I remember when I was in school and my teacher would say, “you have 15 minutes to complete your quiz and then we are moving onto the next activity”. It would make me panic and then I wasn’t able to focus to do my best work.
 
Therefore, one of the things I never want to do to my students is put pressure on them to finish an assessment in a certain amount of time, so the class could move onto the next task. It’s WAY too much pressure!
 
Of course, I can’t give them all day to complete it, BUT I can give them an ample amount of time to finish and check their work. But, by doing so, I may run into a few problems:

1 – Students that finish early will have nothing to do.
2 – We'd lose learning time, by allowing so much time for an assessment.
 
I didn’t want these things to happen either, so I created some quick, review activities for students to complete when they finished their assessments or work early. I call these iMath activities, which are based on everyone’s favorite apps. Below is a summary of each activity. Click on the image to link to the blog post with more detail about each activity. I specifically created them for an Algebra 1 course.

​*Click on each image to go to the activity.

​Calling all NEW Middle School and High School Math Teachers!!! I have very important advice for you…the best advice I’m ever going to share…ready for it?!
 
YOU CANNOT DO ALL THE THINGS!!!
 
Yes, it’s in caps because I am shouting it!

I remember when I was a first-year teacher and I thought I was going to be the best teacher by creating amazing activities, make every lesson “fun”, get to know each student’s strengths and weaknesses to differentiate for each one, integrate real world projects in every unit of study, follow all the new education trends, etc. I learned pretty quickly that there are only so many hours in a day, and even though I’m a high energy person…I am just one person, and I definitely set my expectations way too high. Quite frankly, even veteran teachers can’t do all the things.

I’m not saying throw in the towel for trying to do all the things. What I’m saying is, YOU can’t do all the things yourself, nor all at one time.

NOT ALL THE THINGS:

• YOU don’t have to re-teach lessons to students who were absent or didn’t get it the first time. There’s YouTube for that.
• YOU don’t have to begin your first year knowing what works and doesn’t work. There are blog posts made by experienced teachers for that.
• YOU don’t have to create every fun activity yourself. There are activities all over the internet you can use….literally thousands and thousands of activities to choose from.
• YOU don’t have to do a real-world project for every single concept. Mini-lessons are great too! There is Desmos for that.
• YOU don’t have to follow every new education trend. Find ONE that will work best for your teaching style and your students. Then, implement that.

These are just a few suggestions of how to work smarter, not harder...because (here it is again), you can't do all the things. 

NOT ALL AT ONE TIME:
​If you are one of those teachers, like myself, that teaches several different grade levels, pick one grade level each year you REALLY want to focus on and improve it. Then, the next year, pick a different grade level. I set up a review cycle of content and implementation goals each year by grade level. It looks something like this:

MORAL OF THIS STORY:
I’m basically saying this…YOU don’t have to know or do everything yourself, and  you absolutely cannot implement it all at one time. Learn from those of us that have been around awhile, and definitely don’t re-invent the wheel. So many amazing ideas and activities are at your finger tips, thanks to the internet. And don't forget to come up with a system for improvements year after year, like my review cycle idea. A little at a time, done well, goes a long way!

FUN ACTIVITIES – get started by using activities from my FREE resource library and my TpT store by clicking on the images below. You can also use our best friends, Google Search and Pinterest to find activities based on each math concept.

LEARN FROM OTHERS
You can find several tips on my BLOG. I’ve also asked some of my math friends to share their best tips…so here they are:

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I am a HUGE advocate for teaching students how to use a graphing calculator to check their answers. In fact, it’s probably one of the MOST important skills I’ve taught my students. Yes, I know…being able to find a solution algebraically is extremely important, and of course, I teach them that. And, of course, I require them to show their work. BUT, when they turn in an assessment, I want them to be confident that their answers are correct. Feedback is extremely helpful, and by using the graphing calculator it can be instant!


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You know, I probably should have titled this post “The Lost Art of Checking Your Answers”. Sometimes I simply don’t understand why students don’t check their answers?!?! I know that some students are just too “lazy” to check, algebraically. Yes, I said it! BUT, at they could at least use their calculator to confirm or disaffirm their answer. Just think, if students were able to check every problem BEFORE they turn in their work? Then, they would know immediately if they have an answer right or wrong…and if wrong, they can fix it!

