Blue Mountain Math

Making Math Fun with Engaging Activities

5 Tips for Successful Parent Conferences

I remember as a new teacher looking forward to parent conferences, and parent calls home, and parent visits, etc.  Yes, I was a typical, over the top, optimistic new teacher. That did not last long. That first year taught me several things about parents, students and my role in the classroom in dealing with both.  And like all things, parents and students have changed. 1)  It ... Read More about 5 Tips for Successful Parent Conferences

7 Ideas to Increase Student Motivation

This year I am teaching Algebra I to students who have already failed (some more than 3 or 4 times).  I teach it differently to these students because they have already seen it before.  They think there is nothing new in math.  They are wrong.  Here are some ways I get these bored students interested in math again. 1) Tell a good story. I can get really worked up about ... Read More about 7 Ideas to Increase Student Motivation

Unsolicited Advice for New Teachers (or how not to make the same mistakes I did)

All of us began as new teachers so every teacher has stories that will curl the hair of even the baldest person. And despite all the advice new teachers are given—most of it unsolicited-New teachers will have their own stories by their fifth year. I have been a coach/support provider for the last 10 years, helping teachers who are in their first two years of teaching avoid some of the obvious ... Read More about Unsolicited Advice for New Teachers (or how not to make the same mistakes I did)

6 Musts to Starting a New School Year

Starting the school year is exciting.  It is also stressful.  I understand the student anxiety really well because I have the same fears: “What if no one likes me”, “What happens if I am bullied”, “What if I don’t know anyone”.  Yes, I have those same thoughts and I have been in school—for one reason or another- for over half my life. So if I am still stressed and worried at my age, ... Read More about 6 Musts to Starting a New School Year

I Love Polynomials

This year I have tried to incorporate more vocabulary activities in the classroom. There have been studies that vocabulary in a typical math course is like studying a foreign language, even without all the math confusion.  I have 3-4 students in each of my classes who do not speak English at all.  Using a lot of pictures, diagrams and activities that can connect math vocabulary to ... Read More about I Love Polynomials

3 Quick Technology Ideas—even if you are a non-tech person

 Recently, a friend asked me to give her some ideas to spice up the classroom with a little technology—one of my favorite subjects.  I took a deep breath and was about to start a long monologue when she held up a hand and said “Just give me 3 quick ideas”.  Hmmm.  I know this is changing slowly but not all teachers have chrome carts in the classrooms so students are not able to ... Read More about 3 Quick Technology Ideas—even if you are a non-tech person

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  • Practice finding perfect square roots in a fun new way. No PREP, NO PRINTING, NO LAMINATING. Just practice, feedback for students and auto grading for teachers. Great for differentiating and works well in centers, stations, as review or homework. Print
  • Boom Cards™️ are a great way for students to practice every day skills like using percents. You can assess their understanding and students can play again to keep improving. This set uses a variety of word problems using percent. This set of Boom Cards features 40 different Digital Self-Checking Task Cards. (No printing, cutting, laminating, or grading!)
  • Boom Cards: Digital Task Cards are great alternatives to those printed, laminated task cards. Infuse your class with technology. Students love these cards so much, they ask to use at home. Use in math centers, as individual learning or assign for additi
  • Boom Cards™ are a great way for students to practice every day skills In this deck, students practice finding combination and permutations. This set of Boom Cards features 35 different Digital Self-Checking Task Cards. (No printing, cutting, laminating, or grading!)
  • Students practice using the distributive property, both in distributing and combining like terms, in these 2 puzzles in google slides. There are 2 puzzles--one in each simple level and challenging level. In the simpler level, the outside edges are blank, so if students are having difficulty, have them arrange the pieces so the blank sides are on the outside.
  • Sector Area in a Circle Paper Chain is a fun, engaging activity that is self-checking, collaborative. Set of 15 problems that need to be cut apart, reassembled in the correct order and fastened together like a chain until the end is reached. Great worksh
  • Great practice, worksheet alternative, formative assessment for students that you can HEAR if they are successful. No printing, no laminating. A Lifetime tool for the classroom.
  • Boom Cards™️ are a great way for students to finding gross pay by pay periods. This deck has 40 cards for students to practice finding Gross Pay in a variety of ways. For example: Mary makes $400 per week, how much does she make annually or Joe makes $2000 per month, how much does he make weekly. This will help reinforce vocabulary of Gross Pay, Bi-weekly, Bi-Monthly, Semi-monthly, Weeky, Annually and Weekly. This is part of a life skills/ personal finance/ comsumer math curriculum.
  • This is a twisted trivia game where students (either in groups or playing individually with white boards) practice identifying solutions and writing inequalities from graphs. Check out the video preview to see the type of questions included.

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