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Math Activity

Mother’s Day Math Activity for Middle School: Creating A Heartfelt Coordinate Plane Surprise

by Jennie Webb May 10, 2023

Are you searching for a unique and meaningful Mother’s Day math activity for middle school students? Look no further! This captivating activity will have your young learners using their math skills to create a heartfelt surprise for their moms. By plotting points on a coordinate plane and reflecting them, students will design a beautiful heart and the word “Mom.” It’s the perfect way to combine math with creativity, making it an ideal classroom or at-home project for this special occasion.

This Mother’s Day math activity will challenge middle school students to use their knowledge of coordinate planes, plotting points, and reflections. The end result will be a delightful heart and the word “Mom,” demonstrating their math skills and appreciation for their moms. As an educator or parent, you’ll love watching your students apply their math skills in a creative and memorable way. If you’re an educator looking to add a special touch to your math lessons, we have a fantastic Mother’s Day math activity for middle school students that will not only reinforce important math concepts but also create a memorable keepsake for their moms.

The Perfect Blend of Math and Creativity:
This Mother’s Day Coordinate Geometry Activity is designed specifically for middle school students, striking the ideal balance between learning and fun. By plotting and reflecting points on a coordinate plane, students will practice important mathematical skills such as:

Understanding and applying the coordinate plane
Identifying and plotting ordered pairs
Mastering reflections and transformations

While engaging in this interactive and hands-on activity, students will also get to flex their creative muscles, customizing their Mother’s Day masterpiece with colors, patterns, and heartfelt messages.

Why Choose This Mother’s Day Math Activity:
There are several reasons why this Mother’s Day Coordinate Geometry Activity stands out from other math resources:

High Engagement: This activity captures students’ interest by combining math with a personal and creative twist. The end product is not only educational but also a memorable keepsake for their moms.
Easy to Implement: The resource comes with clear instructions, making it a breeze for teachers to incorporate it into their lesson plans. Plus, it requires minimal materials—just graph paper, a ruler, colored pencils, and the provided coordinates and worksheet.
Aligns with Standards: Our activity is designed to meet middle school math standards, ensuring that students continue to learn and grow within their curriculum.
Boosts Confidence: As students successfully create their Mother’s Day masterpiece, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, reinforcing their confidence in math.
Affordable and Time-Saving: With this activity, you can save time on lesson planning and enjoy a budget-friendly resource that delivers high-quality results.

Don’t miss out on this heartwarming Mother’s Day math activity for middle school students! Head over to my TPT store now to grab this Mother’s Day Coordinate Geometry Activity and make this year’s celebration one to remember. Your students (and their moms) will be forever grateful for the meaningful memories you’ve helped create.

Ready to add a special touch to your Mother’s Day math lessons? Click here to purchase the Mother’s Day Coordinate Geometry Activity on TPT today! Teaching virtually? There’s a digital version for reflecting segments too.

May 10, 2023 0 comment

Math Activity Mother's Day

Mother’s Day Activity for Middle School Math

by Jennie Webb April 28, 2020

Middle school teachers aren’t really in to that cutesy Mother’s Day stuff. Could you imagine painting footprints of a fourteen-year-old? Ick. Well, fourteen-year-olds aren’t going to remember Mama on their own, so here is one quick and adorable way you can practice math content and have students create something to show some love on Mother’s Day.

In this Reflection Activity, students reflect line segments over the y-axis to create a heart and the word “MOM” in it. If that’s not cute enough, they can color it and add their own message like, “I’ve been REFLECTING OVER Y I love you” or “Your love TRANSFORMS me.” #cheesy #momwillloveit

There’s also a digital version using Google Slides where students drag the segments into place.

One more thing to note: I always make this assignment optional. We know that Mother’s Day may not always be something to celebrate for everyone, so if you feel comfortable enough to use this resource in your class, make sure you don’t make it mandatory for everyone.

Click the links below to get this activity.

Mother’s Day Reflection Activity (print version)

Mother’s Day Reflection Digital Activity

April 28, 2020 0 comment

March MATHness Math Activity Math Games

March MATHness

by Jennie Webb March 9, 2020

March is the time of year when breaks are few and far between, but summer is too far away to start counting down. It’s also when I find student behavior issues increasing and work ethic decreasing. So years ago, I started implementing a math game I call March MATHness as a way to motivate students during that long stretch between winter and spring break.

What is March MATHness?

March MATHness is a tournament-style competition that involves math and a little bit of basketball. It’s also a way to start sneaking in some review from throughout the year. There are lots of ways to implement this math game, and it can be adjusted to fit other subject areas as well. I just don’t have clever names for them.

