Pi R Scared

  As summer approaches for students, teachers, and families, the question of summer school naturally comes up. This year, I’ve decided to teach summer school, though I haven’t taught it every year. If you're thinking about whether to take on a summer school position, here are a few important things to consider: 1) Do you have the energy for it? Summer school is often fast-paced and can feel more intense than the regular school year. I've taught in programs where students were in the same class all day, and others where each class lasted only 1.5 hours. Either way, the condensed schedule can be demanding and may leave little room for downtime during the day. 2) Do you need—or want—a break? Summer school often begins the Monday or Tuesday after the school year ends and wraps up just a week or two before the new year begins. This tight timeline can leave little opportunity for teachers to rest, travel, or recharge. If you're feeling burnt out by the end of the school year,...

  As summer approaches and students look forward to the break, how do you encourage them to practice a little each day? We talk about the summer slide each year as the summer approaches. For families asking, I'm providing 2 - 3 topics for the student to practice throughout the summer to help when they enter the next grade. The next challenge is how do they practice the math if they aren't sure. This is where websites like Khan Academy can be helpful, as they're a free resource with videos and practice.  Many times, local libraries have summer reading programs to encourage the kids to read throughout the summer as well. You could encourage families to check into their local library programs.  As a secondary math teacher, I also suggest families practice mental math for multiplication 0 - 12. This may seem small, but it helps when we do the grade-level work.  Let me know what you suggest for families.

  As we approach mid-April, the state testing begins for many students and teachers. While this can be a stressful time, many teachers find fun ways to review.  What games or activities do you use in your classroom to prepare and keep review engaging?

    Students return from Spring Break full of energy and excitement, knowing the end of the school year is near. Teachers often spend this time reviewing classroom expectations and reestablishing routines, especially since state testing usually begins within a few weeks. While there’s a push to return to normal, the atmosphere is different, and students often need a way to release that extra energy. A creative teacher I worked with a few years ago had a great idea for this transition period. She used plastic eggs to make the return more engaging. She cut up a worksheet and placed one question inside each egg, then hid them outside. Students went outside with a clipboard and some paper, searching for the eggs. When they found one, they opened it, wrote down the problem number and question, solved it, and then returned the egg to its hiding spot. This continued until each student had solved 10 questions. It was a great way to get students moving while still compl...

       As many schools approach Spring Break or have started Spring Break the level of excitement and energy is building. Spring Break normally marks the start or close to the start of the 4th and final quarter of the school year. Our school hasn't gotten to Spring Break yet so here are some activities or ideas I'm using for this time.  Quizizz Lesson - You can build your notes into a quizizz and after 2 slides of notes, I do some questions they can earn points on.  Increasing student responses - By this I mean, during the lesson itself I am checking with students more frequently through thumbs up/down/middle responses.   Brain Breaks - The students are need more frequent brain breaks.  How does any of this help with focus or material retention?  The students want to win the Quizizz so questions come up more frequently. The students are more likely to write down key information, when I remind them they are going to practice what I said f...

       My students are currently learning about how to make a boxplot or box and whisker plot with and without technology. Desmos is the calculator they are allowed to use and it is fairly user friendly when it comes to making boxplots. Here's a quick video on how to make them.