Comments on I Want to Teach Forever: What Can I Do With...? Volume 1

so who needs a "legitimate" reason to put up a dis...

2009-05-15T23:58:00.000-05:00

so who needs a "legitimate" reason to put up a disco ball?!?!? Get that thing spinning!

The paper lunch bags can be used to model algebrai...

2009-05-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

The paper lunch bags can be used to model algebraic expressions in an activity based upon one found in Impact Mathematics Course 2. Each bag is labeled "x" and holds the same undisclosed number of small objects (legos, marbles, etc. - blocks here for discussion). So 3 bags plus two extra blocks is a concrete version of 3x + 2. Kids can figure out the value (total number of blocks) for different values of x, and they can work backward to solve basic equations. Great for middle school, or for older kids with learning issues.

Trivial Pursuit: Do your own set of cards, and cre...

2009-05-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

Trivial Pursuit: Do your own set of cards, and create categories like polynomials, coordinate plane, solving for angles, etc. You could make it a class project by giving each student a certain number of cards and have them create questions.

Miniature foam footballs: a few ways to use these. One is to write numbers on the footballs and perform operations based on the number that their thumb is on when they catch it, such as integer review (use 2 fingers for this), cubes, perfect squares, etc. Another way is to simply throw the ball and the person who catches it has to answer the question. You can also set up a hula hoop or some other kind of target and let the students throw the ball if they get the question right.

I took this game from someone else and I use a fo...

2009-05-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

I took this game from someone else and I use a foam basketball instead of a football, but here's an idea:

I name a few teams of students and put problems on the board for them to solve, one at a time. The first team to solve the problem gets a point. Every team who solves the problem gets a chance to shoot for a point. So, the first team can get two and the others can get one. Sometimes I add a three-point line to spice things up.

2009-05-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

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