Math Questions

If you want to see what's going on in math class...

a) "How was Math class this week/today?"

An old standard, but it can help you understand what your student might be feeling about class. Is it going too fast or too slow? Do they have questions? Do they really like what we're doing?

b) "Can you show me the homework for this week?"

This can be a good opportunity for you to see what we're working on in class and check to see how they feel about it. Homework should only take about 10 minutes, but it can spark conversations

c) "Can you explain how to do this problem on the homework?"

This can be a great conversation starter. You might not remember how to do absolutely everything you learned in Middle School so it can also be a good refresher. When your student tries to explain something it engages different parts of the brain than simply doing the work. It helps with retention and understanding. Trust me, you really have to think about something and understand it well in order to teach it well.

c) "Tell me one thing that was exciting in Math this week."

Focus on the positive. I try to have a lot of different activities in class. Not every student will love every moment of class, but everyone should have at least one activity each week that they really liked. Ask them about number talks, warm ups, Table Work Tuesday, or Tech Thursday.

If Your Student is Confused/Frustrated...

a) "What do you know how to do/what have you tried?"

Start small: there's usually a first step that students can take right away. They always know something and can make an educated guess about what comes next. We're trying to encourage students to persevere even when their first instinct is to quit.

b) "Can you think of a question to ask Zac in class tomorrow?"

Sometimes just coming up with a question will help students understand exactly what they're having trouble with. They can email me the question or just ask me in class. Self-advocacy is a skill students are learning in Middle School and I hope they feel comfortable enough in class that they can admit they don't understand. It just may be that I didn't teach something well enough.

c) "Do you have any notes that can help you with this?"

We use our notebooks as a place to put resources for the students. They should have a copy of notes that we've glued into their notebooks. This is a resource for them (and you) to help them make sense of the problem. It helps them remember that they've solved problems like this before and they can do it again.