Integrating Units to Engage Students

When I started teaching in the early 90's, teaching was so much fun!  We were given a lot of freedom in the way that we taught, and standardized tests were minimal. (Those were the days!)  The idea of "whole language" and integration of subjects was popular.  I remember teaching with big thematic units that the students found very engaging.  One specific unit I recall was our unit on the Iditarod.  We read stories about the Iditarod, we wrote letters to mushers, we did math problems focused on the cost, distance conversions and probability.  We engaged in science experiments involving states of matter and temperature changes.  Life was good!

The good news is, that the idea of integration is coming back in favor. (Swing away pendulum!) With the push for relevance in math, teachers and administrators are starting to get on board with integrating subjects and project-based learning.  I have found that students are much more engaged when different subjects are linked together and have meaning.

As a Teachers Pay Teachers author, I've started to move towards this integration approach. Not only is it more engaging and meaningful, but it gives teachers the opportunity to fit subjects like science in.  One of my favorite creations is the space unit I developed.  Although space is typically a science topic, it's such an easy topic in which to integrate language arts activities as well as math.

Do your students and yourself a favor:  Seek out integrated units as a way to teach multiple subject areas while genuinely engaging your students.  You won't regret it!

Gotta Love those Middle Schoolers!

I'm dedicating this post to middle school teachers and students.  I'm currently teaching a course focused on middle school math and science.  This week we are talking about the middle school brain.  It's quite a fascinating thing!  Teen brains are going through some pretty dramatic changes...this fact helps explain A LOT!  I feel like somewhat of an expert on the teenager; after all, I was one, and I have 2 teenage boys at the moment.  In addition, I help plan lessons for middle school students, and visit their classrooms often.  This summer, my university students will be visiting summer school classrooms and teaching lessons to middle school students.  This is a new frontier for us and I'm excited to see what impact we can make.

So let's get back to that teenage brain.  The brain actually develops from the rear to the front.  This explains why teens are known for poor judgment; the front part of the brain is in charge of things like planning, setting priorities, organizing thoughts, suppressing impulses, and weighing consequences for actions.  Makes sense, right?  Couple this with the hormonal changes taking place in a teen's body, it's no wonder this is such a trying time.

So what does this mean for educators?  Here are some tips to consider when teaching middle school students: 

As discussed in a previous post, project-based learning can be an excellent tool for middle school students.  Students can actively participate in cooperative groups, and also engage in relevant and meaningful learning.  Applying a variety of skills helps students see the usefulness in skills they learn in a variety of courses.  I've just started dabbling in creating project-based learning resources; here's one I created with the middle schooler in mind:

I've also developed some other math resources designed specifically for the middle school brain.  These cooperative group activities allow students to be actively involved, while engaging students in  an activity that has meaning and relevance.  Here's one example, but there are a few more in my TpT store:

I hope to focus more on middle school products as I continue to grow my TpT store.  Keeping in mind the unique needs of the middle school brain will help guide the development of my products.
Please leave a comment about any middle school students you have worked with.  I'm sure there are some great stories out there!