What a crazy school year! Interactive journals can bring you calm!

We are in week 25 of this school year, and I have not posted anything all school year!  Our math teks changed this year, and I feel like I am planning day to day.  I have done so much more work at home this year!  I keep telling myself that next year will be a better pace, and I won't need to do so much at home (with a new baby on the way, we will be busy enough).

I got very comfortable with the material I was teaching.  I was always creating new things and changing things up to keep things fresh, but with the new material, I am now required to create new materials.  It is has been exhausting trying to find and create things that keep my kids engaged, but the end result is so worth it.

I have never been one to just open a textbook and start teaching. I like for my kids to be a part of the learning experience.  Last year, I started using an interactive journal.  I will NEVER go back to teaching with just notes.  It is amazing how I can adapt notes into a foldable, and the kids are engaged the whole class.  It is all about the presentation.

All the required changes this year have allowed me to create and use and some great materials.  I love it when the kids tell me that although we are busy, they enjoy learning math this way.  They say it doesn't feel as though they are just being told what to do.  Many love being creative with their journals, while others are content with just getting the information down.

If you are new to interactive journals, I recommend looking at the interactive journal pack created by Runde's Room.  It is a great way to get started.

When we begin a new unit, I put the learning goal on the screen for the kids to write down as they come in.  I have a file through my google drive in which I put all my journal entries.  The google drive allows me to quickly share my files with the other 8th grade math teacher.  They color code the topic. At the beginning of the year, we created a list with the 4 topics and color coded each one.  The topics relate to our reporting categories.

After writing the learning goal, the kids write what they know about the topic.  I tell them that it is okay if they don't know anything.  I require my kids to write in complete sentences, so the journal is also a great way to help their writing skills.

After we create the foldable, we put it in the journal.  Some entries may take a few pages.  Once the lesson is complete, the students will go back and write what they learned (again using complete sentences).  The final steps involve creating a proof (a problem to be solved) and a reflection (a creative way to illustrate the concept).

This is a print-out of the learning goal shown on the screen.

The students also update the table of contents with the addition of each entry. The table of contents is also color coded.

Snapshot of the table of contents page

When the kids take the six weeks test, I grade the journals.  I create a rubric based on the entries we completed that six weeks.  With each six weeks, the journals get better and better.

The finished product will be a great tool that can assist them next year.  With all the new algebra additions to our teks, this journal should prove to be very handy next year!

Although we journaled last year, the change of all the teks forced me to step up my game, and I think our journal is so MUCH better this year.  I am excited to see the finished product.  I create a journal for each class, so I may hold a drawing for some lucky students and give away my journals!

I hope the school year has not been too overwhelming.  If it becomes too much, hop on pinterest and see what great foldables you can find!

Happy journaling!

Graphs and Central Tendency

It has been a long time since my last post. We have been BUSY at school.  I have been covering for another teacher, so my evenings have been spent planning for another class.  It is a 7th grade class, so I was really having to regroup.

The kids were behind, so we were having to go in and hit all the concepts.  During this time of year (or any time of year for that matter), no one wants to be beat down with a bunch of notes.  Since I started doing an interactive journal in my 8th grade class, I thought I would go that route with these kids.  They responded so well!  They loved getting the information without feeling like they were copying down a bunch of "stuff".

During the fall, I reviewed over the different graphs and central tendency with my 8th graders.  I used turkeys and pumpkins.  I didn't think that theme would go well at this time of year, so I created baskets and bunnies.

Each basket represented a different graph.  The egg was glued on to each basket (in a slightly overlapping pattern), and it titled what the graph was.  The eggs serve as a tab for easy reference.  The graphs we reviewed were:

• line plot
• line graph
• stem and leaf plot
• bar graph
• circle graph
• venn diagram

Each bunny represented each measure of central tendency.  One ear was glued to each bunny (in a slightly overlapping pattern), and it detailed what the bunny covered.  When we finished we had a four-eared bunny!

Click here to get the template I used for the baskets/eggs and bunnies/ears.

The kids were able to go back and add some color to the foldable.  I loved seeing them pull them out and use them to help answer different questions.  The eggs and ears allowed for easy reference.  The kids were engaged and got the material I needed them to get.

The slowest part is the cutting!  I have found that when we do activities like this, it is best to go ahead and hand out the material when they come in, so they can start cutting as soon as they finish the bell ringer.  We also have to share scissors.  I plan on buying A LOT of scissors this summer!  Once you get past the cutting hurdle, it is smooth sailing!

Happy basket and bunny making!

Dilations & Scale Factor Journal entry

This year, I started an interactive journal in my math class.  I have LOVED it.  I can see such a difference in how the kids are understanding.  It allows for them to have a hands-on approach while learning how to take short notes that are to the point.  It is still a learning process, but I am loving the process!

A few years ago, I implemented, "Say NO to Oreos".  WHAT?????  Who could say NO to oreos?  We do this when we learn about scale factor.  The NO stands for New divided by Original.  We start this saying at the beginning of the year, and we use it all year.  In the past, I have always brought in three types of oreos:

• regular
• double stuft
• mini

We go through a lesson in which we start with the regular oreo and dilate it through an enlargement (the two types of dilations were discussed the day before); therefore, the double stuft is created. The students measure the oreos, and we calculate the scale factor used.

We then have the regular oreo and dilate it through a reduction; therefore, the oreo mini is created.  We do more measurements and get that scale factor.

The students have always responded very well to this.   Since I started journaling this year, I created a journal entry, so the kids could put down what they took away from it.

After each situation, we put the oreos down in the journal.  The characteristic of each type of dilation was included.

I created a little pop out which included our saying that we taped to the middle of the page.

The pop out opens up to reveal what the NO stands for.

I love how we were able to keep something from this activity that the kids can go back and look at.  The kids loved to eat the oreos!!

I am excited to see the finished journal!

Happy Dilating!!