Fractions Are Fun!

Another day, another trip! Today's trip was down Fraction Street!

Fraction Street is full of many different adventures. Finding common denominators, adding fractions, comparing fractions, multiplying by reciprocals, finding common factors, simplifying... and the list goes on!

Our focus today was reviewing the steps to solve fraction problems with all four operations. We started with notes in a Flippable for our Interactive Notebooks (best resources EVER).

Quick review in the beginning to refresh our minds on what the various parts of a fraction were and what each part meant. Quick, easy and too the point!

 Each student got a copy of the blank Flippable above and was directed to have it ready as we went through notes for each operation. Our Flippables were soon filled with great amounts of notes and love!

Would you like a copy of the blank Flippable? Feel free to download it by clicking on the picture above! Leave me a comment if you plan on using it as well as I would love to see other interpretations of the Flippable!

And if using Flippables in class are your thing, then please take a look at my Flippable Template pack PACKED with 51 templates that you can edit and print for personal use!

**If you are interested in Commercial Use of my Flippable Templates, that is available as well.**

One Step Equations Anchor Chart

 This past week for Stumped in Pre-Algebra we covered One-Step Equations. As part of reviewing the process I created a mini anchor chart to put our Interactive Notebooks.

The chart started pretty simple with title and a sample problem for each of the four operations. Next, it was time to start working through the steps of each equation and take helpful notes as we went along.

First up was Addition! Pretty simple to find the missing addend in this problem. You have probably been doing this since Kindergarten and didn't know you were doing Algebra!

Time for some Subtraction! Again, just finding a missing value. Now a bit trickier with this one since it became a negative variable. Just remember, what you do to one side of the equation, you must do to the other!

Are you ready to Mulitply? Using those inverse operations is key! Don't forget to use another method to check your answer!

Last, but not least, it's time to Divide! Now, with division it was a bit trickier and you can see where we used our inverse operations to help us change up the problem before we checked it.

Simple as that but a great reference! Check back Monday for a Flippable on Multi-Step Equations! :)

Transformations Small Group

 Yesterday's small group lesson after Class Connect was a review over the three different types of Transformations.

First up, we had to review our definitions. As we were reviewing them, we talked about different key words that could help us remember which type of transformation was which! On our next slides, we underlined those keywords and made examples of each type of transformation of an object about a 4 Quadrant graph.

And of course we had to do a bit of practice. For this assignment, I put it up on the whiteboard and we went through the triangle together. After that it was time for each student to get a turn and so I gave whiteboard privileges to all 17 students who showed up and we had a blast! 

 Now, if you are wondering what it should look like, here is an example of Mrs. S' copy that she printed out and worked along with you. This would be a great resource for you to put in your Math Notebook! You can download it for FREE here!

And of course, I couldn't leave you without a silly video! Don't forget to finish your Geometry Unit in Study Island by Friday, February 1st!

Scientific Notation Got You Down?

Need a little refresher? Take a moment and watch Professor Von Schmohawk as he reviews Scientific Notation with you!


To help remember those crucial steps, this Flippable is perfect to hold the notes on how to work converting from Standard Notation to Scientific Notation as well as converting from Scientific Notation to Standard Notation.

Each of the flaps contain information to remember what to do when converting but also clues and examples!

The Scientific Notation Flippable is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and includes Practice Problems to test your skills on converting back and forth between both notations.

**If you are one of my students (current or former) and would like to receive this Flippable and Practice, please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email and I will send it right off to you!**

Indirect Measurement and "Corny" Proportions

 Friday we wrapped up our unit on Similar Figures by working on Indirect Measurement. First thing we did was fill out our mini book Flippable with an example of Indirect Measurement of a Truffala tree from the Lorax) and Max (from Where the Wild Things Are).   We discussed how to determine the height of something if knew the height and shadow length of another thing as well as the shadow of the figure.

After we did that together, we moved on to filling our jar on the different ways that we could use indirect measurements and came up with some great ideas. After that, the students then had to solve word problem about basketball courts.  All students who worked through the word problem and solved it correctly earned a sticker toward a Homework Pass!

Today was a review day since we have a quiz over our unit on Proportions tomorrow. As a review, each student had to come up with their own "Corny" Proportion. It had to be about them and include Candy!

After seeing my example of a proportional candy word problem, they got busy writing. Then after each student wrote their problem, they had to have it approved. Once approved, they went back to solve and decorate. Now, they got a bit of "inspiration" during this time as I passed around some Candy Corn to each student. What a fun way to finish up our unit on proportions.

I honestly can't wait to snap pics of the proportions tomorrow and Wednesday as my students are taking their Proportions Quiz. I know they are more than ready for this quiz and will do amazing!

Don't forget, Extra Credit is due on Wednesday by 4pm to receive a test grade replaced. 

Also, this week's homework is a review from the first six weeks for all my classes.

Making Similar Figures

This week we extended our unit on Proportionality to cover Similar Figures. On Tuesday/Wednesday we made a 3 page Mini Book covering all the various parts of Similar Figures. We also learned that NEW word that I've been teasing about.... SCALE FACTOR! (Remember, if someone emails me by Friday afternoon telling me something you taught them about scale factor, you will earn 3 stickers!)

