Bookwork, Expectations & Integers in use with Year 8!

I've just realised that this photo makes the day look muuuuccchhh more sunny than it actually was!

It was a miserable morning full of heavy rain, a sunny first break where I had to run trials for the Year 8 Girls Softball team, and then a rainy lunch time!

I'm very lucky to have some Year 9 girls who play club softball helping me out! :)

It's always so hard for the kids in their undercover area when some don't actually stay that dry in wet weather! :(

I thought I'd show you all this BIG blue ERASER/ RUBBER that I bought for my step-son Max as he's always misplacing his normal sized rubbers! Seriously, it's 15cm long and hhhuuuggeee! I love it :)

I know the one mistake a LOT of teachers make in high school, is not showing students bookwork expectations! How do I know this? I end up with students in year 9 with terribbblleee book work with no heading, margin or date!!

Students come from primary school and spending the whole day with one teacher and specialist teachers with all their books in the one room, to having four or more different teachers EVERY day with different books and expectations for EVERY teacher for each subject! How confusing for them!

My Year 8 Math Homework Books

I spend my first lesson with all my Math students (no matter the year level) focusing on my expectations of their book work. We use three books:

• Summary/ Theory - Which is the main note taking book that contains teacher examples.
• Exercise - Which is where students complete their textbook or worksheet work.
• Homework - Where students complete any homework task.

I always make sure that homework sheets are copied in colour! Why you ask? Doesn't it look more engaging and bright being in a colour? I know I'd rather do my homework if my book looked appealing! Some little ones even coloured each question or each letter to add additional colour! I love it!

A colourful HW book neatly in 'invisible' columns.

I've shown my students how to communicate what they're thinking rather than just give an answer. For a simple question like:

-6+9

=3

Doesn't require any 'thinking' or communication because it can just be solved. Whereas:

-5+-10

= -5-10

= -15

The signs I've coloured red is what students circle, then in the second step, re-write it so its more clear and organised, then the third step to solve! One example of this is below.



Circle, show how the signs change, re-write it and solve!

 I LOVE when they make a mistake, because their middle step is often correct (which means they can recieve some marks for it) but they made an error in the final step! Much more clear to see their 'thinking/ communication'!!

 

If your little ones are looking at integers, now or in the future, these Integer question cards are FREE, go over five levels and contain ANSWERS! :)