Meet Mandy from Caffeine and Lesson Plans

Hi, everyone! Welcome to Middle School Mob. I'm super excited to be a part of this collaborative blog focused on middle school. I teach fifth grade in Boston, MA (go Red Sox!) and love every minute of it. I am married to my best friend, and have a very energetic one year old son. I blog over at Caffeine and Lesson Plans.

Can you believe summer is almost over? Some teachers in other parts of the country have told me they are already back to school! I don't know where it went this year. Maybe it was ALL THAT SNOW we got in Boston, but this really felt like it flew by this year. In the spirit of getting back to business, I thought I'd put together one of my favorite back to school activities for a freebie!

Each fall, I have my students complete a math autobiography to get to know them better. Just like we tell our students, the best way to get information is from a primary source. What better primary source is there than the student's own voice? The questions are designed to help students to identify a mathematical strength and weakness, while also allowing them to express their feelings about math. 

The best part is that assignment works for all students. Those that are confident in math will love the opportunity to discuss their past successes, and those that struggle will appreciate the opportunity to express their troubles or anxiety before any true content is taught. Each year when I complete this activity I consider it my first "assessment" of students, and keep it in their math folder for the year. At the end of the year, I bring it back out and we reflect on their answers and growth.

So, head on over to TpT and get this freebie!

Mandy