The 2021-2022 school year is coming to an end. Make sure you close out the year with these helpful Big Ideas Math tips.
It’s almost the end of May. For some of us, the 2021-2022 school year is already behind us (phew), but for most of us, this is the time of year when we’re anxiously waiting for summer break. Before you start packing up the classroom, here are a few tips for finishing the school year right with the Big Ideas Math program.
End of School Year Math Projects
Instead of wishing away the last few days/weeks...take this time try some new projects!
K-5
Use Math Musicals to connect music, literature, and math.
Math Musicals are a fun and interactive way for K-5 students to explore math topics. Spend a few days or a whole week reading one of the stories, watching a Math Musical video, and singing along with sheet music. Conclude the activity by having students complete the Math Performance Task that accompanies each Math Musical.
* BONUS - Have students create their own story, song, or math problems that make connections from math content to something relevant in their own lives.
6-12
Use the Chapter STEM Videos and Performance Tasks.
Get students to apply their knowledge to real-life examples with STEM videos and Performance Tasks.
* BONUS – Have students create their own unique “STEM” video that shows how math relates to their own lives.
Final Assessments
Now that you’re in the homestretch, it’s time to look at your students’ growth and progress throughout the school year. Here are a few suggestions:
If your students did a pre-course assessment:
Give students a post-course assessment and have them compare their results from earlier in the school year. Point out successes and address any areas of concern.
If your students didn’t do a pre-course assessment:
That’s okay. Instead of a post-course assessment, try giving a quiz or assessment from Chapter 1. See if students remember when that content was new and challenging. Ask them to reflect on how it felt to complete that assessment now at the end of the school year.
If your students took a Diagnostic Adaptive Progression (DAP) Assessment:
Give students the end of year DAP assessment and have them compare their results from earlier in the school year. Celebrate areas where students are scoring at or above grade level! If there are areas where students are scoring below grade level, try out some fun and easy ideas listed below for students to get extra practice with summer access to their platform.
Summer Access
Learning doesn’t have to end when the school year ends. If your students have access to the Big Ideas Math platform for all or part of the summer, use the tools below to set them up for success:
- Skills Trainer – Make sure students know how to access the Skills Trainer to review current grade level skills or preview skills from the next grade.
- Virtual Math Games – Students can continue to practice their skills – and have fun while doing it – using the Virtual Math Games.
- Review assignments – Create a few review assignments with staggered start dates so that each week students have 1 or 2 review assignments to try out over the summer.
- eBook – Students can download the eBook onto a mobile device to review content over the summer even when they are away from an internet connection.
Implement these tips so that you and your students can finish the school year strong and come back ready to learn in the fall!
Big Ideas Math Tips for Single Sign-On Users
If your district uses Clever, ClassLink, Canvas, or Schoology, you’ll want to consider the following before you end your school year.
- Finish any open assignments and view report details before your district stops sharing classes. In the case that your district has stopped sharing classes, but they are still needed, ask them to re-share.
- Final scores can still be seen in Class Management -> Archive if they are unshared, but assignments are not accessible to be finished.
- Share any classes or users for summer access before pausing your sync.
- For students to continue to access the Big Ideas Math platform, they’ll need to continue to be shared in a class and that specific class should not be expired.
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For next school year, remember when resharing classes that only math data needs to be used and please limit sharing to Big Ideas Math users.
Big Ideas Math Summer Platform Status and Updates
Check out the Big Ideas Math Platform Status page for more information about our summer maintenance schedule and the new and improved features that will be available for the 2022-2023 school year.
