Where was I last week?
First, I have to apologize for not participating in the blogging initiative last week. I'm a full time graduate student, and classes had just started last week, so there wasn't much for me to talk about in terms of A Day in the Life or One Good Thing - because not much interesting went on. However, I am prepared to try the rest of the blogging ideas!
A little about me...
Most of this information can be found elsewhere on this Weebly site, but since this is my first blog post, I'll take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Jessica Thomas, and I hold certifications in mathematics and English, 5-12. After I graduated last year, I immediately started graduate school in C&I, and I will finish in May and begin teaching full time in the fall.
Though I'm certified to teach English too, I mostly enjoy teaching math at the middle school level. I learned about the MTBoS at NCTM Nashville in November, and I'm excited to see how these resources can help me as I begin my first years teaching.
Though I'm certified to teach English too, I mostly enjoy teaching math at the middle school level. I learned about the MTBoS at NCTM Nashville in November, and I'm excited to see how these resources can help me as I begin my first years teaching.
My Favorite Review Game
One of the activities I loved doing when I was student teaching is a type of review game I actually stole from my high school Spanish teacher. She would have us do relays to complete verb conjugation charts - your row was your team, and one person at a time went to the board to fill in one conjugation. It usually became pretty intense! When I needed to review one-step equations with my middle schoolers, I immediately turned to this game, and they loved it.
The rules of the game: Each team has one "set" of something to fill out or complete. In my case, each team had six one-step equations to solve (because there were 4-5 students per row). Each was in a different box on the handout. The handout starts at one person, and each person can solve one equation - they can choose which one to do; they don't have to go in order. If a student notices an incorrect equation, he or she can fix it but not do their own problem. A student is allowed to pass, but must attempt a problem in some aspect. When a team member thinks that all of the equations have been solved correctly, he or she stands up to have their work checked. The rest of the class should keep working, because usually there is something incorrect.
As I mentioned, in high school, my Spanish teacher put the conjugation tables on the boards at the front of the room, and we had to run back and forth from our seats. You're welcome to try that method in your classroom, but I knew that wouldn't go too smoothly with my middle schoolers, so I just had them stay in their seats and pass the paper.
I found that the students really loved this type of review game. There was just enough competition, teamwork, individuality, and anonymity for them to want to try to solve the equations. It was much more effective than just a practice worksheet, and it was something different than standard review games such as Jeopardy. I thought I had kept copies of the work they had done, but I can't seem to find the files now, unfortunately. Below is an example of a problem set to fill out, but you could include any type of topic that you wanted, as long as the problem solving process is fairly short - you don't want the paper to be stuck at any one student for too long or else the other students get bored. This is also a easy game to put together on the spur of the moment! You can play just one round or several rounds.
Have you ever played a relay review game before? What tips and tricks do you have?
The rules of the game: Each team has one "set" of something to fill out or complete. In my case, each team had six one-step equations to solve (because there were 4-5 students per row). Each was in a different box on the handout. The handout starts at one person, and each person can solve one equation - they can choose which one to do; they don't have to go in order. If a student notices an incorrect equation, he or she can fix it but not do their own problem. A student is allowed to pass, but must attempt a problem in some aspect. When a team member thinks that all of the equations have been solved correctly, he or she stands up to have their work checked. The rest of the class should keep working, because usually there is something incorrect.
As I mentioned, in high school, my Spanish teacher put the conjugation tables on the boards at the front of the room, and we had to run back and forth from our seats. You're welcome to try that method in your classroom, but I knew that wouldn't go too smoothly with my middle schoolers, so I just had them stay in their seats and pass the paper.
I found that the students really loved this type of review game. There was just enough competition, teamwork, individuality, and anonymity for them to want to try to solve the equations. It was much more effective than just a practice worksheet, and it was something different than standard review games such as Jeopardy. I thought I had kept copies of the work they had done, but I can't seem to find the files now, unfortunately. Below is an example of a problem set to fill out, but you could include any type of topic that you wanted, as long as the problem solving process is fairly short - you don't want the paper to be stuck at any one student for too long or else the other students get bored. This is also a easy game to put together on the spur of the moment! You can play just one round or several rounds.
Have you ever played a relay review game before? What tips and tricks do you have?