Hemlock Middle School’s Math Department has undergone some very positive changes in the past three years. Our textbook includes digital interactives and consumable student editions for each student and also provides a personal math trainer to best utilize our 1:1 Chromebook Initiative at the middle school. Our aligned math curriculum in grades 5-8 ensures each student has the best preparation possible to successfully complete Algebra I at the 8th grade level for high school credit.
We have new and exciting revamped math classrooms for grades 5-8. New technology is installed in each room as we “test drive” digital tools to better individualize instruction for our math students. Each room now has added monitors so teachers can run learning centers in their classrooms. The 6th-8th grade classrooms now occupy the largest rooms we have in the building to allow more room for group work, team teaching and individualization, and space for more hands-on math activities. Grades 5-8 now have a period per day to offer increased math skills and classwork support with flexible opportunities for students to seek help in these rooms as needed.
“We are seeing great strides in student learning,” says 6th and 8th-grade math teacher, Jeremy Stedry.
Each class has been finding other interactive avenues to engage their students. Mr. Stedry’s classes are using web applications to their advantage, including the Desmos site. “It is a scientific calculator, graphing aid, and activity center all rolled into one. It has become an essential tool in our algebra class for finding characteristics of functions and interchanging data into differing forms,” shares Stedry. Students are also using Khan Academy and the iXL online program to beef up skills and offer students access to accelerated skill-building.
Along with Desmos, the class has also been using the short assessment tools of Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Quizlet. “It makes for a quick, easy, and effective way of seeing where students are at with the material.”
“Our goal is to get the students to master as many objectives as possible. By allowing them to work at their own pace with the technology available, some of the students are really able to move along. We’re also using some of the time from their enrichment classes to supplement with the online programs,” said MS math teacher, Jeremy Doan.”
Rachel Garrett’s 5th-graders are adjusting to middle school in superb style. “The students have excelled at getting to classes on time, joining Google classrooms, logging into many new educational sites, and conquering the dreaded locker,” commented Mrs. Garrett.
Another change for 5th-grade math is the addition of a math enrichment class. This extra fifty minutes, 3-4 times a week will give students a chance to dig deeper into math concepts. Another facet of that same hour involves STEAM activities where students enhance and apply their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Students are can at their independent math level by using our new iXL.com program.