How to Set up an Interactive Notebook for Algebra 1

May 10, 2021July 10, 2021Math by the Mountain4 Comments

Getting started with interactive notebooks? Here’s what to do!

The logistics of starting an interactive notebook is one of the most dauting barriers for math teachers. Here’s a set of simple 3 steps to take to get started!

1. Number the pages (If nothing else, do this!)

You will want to be on the same page as your students, quite literally, when using interactive notebooks. Being on the same page allows you so many opportunities to promote study skills and refer students back to a particular topic to help them get “un-stuck.” Promoting study skills is one of the biggest benefits of interactive notebooks so don’t skip this step.

WORD OF CAUTION: Make sure to number the pages as the very first thing that you do! Interactive notebooks get very thick over the course of a semester, and it will be difficult to write in the corners by the time the notebook is almost complete.

If you want more tips on choosing a notebook, read this post about What notebook should I use for an Algebra 1 Interactive Notebook?

2. Make a Plan

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What notebook should I use for an Algebra 1 interactive notebook?

May 9, 2021July 7, 2021Math by the Mountain2 Comments

If you’re just getting started with using interactive notebooks with your Algebra 1 class, you might have a few questions about what type of notebook you should use, how many pages, and how to make sure all of your students have one to use. In this post, I’ll try to address them all. If I leave something out, leave me a comment so I can answer your question!

What type of notebook should I use for interactive notebooks?

As a die-hard spiral-notebook lover, it even surprised myself when I first realized that composition books are the best choice for interactive notebooks. They had never been my first, second, or even third choice for my own personal note-writing over my life, so I was a bit resistant to trying them for the first time. Here’s what I found:

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How I teach factoring + Factoring Investigation

February 28, 2021February 28, 2021Math by the MountainLeave a comment

If you’ve followed me for a while, you might already know that I’ve taught just about every factoring method under the sun over the years.

Through many trials and errors (along with teaching progressively more advanced classes such as pre-calculus), I have come to the conclusion that factoring by grouping is the best and most flexible method for students to learn.

Not only is it easy to catch onto and has a built-in check halfway through the process, but it’s flexible enough to keep being used in any future math course (something that is certainly not true for all factoring methods).

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Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom

July 15, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain6 Comments

Although the idea of exit tickets is well known, figuring out how to master using them in your middle & high school math classes is a different story. From finding time to create them, remembering to actually give them, and teaching your students how to do them, this 5-part blogging series covers it all. At the end, there’s even a bonus installment that’s all about how to turn your exit tickets digital!

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How to Make a Digital Exit Ticket: Turn Your Exit Tickets DIGITAL!

July 14, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain2 Comments

This is a bonus installment in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom blogging series to show you how to take an exit ticket template that you use and love, and turn it into a digital format for your students to complete. As we grapple with hybrid schedules and the possibility of distance learning, this is more important than ever!

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Implementing Exit Tickets in Middle & High School Math – Why I Failed Before & How I Fixed It

July 14, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain2 Comments

This is the fifth installment in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom blogging series. If you haven’t already, check out the first four posts and then keep reading!

Read Post 1 here – 5 Reasons you Should be Using Exit Tickets in Your Middle & High School Math Class. This post covers what an exit ticket is and why you would want to use one in your math class.

Read Post 2 here – How often should I use an exit ticket? A secondary math teacher explains all. This post discusses how often you should be giving an exit ticket, and ways to save time in creating them so you can actually keep up and make it routine.

Read Post 3 here – How to Implement Exit Tickets like a Math Teacher Pro. This post discusses how to introduce them to your students and tips for actually remembering to give them each day!

Read Post 4 here – What do I do now? What to do with the exit tickets after your students hand them in. Reviewing, feedback, grading, and more! This post goves over all of the logistics and teacher-decisions behind what to do after your students actually complete an exit ticket. This one is jam-packed with easy-to-implement ideas!

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What do I do now? What to do with the exit tickets after your students hand them in. Reviewing, Feedback, Grading, and More!

July 14, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain5 Comments

This is the fourth installment in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom blogging series. If you haven’t already, check out the first three posts and then keep reading!

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How to Implement Exit Tickets like a Math Teacher Pro

July 14, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain4 Comments

This is the third installment in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom blogging series. If you haven’t already, check out the first two posts and then keep reading!

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How Often Should I Use an Exit Ticket? A Secondary Math Teacher Explains All

July 14, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain5 Comments

This is the second post in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom series. If you missed the first one about the 5 Reasons you Should be Using Exit Tickets in Your Middle & High School Math Class, you can catch up and read it here.

Now that you’re familiar with what an exit ticket is and why you should be using them in your math classes, let’s dig into some of the details. If you haven’t already read my first post in this series, make sure to read this first!

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5 Reasons you Should be Using Exit Tickets in your Middle & High School Math Class

July 13, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain5 Comments

Exit slips, exit tickets, tickets out the door, quick-checks, check-ins, show me what you know’s…whatever you call them, they’re incredible teaching tools that every secondary math teacher should be incorporating into their regular teaching practice. In this first installment of the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom series, and I wanted to dive straight into the reasons why YOU, yes you, will benefit from using exit tickets in your classes. No need to waste any time, let’s get into it!