Hi! I'm Shana McKay from scaffoldedmath.com. I design scaffolded, visual instructional materials to make grade-level math accessible to every learner in middle school through high school grades 6 to 12. You’ll also find here some additional supports for younger students to help prepare them for middle school.
I started teaching math in Massachusetts public schools in 2004, and am certified to teach math grades 1-12, biology grades 8-12 and students with moderate disabilities. I live in Massachusetts with my teacher husband and our daughter.
Education and Work History
My undergraduate degree is in environmental science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
My shop:
Thank you for reading my bio! I hope to catch up with you someday soon!
My undergraduate degree is in environmental science from UMass Amherst, and my graduate degree is in mathematics for teaching from Harvard Extension School.
You can always reach me at shana@scaffoldedmath.com.
Most of my time teaching has been spent in the high school setting, in both general education and special education teaching algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2 and consumer math. I spent a year in 8th grade and ran back to high school!
What I believe
I believe that all kids can find success in math and enjoy learning. I also believe in a varied approach to teaching math. Memorization is close to impossible for some kids, while others thrive on structure.
I believe that all kids can find success in math and enjoy learning. I also believe in a varied approach to teaching math. Memorization is close to impossible for some kids, while others thrive on structure.
In my own classroom, I give a variety of assignments and assessments so that every student can find success. Sometimes kids need to experience success to know what it feels like, so I believe in building in opportunities for students to find this success.
What I teach
After teaching general education algebra, algebra 2 and biology for 8 years, I got a job teaching special education algebra 2 and consumer math. Soon after came a certification to teach students with moderate disabilities and a realization that teaching math to kids with math anxiety is what I enjoy doing most. This year, I'm an inclusion algebra 2 teacher.
What I teach
After teaching general education algebra, algebra 2 and biology for 8 years, I got a job teaching special education algebra 2 and consumer math. Soon after came a certification to teach students with moderate disabilities and a realization that teaching math to kids with math anxiety is what I enjoy doing most. This year, I'm an inclusion algebra 2 teacher.
Education and Work History
My undergraduate degree is in environmental science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
After a few years using my degree in the environmental consulting field helping to remediate leaky gas stations, I had enough and became a substitute teacher in Boston. By the next year I was certified to teach math and biology and teaching both subjects at South Boston High School.
Later came graduate school. Five long years later and after many, many late-night T rides from Cambridge back to Southie, I had my graduate degree in mathematics for teaching from Harvard Extension School. My thesis centered around a manipulative to help kids add and subtract integers, especially those tricky negative ones.
Later came graduate school. Five long years later and after many, many late-night T rides from Cambridge back to Southie, I had my graduate degree in mathematics for teaching from Harvard Extension School. My thesis centered around a manipulative to help kids add and subtract integers, especially those tricky negative ones.
A couple years later in 2013, right before our daughter was born, my certification was finalized to teach students with moderate disabilities.
Social media:
Facebook is where I share all the cool math ideas that come across my feed, along with math videos and probably a few too many math memes. I'm also on most other social channels, like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, as Scaffolded Math and Science.
Facebook is where I share all the cool math ideas that come across my feed, along with math videos and probably a few too many math memes. I'm also on most other social channels, like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, as Scaffolded Math and Science.
In 2022, I opened shopscaffoldedmath.com. This is where you can find the Scaffolded Consumer Math Curriculum and submit school purchase orders.
My TPT shop:
In October 2013, I started adding resources to my TPT shop to supplement the 11 sick days I had saved for maternity leave. The extra income from TPT helped pay the bills, and I'll forever be grateful.
Thank you for reading my bio! I hope to catch up with you someday soon!
My favorite posts:
Impressive. Love your body of work.
ReplyDeleteI am just beginning to find your resources. I am returning to the classroom after 25 years of staying home with my own children whom I home schooled. I am teaching resource Alg and I too love my students and teaching math again. It's been a great challenge, but finding resources like yours that differentiate and are creative and engaging has been a delight and help to me and my students. Treasure the time you have with your daughter, they grow up quickly.
ReplyDeleteYour comment makes me so happy in so many ways, Kim. And I think you are amazing and inspiring for going back after 25 years. I do plan to go back but am also enjoying this time with my daughter. It was a tough decision to make, but hearing a little bit of your story helps me know it was the right one. I hope you are having a wonderful first year back. Please always reach out.
DeleteI just discovered your site as I was researching scaffolding with choice. I teach 6th grade math and generally have two blocks of students with IEPs & 504 plans. I am continually trying to find or create engaging learning activities for all my students, but it is definitely a challenge. Your resources are amazing as well as your bio. I am definitely looking forward to using them with my students. However, I find that organizing & implementing various activities within a class period of 60 minutes is extremely difficult. Any suggestions or ideas to make it easier other than pre-planning?
ReplyDeleteI found this difficult, too. There just wasn't enough time to plan a few activities each period that all covered the same topic to give students choice. What I did instead was allow students to choose from an activity the problems they'd like to do. For a task card activity, for example, there may be 12 cards but students can pick any 10. Any cards completed over the 10 can be extra credit. I wish there were more hours in a day.
DeleteI love your material so much! I use many of the items with my struggling students. I tried Algebra tiles for the first time this year (with your help!), and it made such a difference with students who had never understood how to solve equations. Can't wait to try more!
ReplyDeleteThis all makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for coming back to leave a comment, it means a lot. I hope you are having a great year and have an even better summer!
DeleteHi I just wanted to let you know I've been using your resources since I began teaching Resource/SPED Algebra and Geometry in 2020 as a first year teacher (I used your digital word walls and Google activities to get my students through distance learning). Now I'm on year 3 and I still keep coming back to all of your awesome visuals, and am trying out algebra tiles with my students this year for the first time. Your resources and how-tos have made me a better math teacher so thank you!
ReplyDeleteYour comment comes at a needed time, Amanda! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to write such nice things. It makes me incredibly happy to hear your words. I hope you have an amazing year. Always send me an email if you need anything. shana@scaffoldedmath.com
DeleteI am loving your word walls and all the extra math gems I am able to utilize from your site. I have been able to create anchor posters for each unit and love the look of them and the ease of interpreting as do my students. Concerning the 7th grade math word wall I was wondering if you had more content for Constant Rate of Change?
ReplyDeleteCan you please send me an email with a bit more about what you're looking for? My email is shana@scaffoldedmath.com.
DeleteI just came across your website via pinterest and TPT, what an amazing collection you have created. If I have missed it, I do apologise, but do you offer your math word wall collections in metric measurements at all? Would love to be able to use your word wall bundles for our homeschool classroom- South Africa. Thank you, Michelle
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't have a metric-only word wall, metric versions are included in a few of the word walls for measurement.
DeleteI watched your video about creating algebra tiles. It was great. At the end you showed how to make the tiles. I bought cement glue. I will need to make a class set. Will I need to set each algebra tile under a set of books?
ReplyDeleteI would, just to make sure the two pieces of paper really stick together.
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