Featured from the Blog

Angle relationships are one of the geometry topics 8th graders learn. Most students have been exposed to angle measures in previous grade levels, but they learn new concepts including interior angle sums and parallel lines cut by a transversal. Let’s discuss why angle relationships are an important concept to learn, and tips for teaching angles in a limited timeframe.

Are you a math person? Do your students see themselves as math people? Students and teachers often hear that certain people are math people and others are not. The truth is that no one is born doing math, and everyone can get better and better at math. We also need to show students that being fast at calculations is not what makes someone good at math. Math takes hard work, thinking, problem solving, creativity, analytical skills, communication skills, and more. In short, there are many ways to be a math person. When we help students see they have many math strengths, they start to develop a positive math identity and see themselves as math people.

Welcome your 8th graders back to school with these ideas! Classroom decorations and get-to-know-know you ideas can help set the tone for the year and give them a glimpse of what they’ll learn this year.

I’ve gathered some of my favorite resources for the first day and the beginning of the year for 8th grade math. Included are ideas for back-to-school classroom decorations, activities for the first day, and routines we can establish from the start.