Introducing Integers to Students: 

Sixth Grade Math

This is my third year in sixth grade math, and every year my students seem most excited to learn about positive and negative numbers. I don't know why, but they are always hype about it and I can always see "the look" on their faces when they get it. You know that look... when it hits home and you see them think "Ahhhhh! So THAT'S what that means!" It definitely happens with integers. 

I have a ton of resources at my disposal to teach math and sometimes that can be a bad thing. Which lesson do I use? Which resource has the best pacing? Etc, etc. Sometimes I just get tired of pulling from here and there, so I created this Introduction to Integers resource to use over the course of my integers instruction. It's simple, straightforward, and aligned to the integer standards for sixth graders. Super easy to use. Find it in my TpT store! 

Do you even BITMOJI?

DIY Bitmoji Classroom Posters

Why Am I Late to the Bitmoji Game?

Well, friends, I'm back to the classroom for my second year in a row and I couldn't be more excited. After being out of the regular classroom for six years it has been such a refreshing change. I'm teaching middle school math to sixth graders.  Turns out, sixth graders and I have a lot in common! Lots of sass, laughs, and goofy shyness. You could say we relate! Teaching them is SO fun and they are so easy to entertain. They make me feel like a gorgeous comedian, even on my worst day.

In keeping with the silly but serious, laid-back but high-expectations environment I strive to create for my kiddos, I decided to (finally) create a Bitmoji of myself to liven-up my getting to know you/classroom procedures presentation for the first week of school. I was expecting to make one little image of myself to put on the first slide and be done.  Little did I know how cool this app is! I fell down the rabbit-hole of Bitmoji and had waaaaay too much fun with these little suckers.  About an hour and eleventy-thousand Brandy Bitmojis later, I had an idea to make some posters for my classroom. I think the kiddos will like the personal touch and it will make my room unique.

So How Did I Do It?

The process was super easy.  Download the Bitmoji app from the Apple app store (or Google Play if you have an Android). The app is free and easy to use. You simply follow the steps to create your Bitmoji to look similar to you. Once you have the Bitmoji created and saved, there are TONS of fun images using your Bitmoji that you can download and save. I just tapped the images I wanted to use and then emailed them to myself. Once I had them on my email, I inserted the image into a blank Keynote presentation (PowerPoint or Google Slides work just as well) sized to standard paper size (8.5 x 11 or 612 X 792 in Keynote) and added text boxes with my text. I used these amazing fonts from Amy Groesbeck that I purchased from Teachers Pay Teachers. So. Dang. Cute. She is super creative and her Instagram is a MUST follow for teachers. (@theamygroesbeck) So funny, so many ideas.

That's it! Insert an image, type some words, boom. Done.  Save as a PDF and print! These would look great on white paper printed in color or equally great on colorful Astrobrights paper in greyscale.

Do you have a Bitmoji? If not, GET ONE! I'm excited about the cute things I can do with mine this school year. What took me so long to do this? Big shout out to my librarian, Mrs. Sharon Hill, for making me aware of this super fun app!

Open Number Line Strategy: Addition & Subtraction

The math strategies we teach today probably feel like a foreign language to most parents.  Most parents were probably taught to use the standard algorithm for multi-digit addition and subtraction. That's pretty much the only strategy we used back in the day.  It worked, right?  Well, like I've said before... when you know better, you do better.  And we know better now.  We know that teaching students number sense and strategies based on place value before going to the shortcuts of borrowing and carrying is the way to go.

Side note: if ya DON'T know that yet, or if you are new to teaching math, you should probably read this book! It's amazing! The authors go into detail with the research behind the math, and why the shortcuts and algorithms (when used too early) we were taught don't lead the the deep kind of long-term understanding necessary for continued success in math.

But how do you explain that to parents? How can they help little Johnny with his math homework if they have no idea what we've taught him?  Communication is key! For each new strategy taught, I would send home a note (doesn't have to be a full page... can just be a slip of paper attached to the homework) explaining and demonstrating the strategy.  Another option is to make short YouTube videos of yourself working out a problem using the strategy or using an app like ScreenChomp.  Upload the videos to your school webpage, send an email with the link, or embed the link in a text using a service such as Remind.

I have some great packets in my TpT store, including a FREEBIE, for teaching two- and three-digit addition and subtraction using an open number line.  Included in those packets are strategy pages you can share with parents and students to make using the strategy simple.

Check them out! Click the thumbnail image for a link to my store. Thanks for stopping by!