Toolkits for the Math Classroom

We are big believers in helping students discover math, rather than simply give them all of the properties, formulas, and steps up front.  We know that trying to teach every lesson to every student using discovery learning is not always the best choice.  However, when you see your kids get their "aha!" moments from learning why something works, it is worth the effort!

We have realized through trial and error that one of the best ways to help these concepts really stick for them after the initial investigations is to use toolkits.  A toolkit is simply a summary of the most important parts of the lesson.  Sometimes this means the students write the important points directly in their interactive notebook.  Other times we have them create their own creative toolkit.  When time allows, though, we love to create eye-catching toolkit pages with fun fonts, on colored paper, and many times in foldable form.


It takes a bit of planning time to create a toolkit for every concept, so don't be afraid to beg, borrow, and buy the work other teachers have already done for you.  Pinterest is always a great start!  Click here to download an interactive notebook printable for inverse variation and here for a foldable on the properties of exponents - both are FREE!

-The Sine Sisters