Eligibility

Here’s the motivating part. When students know there will be a competition that includes prizes, almost everyone wants in. So at the beginning of March or end of February, tell your students that the math game is coming up and define the criteria that they must meet to compete. Most of the time, my criteria has been that students can only participate if they have no missing assignments. I give them a certain date to have all work complete (mid-term or the end of the quarter, for example). More recently, I’ve been giving less homework, so I made the eligibility requirements that students can not have any discipline infractions for my class during the month of March and they must get at least a 75% on all quizzes (which they are allowed to retake).

Qualifying Round

Around the 3rd or so week of March, I have a qualifying round for those who are eligible. If a student is not eligible or chooses not to participate, they work on an assignment while others compete to see who makes it into the tournament and onto the bracket. I give every student playing a white board and marker. I put up a question on my screen and students answer it on their white board. Once they have the answer, the student holds up the board. The first person who holds up the correct answer gets the point for that question. Whenever a student gets 2 points, they have made it into the March MATHness tournament. I typically write the student’s name on my board when he or she gets a question correct. The next time that student gets a question correct, I write their “seed” number next to their name. That is how they are placed on the bracket. Each “region” of the bracket is a class period. I have 8 students from each class who compete in the tournament. If you have more than 4 classes, you can combine the 2 classes with the least number of eligible students or add an extra section to your bracket and have the winner from that class play in a “final five.”

What You Need

A basketball hoop- This can be an over-the-door hoop, a trashcan, or a bucket.
Dry-erase boards (2)
Expo Markers (2)
Erasers (2)
Basketballs (2)- These can be whatever will fit in your hoop. Before I purchased 2 little squish basketballs, I used to have students just throw the erasers into the hoop.
A selection of questions with the answers at hand for you. The best method is to have these on some slides for the students to see.

The Tournament

The March MATHness tournament can last weeks depending on how you want to play. I typically use the last 5 minutes of a class to do a round. It may take less time than that, but it usually doesn’t take more. Each class will play 7 rounds to get a class winner.

For each round, two students will sit an equal distance from the basketball hoop. They will each have a dry-erase board, a marker, an eraser, a calculator if allowed, and a ball. Each student can also choose a “rebounder,” someone who will return the ball for them if missed. (It’s enough pressure to shoot a ball in front of their classmates. They shouldn’t have to chase the ball down too). I usually let them choose whoever they want right before their round. Go over the rules with the students- where they must stand, no blocking, no calling out answers from others in the class, students can shoot at the same time, etc.

Display a question for both students to answer. They write their answer on the dry-erase board and show it to you. If correct, you tell them to “start shooting.” If incorrect, tell them it is incorrect, and they can continue trying. A student should continue to try to answer a question correctly even if their competitor already has. The first person to make a basket is the winner of that round and moves on to the next round of the tournament. So if a student correctly answers a question first, they have more time to get a basket, but the other student may still be able to answer and make the shot before them to win. It is often an exciting couple minutes of fun to watch.

I usually do a round or 2 of the math game when there is time, so the tournament may last a couple weeks before there is a winner from each class. Each time we do a round, I add the student’s name to the bracket. The class champions will be the “final four” and I will give them a small prize for winning in their class. I work with my teammates to find a time when a student may leave their class to come complete. The other teachers are very accommodating, especially since it is only a few minutes. I’ve even had teachers let their whole class come watch and cheer since the other student has the “home court advantage.” Finally there will only be 2 students left to compete and the winner will be the March MATHness champion. They will win a small basket of goodies that includes candy and lots of passes to use in class such as a homework pass, choose my seat pass, first out the door pass, etc. The funny thing is, in all my years of doing this competition, the winner has never used all of their passes. Some students never use any of them.

If you have a March MATHness competition in your class, let me know! Tag me in your pics on social media.

March 9, 2020 2 comments

Halloween Math Activity Math Games Math Resources

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Middle School Math Halloween Activities

by Jennie Webb September 14, 2019

On Halloween, the last thing middle school students want to think about is math. All they have on their minds is what they’re going to do that night and all the candy they will get. Well, what if you interrupt their daydreams of trick-or-treating with some math trick-or-treating?

One-Step Equations Trick or Treat Halloween Activity

You can trick-or-treat with your students as a review game. It’s simple. Students are given questions with 2 answer choices (one right and one wrong). When they make their choice, they find out if their answer is a trick (wrong answer) or a treat (right answer). It’s a fun and engaging way to practice math skills!

To add even more engagement, I offer real tricks and treats. If a student gets the answer correct, I let them choose a piece of candy from my candy bucket. If they get it wrong, I had some choices of tricks that included wearing fangs or googly eye glasses the rest of class, acting like a zombie, or wearing a hat that says “I got tricked.” Of course if students weren’t comfortable, I didn’t force them to do anything. It’s all meant to be fun for everyone!