Products that we Love and Use
After 20+ years of teaching math in the middle school world I’ve seen a thing or two. The good and the bad. Below is a collection of different products that I use to make the experience easier (less challenging) and enjoyable.
The TI-30xiis is the workhorse of classroom calculators. Solid & dependable. But, I’m always losing my personal calculator when it gets mixed in the the classroom set. So getting a green or other unique color (I have orange) will help you keep track of your calculator.
This maybe the single greatest purchase for my classroom of all time. The X-acto electric sharpener in my class is now getting ready to start year 4. It has been a beast!
It’s super fast so even when I have a group of kids that need to sharpen their pencil it’s done quick so we can move on with our lesson. As a side note: During state testing I can sharpen multiple extra pencils in just a few seconds.
Nothing is more frustrating than students constantly forgetting/losing their pencils. It’s just part of the middle school world.
So at some point you are going to need a backup collection of pencils for the students lacking their own pencil.
This collection of pencils is 1/3 the price of Ticonderoga pencils and are already pre sharpened!!
They also come in boxes of 576 and 1000 which should be enough to get you through the school year.
The cutting mat has double as my desk matt. I have one for my home office and classroom desk. Not only do I like the look (if feels mathy with the grid, lines & measurements) it really stands up to a lot of abuse.
This clock has been a very cool addition to my classroom. I have the green lights which fit in nice with the theme of my classroom (it comes in multiple colors) and it really grabs the attention of the students.
This clock is usually the number one thing that people notice when they first come into my class.
These are my go to pens. I am constantly using pens and the Pentel Energel are money. They are smooth to write with and the ink is very easy to read.
I also like the fact that you can get refills of the ink which saves a cash. (I have found these on Ebay in bulk at a cheaper price.
When grading papers and just writing notes that I want to stand out, these red Pentel Energel pens always get the job done.
They are also available in multiple colors - my personal favorite is purple
These giant GeoSolids have been a staple in my class during geometry. I like that the base of the Triangular Prism and Triangular Pyramid have the same dimensions which makes it easy to compare. (same with cylinder/cone, and cube/Rectangular).
These 3D objects are large (most a height of 6 inches) and colorful (the bases are different colors). There is an opening on each so if you wanted to show students the volume of an object you can easily fill it up (this is nice when showing how the volume of cone is 1/3 of a cylinder.
Similar to the GeoSolids just a couple inches smaller and a few additional 3D shapes
The Blackwing pencils are awesome!! These are not the kind of pencils you share with your students (they can enjoy some basic yellow pencils). These are pencils for the adult that appreciates a well made product. I prefer the Blackwing Matte because it is darker when writing, but I also like the Blackwing 602.
These are great gift ideas for the hard to buy person on your list. The link above will take you to Amazon but you can also visit Pencils.com to check out all different options.
This pencil was a gift to me a couple of years ago. It is basically a mechanical pencil for construction/carpenters. This thing is a beast. It is very tough and durable. The lead is nearly impossible to break (I hate normal mechanical pencils because I always break the lead).
Kids are always interested in this pencil which is always a nice way to get their attention (even if just for a few seconds).
If you have an old fashioned wall mounted pencil sharpener you have probably had to unjam or replace a few of these over the years.
One of the main culprits is when students try to sharpen colored pencils in the wall sharpener. The lead is softer and always breaking off. This hand held pencil sharpener by Staedtler is great. It has two separate holes: one is for color pencils.
I have a few for my class. Not only does it save wear and tear on my regular pencil sharpeners, but if we are doing group work or using colored pencils I just pass out and reduce the amount of traffic in the class.
I am such a huge fan of this compass that I purchased a box of 30 them on ebay with my own money. They are very simple to set up and use. In my experience the fancier the compass the more likely there will be issues.
I am always writing stuff down. I like to brainstorm ideas to make my classes more interesting, engaging and effective. I like to capture all these ideas in one place that I can always refer to… my journal.
I also take notes from staff meeting, conferences and any other interaction in my journal. I know I’m a bit old school but I find that it works for me.
If you are a teacher you have probably heard a dozen teachers say they wish they had written a book about all the crazy stuff you see as a teacher. Maybe you will be the teacher that actually does this. The journal is the perfect way to record this information.
This was another gift that I absolutely love. I have always had measuring tape using inches & feet. But the only way I had to measure anything longer in centimeters/meters was to use my meter stick.
This tape is tough and durable - perfect for middle school. Easy to read. Only centimeters and meters.
Whether I’m making videos or demonstrating a key concept in class I think the use of color is key. The use of color is more visually interesting and helps to make connections with key topics.
I love the fine point because it is easier to draw multiple items with less chance of the ink bleeding into each other.
These Flip Chart markers have been awesome addition to my class. In the past when I would make Anchor Charts for the class the traditional Sharpies would bleed through onto the next page.
No more. You can draw away without worry of messing up the next sheet of paper.
I like notepads that have narrow ruled lines. Regular notepads feel like I’m using school kid paper.
The narrow ruled paper allows for more writing. I like that it forces me to write smaller which makes me write quicker and neater.
Land of Math Products
This is a book on Probability focused on middle school students or students just learning the basics of Probability. It includes a Guide and Worksheets.
The Great 8 is a year long spiral review of the key concepts of middle school math. There are 4 worksheets each week with a quiz at the end. Each worksheet has 8 problems.
The first and third worksheet are the same problems just with different numbers. The second and fourth worksheets are also the same. At the end of week there is a quiz - 4 problems from 1st/3rd worksheets and 4 from 2nd/4th worksheets.
There is a total of 100 worksheets and 25 quizzes.
The Fab 5 is a collection of basic skills reviewed each day. There are 25 problems for the week - i usually have my students complete 5 each day (no calculators) and give a grade for the week.
I use this as a basic warm up and as a way to review the basics. But more importantly, I use this as a way to identify areas of weakness for my students. Even my top students might struggle with dividing decimals or finding the Least Common Multiple. The Fab 5 gives me a chance to identify and help the student fix.
The Percentage Guide is a collection of different worksheets and puzzles that I have used with my students. It includes a large variety of different Percentages (from percent of change to Simple Interest).
There is also a very detail guide at the beginning of the book which goes in depth on all things percentage.
This is a guide to one of my all time favorite class projects - the Cereal Box Project. This Guide breaks down all the different steps I use to help students design and build a unique cereal box. I also discuss some of my class issues and what I do to work around those issues.
This was the forerunner of the Great 8 (see above). This Spiral Review book includes 24 questions per worksheet which I would give the students a week to complete ( I would give assistance as needed).
This is a book that I wrote after my daughter finished first grade. Much of the issues the parents had was just the terminology used by the teachers/schools.
This survival guide helps to explain what is going on and what 1st grade teachers are trying to accomplish.
This is a collection of different unique 2 dimensional worksheets. Each of the worksheets includes a shape that we need to calculate the area.
