sheets Slower way to make the coloring sheets

  A few years ago I started planning using Google Slides.  In the video, I share how I plan with the slides but here are a few reasons I enjoy planning this way. First, I can create a template that allows me to link everything I need in a very visual manner.  Second, if I need to move something from one day to another day, it's a few clicks and done.  Third, if you have students who get copies of notes, you can give them the layout because the notes are right in your slides.  I typically use a slide template made by someone else which makes it faster to have nice looking slides. A few places that I find these templates is slidesmania, slidesgo, and Canva. Many of the sites allow educators to use the templates for free. What about my admin?  I've been in a few different districts since I started planning this way and no one has made me go back to the long documents with all the little pieces to lesson plan.  My slides have the same information just in a more kid friendly layout

  As we prepare for back to school night and the first day of school, looping a presentation may be very helpful.  I like looping the back to school night presentation so that I can talk to parents and answer questions while information like grading, contact info, and expectation run behind me. Check out the video below on how to loop a presentation and set a timer for each slide.