When I was a classroom teacher, my philosophy for my students was "memorize as little as possible." That may sound shocking if you are of the opinion that kids need to memorize all sorts of math facts and formulas to be successful, but it's what my high school calculus teacher taught us, and it's how I successfully earned a college degree in mathematics. Now, that is not to say that nothing needs to be memorized. There are a handful of things Keep Reading...
Teaching Integer Multiplication {FREE Graphing Calculator Activity}
Helping kids make sense of integer operations can be such a challenge. As a classroom teacher, I struggled to find ways to help my students remember. I didn't want them to simply memorize rules, formulas or tricks. I wanted to them to really understand. So I looked for ways to do just that. This integer multiplication activity will help your students discover important properties, and observe patterns with the help of their graphing Keep Reading...
Let’s Convert: Easy Metric Conversions Game
Ready for another fun and easy math card game? Everyday this week I'm share super simple games that you can use any time you need extra practice with important skills. Learning math facts does not have to be boring! Today's game is especially low-prep: all you need is a deck of cards and you're ready to practice metric conversions. While we don't typically use the metric system in the U.S., this is still an important skill because it will Keep Reading...
Christmas Algebra Riddles: Systems of Linear Equations {FREE}
Well, I can hardly believe it, but today is the LAST freebie in my "12 Days of Christmas" math printables series! I hope you've enjoyed the free math resources I've shared, and can incorporate them into your math plans this December. Today, I'm sharing another set of silly Christmas riddles, but these practice pages focus on solving systems of linear equations. When I taught Algebra, this was one of my favorite topics to teach. I loved exploring Keep Reading...
Christmas Algebra Riddles: Solving Linear Equations {FREE}
I'm excited to share the newest math freebie in my "12 Days of Christmas" printables series! If you've missed the rest, no worries! They're not going anywhere and you can still get all 12 free math resources. Yay! But if you're looking specifically for Algebra ideas, then you're in the right place. Today I'm sharing some simple, low prep Algebra practice to work on solving linear equations. (And stay tuned for more Christmas themed Algebra Keep Reading...
Christmas Graphing Challenge: Graphing Linear Equations
If you teach Pre-Algebra or Algebra, then I have a fun Christmas themed freebie for you today! One skill that is so important in early Algebra is graphing linear equations. I spent a lot of time as a teacher trying to help kids recognize that the graph is a picture of what the equation represents. It's just another way to represent the information. So to help kids understand the connections between a table, an equation and the graph of a line Keep Reading...
Fall Leaves Sort: Slope Activity {FREE}
One of the concepts that can prove most vexing for Algebra students in understanding the slope of a line. What does that mean? What does it look like? There are a lot of different ways to approach it, and thinking about slope lots of different ways can help students make sense of it. One way that I like to help deepen students' understanding (of any concept, really) is by comparing and sorting. This easy to use slope activity requires kids to Keep Reading...
Algebra Essentials Resource Bundle
Before I began homeschooling my children, I was a classroom teacher. I taught in a variety of contexts and grade levels, but I always taught Algebra. Sometimes it was remedial Algebra sometimes College Algebra, and everything in between. And I loved it! But it seemed no matter what level of Algebra I was teaching, there were certain concepts that challenged kids. And these concepts were ones that I had to review or reteach, even when I was Keep Reading...
8 Engaging Early Algebra Lessons (FREE)
I love Algebra. It's true, I do! I don't even mind long, tedious calculations. I love the challenge of correctly "undoing" an equation to find the solution. I love knowing I can check my answer. I love the feeling of satisfaction when I correctly solve it. This is why I spent most of my time in the classroom as an Algebra teacher. In the beginning, however, students often get hung up on some of those early foundations, making the rest of their Keep Reading...
Adding and Subtracting Integers {FREE Lesson!}
One of the most important concepts introduced in pre-algebra (or algebra) is integer operations. I can distinctly remember learning "the rules" and fun little tricks to remember them. But I also remember wondering why in the world subtracting a negative means you add! So when I saw this method to introduce adding and subtracting integers, I knew I had to try it. *Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which help support the work of Keep Reading...
