Why can’t they tell me what 9 * 6 = ?

I have heard so many times that students do not know their basic math facts from several different teachers.  The truth is that so many of the students do not.  I learned my basic math facts through pure rote memory.  The question is:  Why do the students of today have such a hard time learning them?  I do not know the answer because I teach middle school where they are suppose to know them, not learn them.  My only alternative is to work with the students where they are.  On Fridays, we have basic skill review.  Not only do I do basic math facts but also fractions and problem solving.  On a daily basis, I incorporate basic skills in their warm-up or beginning activity for the class period.  This helps a lot.  Perhaps by the end of the school year they will be better at basic math facts than they were at the beginning of the year.

Do you have students who talk all the time?

We all have those students who are constant talkers.  What do you do? 

* Have a conference with the student and let the student know that it is a problem that needs to stop.
* Call the parent and ask them for help with their child.  Explain how important it is that the parent be a part of the process.
* When the student begins talking at an inappropriate time, go and stand near that student.
* Address the student when he/she is talking when it is not appropriate.
* Send the student to another teacher’s class to do his/her assignment.  Make sure to explain why you are sending them.
* If all else fails, talk with your assistant principal about what should be done next.

I hope that these are some helpful suggestions for you to try.

Keeping daily attendance and make-up work organized

Are your attendance records up to date and organized?  Do you forget to give students their make-up work or have to look for it in a stack of papers?  Well, I have a solution for you.  Get a 3 ring binder.  It can be one and a half inch  or two inches.  A one inch binder is too small too keep for an entire year.  Next, purchase some folders with pockets and labels.  Label them with your class periods.  Then print out several copies of each class’s roster and put it behind the correct label.  For attendance, put the dates across the top of the rosters.  Each day put a T if someone is tardy, an A if someone is absent, and leave blank if the student is present.  For make up work, put the name of the student on the assignment and put in the pocket folder for their class period.  When the student comes to school,  you remember to give it to the student because it is in the same location as the attendance.    This has helped me a great deal.  When students tell me they were absent, I can immediately look in the binder and check.  This has also cut down on students telling me they were not  in class when I gave out an assignment.

Students and homework

Are you having trouble getting students to do their homework?  Well, you are not alone.  In my district, all students are given an agenda or some may call it a planner.  I decided to have the students write down their homework Monday through Thursday in their agenda.  On Thursday night, the students get their parents to sign their agenda.  This lets the parent see what their child has for homework on a daily basis.  The interesting thing is that a lot of parents started signing it every night.  On Friday, when the students came to school, I did an agenda check.  A student received a 100 if they had written homework for Monday through Thursday and got their parents to sign it.  Each day and signature  counted as twenty points.  I was excited that this increased my daily homework for the students.  This was a simple idea that had a big return.

Pi Day

Pi Day is this Friday, March 14, 2008.  Check out the website www.teachpi.org for ideas.

Are we doing anything today?

How many times have you had students walk into the classroom and ask the following questions?  Are we doing anything today?  What are we doing today?  The students actually have no idea about what is going on in the class.  For years, I did not tell the students what we were doing until the class started.  I never wrote it down anywhere.  I just said it out loud.  One day it all changed.  I was at a school that did not meet its standards; therefore, we were required to do certain things.  One of them was to write the topic and objective of the day on the board.  Instantly, the students knew what they were doing and did not have to ask me anymore.  All they needed to do was read the board.  This was so an aha moment.  It was so simple and I wondered why I never thought about it before.  Since that day, I have not had any students ask what are we doing today.