Mathematics and FCIT

It’s that time of year…  FCAT time!  For those of us living in Florida, spring is approaching and with that comes the FCAT.  Please take some time to review the reference sheets with your students.  They are available here.  In addition to the reference sheet, there’s an activity page you can have your students do that will help them become familiar with what is given on the sheet.  This is a terrific activity to do the week before the FCAT as you ready your students for the test.

March 14, 2009:  Pi Day - Start planning now.  The Greek letter pi is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi is approximately 3.1415926535…  Math enthusiasts around the world celebrate Pi Day on March 14th. Visit the Pi Day website for inspiration!  There are classroom ideas, tee shirts, and even e-cards available on the site.

Save the date:  March 4, 2009!  World Math Day is an interactive global competition.  Students from around the world compete to solve math problems.  Students play mental arithmetic games in real time.  The levels are arranged appropriately for ages 5 - 18.  Check out the website for more information:  World Math Day 09.  This is a great way to get your students geared up for the FCAT.

It can be challenging and sometimes frustrating as we try to integrate technology into our classrooms.  There have been many a night that I have searched on-line and called friends to help me with a problem I’ve encountered while trying to write a lesson plan.  Tech-Ease will help you past the obstacles you stumble upon in your technology quest!  Whether you use a Windows or Mac machine, help is on the way!  My favorite section of Tech-Ease are the tutorials.  You can view videos showing the exact steps you need to take to accomplish the steps at hand.  Or, you can download pdf files with directions.  This is a great resource to use and to share with others, regardless of their content expertise.