Pi Takes The Cake- Where Math and Science Adds Up to Sweet Success

 My copy of the INB is some what different than the students' INBs. I post student quotes, teaching ideas and ideas for the next year. (The Unit Title Page and the Real Number System was downloaded from Math = Love blog .) 

My new agenda poster!  I attached magnets on the back so that I can easily take it down each day and change the information. I wonder what my students will think about it tomorrow. Here's a picture of my updated assignment board for this upcoming week.

 I have opened my TPT store! Yeah!  I have added three freebies.  Check them out! Interactive Notebooks Self Assessment No Assignment Form Interactive Notebook Rubric (Adapted from the Scientist's Notebook)

I hate to admit this but I missed my "old school" spiral bound lesson plan book that I use to have when I first started teaching. Although I use to type my lesson plans and staple them into it, I have really missed it this year. I had seen items on Pinterest where teachers had created a lesson plan book with a spiral notebook with color coded Post-it notes. This would be great for a teacher that has several preps! I know! For 12 out of my 15 years of teaching, I had at least 5-6 preps that I had to plan for each week. I will have to admit the lesson planning process was not that intense as it is with today's educational reform. I had seen one of our instructional coaches used a different type of notebook to take notes in during meetings. I loved it! I had been using the half of the composition book that I had started my Algebra I INB last spring. I needed an actual book to write some guidelines/outlines for each lesson plan for the week. I had create a template to typ...

 I have had co-workers that notice something strange about me.  I have had a few laugh at me but I have my quirks! I love my rubber stamps! I use them for grading and much more! Look at one my three drawer organizer! Plus, I have more in my desk drawer. These are my favorite. I use Rubberstampman.com  to order my customize stamps. They offer offer free shipping on any order over $8. They may made all of the stamps pictured except for the two bottom wooden stamps. One of my favorite sellers on eBay is stampman46501 . I ordered the wooden stamps from him. He is able to make a custom stamp from almost any template that you create in a WORD document.   I use them while grading homework especially at the beginning of the school year. There are some homework assignments that I use a "check-point" system to grade. Students must ATTEMPT or TRY to complete at least 75% of the assigned problems in order to receive full credit (5/5 points). If they complete...

 Arranging your classroom can be tricky especially if you would like to make the most out of your classroom space. I really struggled with arranging the tripod shaped students desks.  I tried setting them in groups of four students which formed a semicircle.  One of our evaluation format used in TN does require teachers to have students work in groups.  The format varies from school to school and from administrator to administrator.   Here are a few pictures of my classroom before the first week of school. I bought the clings at the Dollar Tree. I simply used hot glue to attach them to the wall.  I am not too crazy about my assignment board. I plan to change how it looks on Monday. Thank you Ms. Hester for your Kind Speech Posters. I downloaded these posters from her blog. . I am really trying to implement Accountable Talk into my classroom. The TN Core training first introduced me to the topic but a co-worker recently...

 I have changed schools and grade level this year. I am always amazed at the differences in school culture. I can't believe how each school focuses on different items.  Last year, I was teaching Algebra I in a block schedule. What an adjustment! Two years ago, I had came from a school with tradition scheduling and had taught 7th and 8th grade math in a small school district in Missouri. I had just heard of the concept of interactive notebooks but hadn't been brave enough to even try it. Last year, I paid for the Algebra I Employment Training Standards. This training is required for Tennessee  teachers with middle school endorsement to receive an employment exception letter for the Tennessee Department of Education. At that training, a presenter had conducted a section of the workshop on how to implement what she called Mathematician's Notebook. I knew I had my chance to to try using INBs with my students during the spring semester. New semester. New students. ...