I feel like for ELA, there is a huge push to help students fall in love with reading and become lifelong readers (which I LOVE) and I wanted to figure out how to foster that love in math. After a ton of brainstorming, I came up with this year long (no pressure) math journal. A math journal is meant to get students reflective about math and engaged in how math is part of their daily lives.
How I am Using the Math Journal: I am choosing the pages that apply to my students and creating a journal for them to use throughout the year. There are no assigned pages, no grading, etc. Students will have it in their math folder everyday and whenever there is time, they can work on it! I am also planning on using it for those extra minutes at the end of class.
My favorite pages:
1. Proud Math Problem Solving Moments- I love the idea of students taking pride in difficult problems they solved and times they were proud in class. I still remember in 6th grade when I was the only one that remembered we use GCF to simplify fractions and my teacher made a HUGE deal about it!
2. Real-World Connections– I love these pages that allow students to create a scrapbook of sorts that show where they see math in real life!
3. #BestYearEver Activity Tracker– Each month, students can record their favorite activities in math class! It is a great way to help students focus on the positives!
4. Math Coloring Pages- Students need brain breaks, the same way adults do! These coloring pages can be worked on all year long!
