This packet offers 11 diverse opportunities for writing in mathematics with over 30 individual prompts for middle school students. Writing in mathematics involves more than just putting word to paper. Words need to be carefully chosen to communicate ideas and concepts clearly. Writing involves all of the language of mathematics. Reading, vocabulary, notations and symbols, diagrams, charts, graphs, and metacognition all serve a role as students are engaged in writing in mathematics. Many and varied opportunities need to be provided for students to engage in original thought writing. And remember, just because a students can say something in words, it in no way shows that they can write those same thoughts. Those are two different skill sets. Writing also provides opportunities for the verbal learner to excel as well as the creative learner. This beginning assortment of writing prompts can be adapted as needed for the course, topic, and level of the students. The important thing is to write! Just asking, “Why?”, “How did you think about that?”, “What could be another strategy used here?”, and “Is your conclusion reasonable?” requires students to engage in more than just procedural mathematics. On the back page is a sample of how journal prompt cards can be made for learning station facilitation or to print on labels for ELL/ESL and struggling learners and beginning writers.

Cubing and think dots are two strategies for differentiation in the classroom. Traditionally students are given a cube with a variety of activities or tasks at a given level. Different cubes can contain different levels of tasks and activities. Think dots work in a similar way. Cards with a certain number of dots are provided as well as a number cube. Students roll the number cube and work the associated activity or task on the card with the corresponding number of dots. Again, tasks and activities are varied or leveled to meet the needs of the students. In this adaptation of a cubing and think dots activity, there are two cubes. One cube has constraints for the actions performed on expressions. Another cube has actions to perform on expressions. Students also use one or two number cubes or they can use dominoes to create the quantities determined by the constraint cube. There is a variety of activities that students can engage in on set of 6 think dot cards. A blank set of think dot cards is provided for the teacher to fill in as needed – for example – choosing particular problems from a set in a text. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

One of the primary works of the secondary mathematician is building functional fluency. NCTM describes “representation” as referring to both a process and a product. So mathematical representations include all the different ways that students depict their thinking as well as the processes they use to put their thinking into those forms. Representations have often been taught as an end in and of themselves, most as essential elements in supporting students’ understanding. When students gain access to mathematical representations and the ideas they express they acquire a set of tools that significantly expand their capacity to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena. The linear activity takes linear functions, with the same domain set, and represents them through verbal, tabular, graphical, symbolic, and set representations. There is also a contextual problem for each for the students to work through. There are six sets of cards, each with 6 representations with facilitation notes. The quadratic activity takes quadratic functions, with the same domain set, and represents them through verbal, tabular, graphical, symbolic, and set representations. There are six sets of cards, each with 5 representations with facilitation notes. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Writing is one of the parts of language that students are developing. For some students, ESL/ELL for example, what they know about a topic may exceed their ability to communicate it through the written word. Students learn to write by writing. Writing needs to be original thought, not just copying something that someone else wrote. Therefore, it is imperative that opportunities are provided often for students to engage in writing about a variety of content. Students’ writing should make sense and be complete. Writing About offers a collaborative opportunity for small groups of students to work individually first to write about a concept and then to come together and putting their individual work into a paragraph about the topic. A word cloud of The Red Pyramid - The Kane Chronicles- associated words is given as a prompt for words and ideas. Facilitation notes are provided as well as student activity sheet. This is a good activity for struggling students and ESL/ELL who may need some support in writing. This resource is good for children with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

NCTM describes “representation” as referring to both a process and a product. So mathematical representations include all the different ways that students depict their thinking as well as the processes they use to put their thinking into those forms. Representations have often been taught as an end in and of themselves, most as essential elements in supporting students’ understanding. When students gain access to mathematical representations and the ideas they express they acquire a set of tools that significantly expand their capacity to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena. This activity takes two- and three-digit numbers and represents them through a concrete manipulative, the written symbol, a verbal symbol, a diagram, picture, graph, drawing, or table, and an algebraic representation with a mathematical sentence. There is also a contextual problem for the students to work through. There are 6 sets of cards, each with 6 representations with facilitation notes. This resource is good for students with Dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains ten suggested activities and "Multiplying Menance Multiplications" activity to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains nine suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains nine suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains 19 suggested activities and "Ordering Dominoes" activity to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains six suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains six suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains 11 suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains 17 suggested activities and a "Tangram Bulletin Board" activity to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, can make the mathematics being studied come alive for the student as well as have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Experience how mathematics and the way it is presented can help make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains 6 suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide students authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for large group, small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra by David A. Adler is A MUST HAVE book for all teachers. This resource does not contain the book. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that!

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, can make the mathematics being studied come alive for the student as well as have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. See several samples of the mathematics that can be experienced by students through well-known pieces of children’s literature. Experience how mathematics and the way it is presented can help make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains 8 suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide students authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for large or small groups, centers, learning stations and for intervention. Equal Shmequal is A MUST HAVE book for all teachers and is NOT included in this resource.

The following collection of 66 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of architecture, fractions, decimals & percents, numbers in arrays, geometry, sculpture, and mathematics and art in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

The following collection of 66 photographs can be used as journal prompts, discussion starters, bell ringers, or for centers, small groups, or learning stations. These pictures provide opportunities for students to engage in mathematics through looking at pictures of architecture, fractions, decimals & percents, numbers in arrays, geometry, sculpture, and mathematics and art in the world. Facilitation notes are provided. This resource is good for students with dyslexia and language-based learning deficiencies.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains nine suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains nine suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.

Do trade books have a place in today’s mathematics classroom? Yes! Incorporating literature into the mathematics classroom at any level can increase student engagement, make mathematics come alive and have meaning, and can help to differentiate instruction as well as support ELL/ESL students. Present mathematics in a way that will make mathematics more accessible and understandable for students at all levels. This resource contains seven suggested activities to engage students AS YOU READ, for students to experience BEING A MATHEMATICIAN, and provide authentic OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITING. The suggested activities can be adapted for a large or small group, centers, learning stations and for intervention. This resource is good for students with language-based learning deficiencies. We'd like to hear about your experience with our resources. Just give it a star rating then tell us what you think, simple as that! Book not included.