About the Math Center

My photo
Lewis Clark State college houses the Idaho Regional Mathematics Center for Region 2. The center is directed by Kacey Diemert and supported by Ryan Dent, our Regional Mathematics Specialist. The intent of the center is to provide professional mathematics support with both content and pedagogy to K-12 teachers in Region 2. The members of the Regional Mathematics Centers have experience in K-16 mathematics education, designing and delivering professional development, instructional technologies, and educational research. We are able to provide both regional and school-specific support in mathematics education. We welcome input from schools and districts as to the type of professional development they need. Our professional development begins with promoting mathematical thinking, problem solving, and the habits of mind students need to effectively understand and apply mathematics.
Showing posts with label Middle School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middle School. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Algebra Workbooks & Teacher Guides


We’ve been reorganizing the library and getting to know our resources again and wanted to highlight several helpful resources:

This Transition to Algebra set, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, was designed to quickly raise the competence and confidence of first-year algebra students by equipping them with a set of broadly applicable tools and strategies. Building on EDC’s hands-on, inquiry-based approach to learning, TTA uses algebraic logic puzzles and explorations to help students shift their ways of thinking from the concrete procedures of arithmetic to the abstract reasoning that success with algebra requires.We can give you a set but you’ll have to make copies of the workbooks for your students.

We also have a series called “Navigating through…” with dozens of books focused on grade bands PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 and broken into topics like “…Algebra” (pictured below),"Data Analysis,” “Geometry,” “Measurement,” etc, each with a digital resource. The first half of each book provides pedagogy with corresponding worksheets in the back

Our Building PowerfulNumeracy for Middle & High School Students set has a student edition, facilitator guide and a collection of additional activities. Understanding numerical relationships gives students the freedom to choose a strategy. Students become engaged, willing to think, and more confident in their justifications. When we give secondary students this numerical power, we also help them learn higher mathematics with more confidence and more success.


And, finally, the Life ofFred series. They are designed as a home school curriculum, are very engaging with short “chapters.” Each chapter is followed by a review section and then the answers (with conversational banter: “’Wait it don’t get it!’ you say? Well, let’s put it this way…” and gentle admonitions not to peek at the answers)

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Did you know NASCO has free lesson plans?


Adding and Subtracting Integers

Find this and other free lessons at www.enasco.com

showing -8-4(-4) and -8+(+4)

  • Put an equation on the board, but note that this time they will be subtracting. Subtraction can also be called take away or the opposite of. 
  • Set up this example: -8 – (-4) = 
  • You will have one pile of 8 red counters and another of 4 red counters. When you subtract, you will turn over the counter pile that is directly after the minus sign because subtract means to do the opposite. Therefore, you will now have 8 red counters and 4 yellow counters. You now have an addition problem and the answer is -4. 
  • When subtracting integers, you make two moves: one is to change the subtraction sign to addition and the other is to change the sign of the number directly following the subtraction sign.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Football Math


In this interactive game from Idaho Public Television, students add and subtract plays on a football field to practice working with negative and positive integers on the number line.
http://idahoptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/mket-math-ns-ratnumb/football/

Each set of randomized drives consists of seven to nine plays and ends with a touchdown. Plays are represented with equations. When students place the football at the correct point for each play, the answer to the corresponding equation is automatically filled in. The accompanying activity suggests ways that teachers can integrate the interactive into the classroom setting.