The outside of our book contained our title as well as our "I Can" statement of what we would be able to do once we had mastered the knowledge behind Similar Figures.  

When you open up the first flap, we began to discuss the definition of similar figures. We then drew examples and came up with the characteristics of similar figures showed us that both shapes can be similar if they are of different dimensions.
To explore that further we went on to create two models of similar figures that we were able to count and test the difference. Then we added in that to be similar BOTH DIMENSIONS must change!  

But how do we know that we are right? We can check it using Ratios! So we created our ratios of our two new quadrilaterals and compared them using cross products. Okay, we have that down pat! Now let's bring in that new word, SCALE FACTOR! Yep, makes life so much easier if we are able to multiply our denominators and numerators by a number (the scale factor) to determine equivalent ratios!
Next up, it was time to try it out! Each group got a baggie of centimeter cubes and went to town creating some amazing models! Check them out below!

If you are a teacher looking for the resources used in this lesson, please check out my TpT Store and my Teacher Blog.

Ratios and Proportions Introduction

We have hit the ground running with our Proportionality Unit! I am so amazed by how well the class is taking to this unit as they have learned HOW IMPORTANT ratios are in the real world and how often we use them. Loved hearing today that they remembered using them in Science just a few weeks ago in a lab! How awesome they are seeing connections cross-curricular!

Day 1: All About Ratios, Simplifying Ratios and Comparing Ratios- pg. 40 in the INB

Day 2- Rates and Unit Rates- pg. 41 in the INB

Day 3- What are Proportions?- pg 42 in the INB

Day 4- Writing Proportions- pg 43 in the INB

Day 5- Solving Proportions from Word Problems- pg. 44 in the INB

All of this has provided some AMAZING conversation in class. We have started going into similar figures now to go along with our proportions and will be doing that the rest of this week. I will post more about that tomorrow.

The extra credit that I will be offering this six weeks involves ratios, proportions and similar figures. I will post the official information on it tomorrow but I will let you know, you will become the teacher and be creative in your project through one of two forms. Be on the lookout for more info.

Side Note: If you are a teacher reading this blog and are interested in the lessons above for Day 1-3, check out the All About Ratios Bundle in my TpT store! The Proportions Bundle will be coming soon as it has been revised from what is currently in my store that I taught with 8th graders. I will also have the entire unit available once completed.

These lessons can now be found in their updated form in my 6th Grade Ratios and Proportional Relationships bundle in my TpT Store as well as in my 6th Grade All Standards bundle.

Ratios and Central Tendency Homework

Rates and Unit Rates

And to have some review for the math homework this week, here is an example lesson of the first problem for 7th Grade Math Homework.

Once the Proportions Unit is complete with my 7th Graders, I will have the new bundle available in my TpT Store. I have uploaded the Practice Sheets for Multiplying and Dividing Decimals and they are available for purchase by clicking here.

Starting New Units!

Homework this week is a nice easy practice sheet of 12 problems. No excuses on Friday when homework is due! 

7th Grade Math is starting Unit 3 learning about Proportionality! Today we did a review over the different ways to write ratios, how to simplify ratios an how to compare ratios. Make sure your notes are complete! Remember, there will be a pop quiz sometime this week!

Resource Math started Unit 3 on Data and Graphs. Today we identified mean using a pictorial model (chart) and communicated that data into a Frequency Table. Tomorrow will be a Workstation Review day going over Decimals and Number Patterns. Thursday we will be using this data again to determine the median and mode of the letters in our class names as well as a new topic! 

Are you ready to Divide Fractions?

Our lesson on Tuesday/Wednesday over Multiplying Fractions and Mixed Numbers with models went amazing! Part of it was a different way of thinking but each student was able to visually see on their model how the multiplication of parts of a fraction worked! SCORE!

I also have put up my 7th Grade Mathematics TEKS "I Can" Statements in class and am starting to have a student read them each period so they will know what they should be able to say THEY CAN do when they walk out of my room. Granted, there will be more practice and follow-up past one time but these are our goals each day based on the TEKS.

Today we will be covering Dividing Fractions and Mixed Numbers with Model and creating a Flippable to show document our steps.

Need a visual to go along with it? Use those 100s charts to help you visualize dividing decimals. Makes a great correlations as you move into decimals and percents!

I am beyond a proponent of Interactive Notebooks and have seen first hand this year how much each of my students are taking the time and investment into keeping up with them and using them as a valuable resource. It's all there.... use it!

Teachers: If you are interested in picking up the Multiplying and Dividing Fractions Flippables, they are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop!

Multiplying Fractions

Today we will be working with Multiplying Fractions and Mixed Numbers with and without Models. These will go on pg. 31 and 32 in your INB.

Click on the picture to make it larger if you need to fill in information.

Vocab and Pos/Neg Operations Rules Flippable

On Thursday we added two words to our Unit 2 Vocabulary as well as created a flippable with the rules on how to add, subtract, multiply and divide with positive and negative integers. There were quite a few students out on that day so I wanted to make sure they had all the information to get caught up.

If you are at home and need to construct the flippable, simply create a four-flap skinny flippable with a sheet of solid colored paper (it can be any color). Please use color to decorate the four outer flaps with operations and then pen to write the rules and examples on the inside.