Success In Secondary - Linky Party

In celebration of my new blog (designed by A Bird In The Hand Designs) I am hosting another Success In Secondary Linky Party.

Feel free to link up your favorite middle or high school activity.

Thank you for all your support this year!  Look for continued Linky Parties Monthly this summer!

Saying Goodbye...

Said goodbye to the seniors today - I'll still see them at graduation, but they won't be in my class anymore :(  OK, really it's spring, the seniors have been done since spring break.  But they have been an enjoyable group.  A very intelligent group of young people who will certainly change the world someday...

Whenever I start to feel sad about it, I will remember my juniors - they'll keep me smiling!

Fun Math Lessons and Activities for the End of the School Year

It's time to start counting down the days...this year it seems like the warmer weather hit in the MidWest and the kids are DONE!  It's so hard to keep their attention, so I am on the lookout for fabulous ideas to keep them focused and learning :)

Here are 4 I found:

1) I really love this idea...a math activity with a movie or book that kids love!  This particular activity goes with the movie How to Train Your Dragon, so I think it would best be used in middle school.  According to the description, this activity has problems that include the topics: fractions, decimals, percents, probability, area, perimeter, stem and leaf, and more - that is sooooo cool! (made by Lisa Blagus)

2)  One idea I've been noticing lately is people designing a character and then taking him or her through a variety of situations.  If you teach trig, you should try this series of lessons for a review...Brocky McTrig.  There are 6 lessons altogether.  I originally though I might be able to use these in geometry, but I definitely think they are better for Trig. (made by Lorraine Darwin)

3) I have often thought about playing Bingo with my math class, but making the bingo cards all different  aaargghhh - what a PAIN!  I have had my class make their own bingo cards before, but it takes so long, and some kids don't quite get it!  Gina Wilson had a fabulous idea and made a BINGO template in Word.  Check it out here...BINGO Template (made by Gina Wilson)

4) Didn't you love scavenger hunts when you were a kid?  Here is an example of a way you can review  math concepts at the end of the year and still have fun at the same time - a Newspaper Scavenger Hunt. Have each child bring a newspaper and this checklist and they'll have a meaningful task that will keep them engaged :)  (made by Mathematic Fanatic)

Do you have your own favorite end of the year math lesson?

Add your linky here!

Teachers Pay Teachers Sale!

New Sale Starts May 7th!

You can get 20% off of my store - then if you use the code TAD13, you can get an additional percentage off.

 Here is a link to my store:

Teaching High School Math

Have a great week!

Participating in A Super Secondary Giveaway!

I am participating in a Super Secondary Giveaway!

More than 40 Secondary Teachers are Participating.

Hop on over to http://studyallknight.blogspot.com or http://thesuperheroteacher.blogspot.com/ to enter.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Using QR Codes in the High School Math Classroom

I think QR Codes can be very valuable in a high school classroom.  So, I decided to try creating my own activity using QR Codes.  For this first activity, I am going to have students scan a QR Code when they would like to check the answers to the task card.  I realize that students could just scan the code and get the answers, but they could also just turn to the back of their book to get the answers too!  I am hoping that the novelty of using the iPad/iPhone/other mobile device will be enough to get them to try to do the problem first!

I know nothing about QR Codes really, except that you see them everywhere, and I know I have an app for that!  So, I am learning about how to use them in the classroom.  So far, I have discovered that I can embed text, video, or a url into the QR Code.  What I am struggling with right now is how I can give students answers to questions that need mathematical notation.  For example, I know I could type sqrt 2 to mean the square root of 2, but it's not good math notation, and I want my students to use good notation!

So, I am trying to figure out where I can store my QR Codes so students can get them.  I am open to any suggestions that you might have - leave them in the comments section.

Here are what two of my task cards look like.

I am really excited about this new method of helping students learn with technology!

If you'd like to see this entire product, please check it out here:

Slope Task Cards with QR Codes

Success in Secondary Linky Party!

It is time once again for a Success in Secondary Linky Party!

Please feel free to link up to three items (two paid and one free) that are appropriate for either middle or secondary school.

I'd like to feature my own free item that I recently put in the Teachers Pay Teachers store...

As we all know, it is the time of year when students need things to do constantly to keep them engaged...preferably fun things!  So, I created this maze for students to use to practice solving equations.  

These equations are perfect for students who are just starting algebra or pre-algebra.  There are two mazes - in the first maze, students only need to know how to solve one step equations.  In the second maze, students need to be able to solve two-step equations.  In both mazes, students need to be able to work with simple fractions.

One and Two Step Equations Mazes - FREE

I'd love for you to download it and leave feedback if you'd like in my TPT store or in the comments section here.