Sample units of instruction are being created that are free and can be edited by teachers to customize the content as needed. The IOER also has many free activities well suited for transitional math courses.
Additionally, there are many sites that offer full curricula as well as individual activities. Click here for more resources; some are free and some for purchase. It is important to remember the following when choosing resources, especially various activities from websites:
- Evaluate the content for rigor, alignment with the competencies, and use of contextualization. Some content may be too advanced or too juvenile. Consider if a senior in high school would find the content relevant and motivating or just another algebra course.
- Look for content that has open-ended problems that are messy and expect more from students.
- Some Common Core content might work, but be careful not to reuse activities from previous years that students may have already seen. Also, be careful to use age-appropriate activities.
- Many links provided are not for “plug and play” materials; that is, some work may be necessary to create coherent units of instruction and/or make the activities work as needed for your class.
- Some curricula (like Project Lead the Way) may be adapted to work with transitional math. To adapt, compare the competencies in the materials with that of the competencies document. Add any missing competencies.
- Not all of these resources have been vetted, so buyer beware. Consider checking out EdReports for more guidance on quality materials.
NEW! Questions to encourage discussion and mathematical intuition (Handout)