There are soooooo many math topics that students can use the calculator to check their answers. Here are just a few ways:

• Factoring: graph and check for zeros
• Converting fractions to decimals and vice versa
• Inverse Functions: graph two functions to see if they reflect over y = x
• Linear Inequalities: use shading features on the calculator
• Radicals: type in the original radical expression and your simplified radical expression to see if the answers match
• Evaluate Functions: enter the function in Y= and use the YVAR function to evaluate for a specific number
• Rational Functions: view asymptote(s), hole(s), and zeros
• Systems of Equations: check substitution/elimination method by graphing
• Logarithms: evaluating and confirming two statements are equal
• AND SO MANY MORE…

​Do you want to make it easier for your students to navigate the TI-84 graphing calculator? Watch my video that covers some tips and tricks you may not know about the TI-84. You will also learn some great ways for students to check their algebraic answers using the calculator, as well as unique ways to graph. After all, calculators are only as smart as their user!

​To watch the VIDEO and receive FREE Graphing Calculator Reference Sheets, click on the image below:

​If you are looking for a complete bundle of all of my TI-84 or TI-Nspire calculator sheets, to help your students easily maneuver though the calculator, you can click on one of the images below:

​​These sheets will help you integrate calculators into your lessons as a central tool in developing students’ mathematical connections, conceptual understanding, and procedural fluency.

Have you ever had a student that was AMAZING at one math concept and was either average or poor at other math concepts? I had such a student. I nicknamed this student “Factor Master”. He found factoring so easy and was able to do it extremely fast. I could tell he was very proud of this skill, as was I. It’s then that I realized I wanted to give math award certificates to highlight the math concepts that students were specifically strong at in middle and high school.
 
I searched the internet first and found math awards that were general for math achievement, but not specifically for certain math concepts. I decided I’d have to create my own. I wanted the award certificates to be fun, but not too cutesy for middle and high school students. I decided to use my friend, Sarah Pecorino’s, Dot Dude clip art. She is the BEST clip artist…I absolutely love everything she creates AND she is an awesome person too!

Next, I made a list of grades 6-12 math concepts to use. I was able to come up with 50 fun superlative and alliteration award certificates! I made them ready to print AND editable, so teachers can type in the student names and dates.
 
I found that recognizing my students’ strengths helped develop a positive culture within my classroom. When students know that their hard work is being noticed AND appreciated, they tend to work even harder and feel better about it.

You can see all of the math awards in this video:

​​I want to preface this post with the fact that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for how to conduct parent-teacher conferences. There are MANY ideas and methodologies that have been used by all levels of teachers. It is important to choose the best method that works for YOU.
 
I’d like to share a strategy that worked for me and can be used to help you set up your parent-teacher conferences. I have included two FREE templates for you to use to prepare for parent-teacher conferences.

Begin by using the SET IT UP template to decide WHAT you want to achieve during the conference and HOW you want to achieve it. This handout can be used digitally by typing in your content or if you are a paper/pencil person, you can print and complete it that way.

​Decide the important topics you want to share and/or discuss during the conference. Let’s face it, you simply cannot cover everything you want to during the conference. My conferences were always set for 15 minutes, so I had to pick and choose 3-5 areas I wanted to discuss to give the parent/guardian a good picture of their child’s progress.

​I find having some kind of form filled out prior to the conference helps keep the meeting focused. I prefer a RUBRIC in which I fill out for each student that includes the level of understanding for the units of study for the semester, work ethic, attitude towards learning, and attention. This has been by far the best thing I’ve done for having successful parent-teacher conferences!
 
I usually print the rubric and highlight each area, so parents/students can leave with a hard copy. But, you can also share each rubric with them virtually by sharing your screen and/or via email. Click on the image for an editable version of this rubric.

I used to only meet with the parent/guardian, but one year I changed it so that the student had the option to attend. I found that students enjoyed hearing about their progress and the good things they were doing in class. It was also helpful for them to be part of the honest conversation on areas they could improve. I truly think who attends varies on each teacher’s situation, so again, do what is best for YOU.

​What needs to be prepared in advance? For me, I filled out a rubric for each student and made a checklist of appointments to keep the meetings efficient and on time. During the conference, I explain each area of the rubric and give a few examples. Parents were also happy to walk away with something they could reflect on with their child.

​I am the type of person that always wants to improve! I am constantly analyzing lessons, projects, activities, etc., so of course I want to reflect on how I set up and execute my conferences to make them even better the next time.
 
Using the SET IT UP document helps me plan for conferences each year and having a RUBRIC I can edit for each quarter/semester helps me make the necessary adjustments for each conference.

TEAM APPROACH
by Math Giraffe

Work together as a team to prepare for each conference.  Students do self-evaluations that they present to parents alongside the teaching team's evaluation. 
 
Homeroom teachers act as representatives of the entire teaching team, while students take accountability and share input about any discrepancies / similarities between the two forms.
(free download included)