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Dividing Fractions Using Fraction Strip Diagrams

Dividing fractions can be a difficult concept for students to understand, but using models such as diagrams or number lines can help to visualize the process and make it more concrete. Here is an explanation of how to divide fractions using fraction strips: Use fraction strips to solve 1/2 ÷ 3/4. 1.      Think through the problem as "How many groups of 3/4 are needed to cover the area of 1/2?" 2.      Draw fraction strips to represent each fraction. Make sure they are both the same size. 3.    Using the diagram, we can see that we would need two out of three of the green boxes to cover the blue area, so we would need 2/3 of a group of 3/4. So, we can solve the question. 1/2 ÷ 3/4 = 2/3. Here is another example:  Use fraction strips to solve 2/3 ÷ 5/12. 1.      Think through the problem as "How many groups of 5/12 are needed to cover the area of 2/3?" 2.      Draw fraction strips to represent each fraction. Make sure they are both the same size. 3.     Using the di

Vocabulary Scaling - A Vocab Activity for ANY SUBJECT!

  Teaching vocabulary can be a boring task. Here's a fun, interactive activity that will get your students thinking, talking, and engaging with their vocabulary words, whether they are in English, science, math, social studies, or any subject! Vocabulary Scaling is an activity in which the target vocabulary word is placed at the top of a whiteboard or piece of paper, with its opposite word on the bottom.  Students then have to generate other words and scale them in between the target word and its opposite. Students need to justify why they put each new word at that particular place on the scale, and they can move a word someone else placed if they can justify it.   This is a great activity that can bring literacy into your science, math, or social studies classrooms, as it helps to develop listening, speaking, thinking, and comprehension skills.  So, what do you think? Do you already use this in your classroom? Is this something you'd like to bring into your class? Let me know

8 Tried and True Formative Assessment Strategies for Middle School

  What is Assessment? Assessment is an integral part of a teacher's job. Assessment is a systematic measure of how students are learning in order to improve their learning. Effective assessment practices should direct the next steps of the teacher. Both formative and summative assessment practices should be used in every classroom.  What is Formative Assessment? Formative assessment is a part of the learning process. It provides teachers with a snapshot of teaching and learning while it is still happening. Formative assessment allows for guided practice for students so that the teacher can check the understanding of their students. Formative assessment allows for the teacher to make adjustments as needed and guides future teaching. What are Some Formative Assessment Practices? While this list is far from complete, here are some formative assessment practices that I use in my middle school classroom. 1. Exit/Entrance Slips Exit slips are a quick, written response to a question that

Using Autocrat to Automate Report Cards

Have you heard about Autocrat? Autocrat is an add-on for Google that allows you to merge information from a Google Sheet into a Google Doc using a template. I learned about this add-on a couple years ago, and now I use it to create report cards, rubrics, student self-assessments, and anything else I can use it for.  Autocrat makes creating report cards super fast and easy because it can be used to automate the creation of the reports. Click on the video below for a demonstration, or read the step-by-step instructions further below to see how it works. 1. Start With a Template Create a template for your report in Google Docs. You can create tags in your template that will be populated by autocrat if they are set up in double brackets, like this: <<tag>> See an example template below: 2. Create a Google Form The Google Form allows you to easily fill in the information you want auto-populated into your tags. This can include student name, strengths, stretches, or any other inf

Question du Jour - A Quick Speaking/Listening Activity for Core French Classes

Teachers are always asking me how to include more speaking and listening activities into their Core French classrooms. For Core French teachers who may not be fluent in French themselves, it is often daunting to speak French with their students. Here is one activity that I like to do to start off my French class everyday:  Question du Jour (Question of the Day). Why try it?  This is my assurance that every student is speaking French at least once in the block.  How do I implement it? I create a question, usually something that fits in to the theme or unit we are studying. I usually have the question written on the board as they come into class. A question during a family unit could be “As-tu des cousins ou des cousins?” A question during a sports unit could be “Aimes-tu jouer au football?” We discuss the question and I ask the student what they think it means. I also use this time to point out grammatical elements/pronunciation of the words so they can make the connection to how the Fr

One Word Poster and Paragraph - Back to School Activity for Middle School Students

  Looking for a great Back to School activity for middle school? This 3-day lesson asks your students to choose one word to act as their motto to drive them forward this year. Students will create a poster and a paragraph to explain why they chose their word and how they are going to use that word to help them reach their goals. Students begin by brainstorming a list of character traits that they admire in other people and answering questions such as "What have you always wanted to be able to do?" and "If you had the resources, what would you do for someone else to change their life for the better?" These questions help students to connect with their values and what is important to them. Next, they work through the writing process to draft and revise a paragraph and poster to share their word to with others. I have also used this as a back to school activity and as a New Year's Resolutions activity and I always get amazing results from the students.  To download

FREE Emergency Sub Plans for Middle School!

Looking for FREE emergency sub plans for middle school? Look no further. Click here to receive plans for ELA, Math, French, Science, and Social Studies completely free!