Phones Off in Baltimore City Schools: Printable Grade 7–9 Math Units
Phones Off in Baltimore City Schools: Printable Grade 7–9 Math Units
Phones in Baltimore City Schools have been powered off, put away and secured during the school day since 2025–26, and the Middle School Math Core Units Bundle works in exactly that kind of room. For $89.99 you get six printable units for Grades 7–9: equations, linear functions, the Pythagorean theorem, quadratics, percentages and interest, and probability with dice experiments.
Go to the math bundleFor a Baltimore City middle school math teacher working without student phones, the Middle School Math Core Units Bundle is the most direct fit at $89.99. Its six units, Terms and Equations, Linear Functions, The Pythagorean Theorem, Quadratic Functions and Parabolas, Percentages and Interest, and Chance & Events, run on printed worksheets and teacher slides. It is not written for Maryland or City Schools and includes no calculators or dice.
The resources
Middle School Math Core Units Bundle, Grades 7–9
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $144.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Middle School Math Core Units Bundle | Equations, Linear & Quadratic Functions, Pythagorean Theorem, Percentages & Probability | 6 Units | Grades 7–9
Middle School Math Starter Bundle | Growing Math Kit, Fractions, Compass Constructions & Algebraic Expressions | Grades 5–9
Algebra Foundations Bundle | Expressions, Equations, Real Numbers & Ratio | 4 Workbooks | Grades 5–9
Algebra 1 Pathway Bundle | Equations, Linear Functions & Systems, Quadratics | 3 Workbooks | Grades 7–10
The real problem
Math class after the phone rule, and before the state law
Baltimore City Public Schools started the 2026–27 year on August 24, 2026, under a cellphone policy now in its second year: phones must be powered off, put away and secured during the school day, and a teacher needs principal approval before students use personal devices for instruction. More is coming. The Joanne C. Benson Maryland Phone-Free Schools Act, HB 525, was approved on May 26, 2026 as Chapter 596. It requires local school systems to write first-bell-to-last-bell procedures, with students possibly phone-free by fall 2027, and City Schools has said it will closely monitor the law and adjust its own policy. In math the phone quietly did several jobs: calculator, graphing tool, a photo of the worked example on the board. Without it, students plot a line from a table by hand, check a percentage without an app and keep their own notes. That is good practice, but only if the worksheets give enough structure to students used to tapping for an answer, and writing that scaffolding for six topics is the slow part.
Why it fits
Six units that run on paper and pencil
Each unit covers a topic students need before high school algebra and geometry. Here is how each one works without a device.
- Linear Functions works on slope and intercept, which students can graph by hand on paper.
- Terms and Equations builds algebra step by step, with work students write out instead of checking on an app.
- The Pythagorean Theorem – Applications gives applied problems students sketch and solve at their desks.
- Quadratic Functions and Parabolas lets students plot parabolas point by point and watch the curve form.
- Percentages and Interest practices the everyday math students might otherwise hand to a phone calculator.
- Chance & Events uses dice experiments, so probability becomes a group activity with no screens involved.
Getting started
A sample sequence for a device-free math room
Pacing here is only a suggestion. Match the order to your City Schools curriculum map and your students.
- Start with Terms and EquationsOpen with expressions and equations. Ask students to show every step on paper; the habit pays off in every later unit when no calculator app is within reach.
- Move to Linear FunctionsBuild tables, plot points and find slope and intercept by hand. Project the slides for worked examples so students copy the method into notebooks instead of photographing it.
- Insert Percentages and InterestMidway through the semester this unit gives a break from graphing and connects to money students handle. Estimating before calculating keeps answers honest when no device is out.
- Pair Pythagoras with Chance & EventsAlternate geometry problems with the dice experiments. The probability unit makes a strong group activity for the days before a break, when attention runs low.
- Finish with Quadratic FunctionsClose with parabolas for students heading into high school algebra. Plotting several points by hand helps them see why the curve bends, which a graphing app tends to hide.
What to buy
Core units, starter set or algebra workbooks
For Grades 7–9 in Baltimore City, the Middle School Math Core Units Bundle at $89.99 is the main recommendation; its six parts cost $144.94 separately. If students still need fractions and basic expressions, the Middle School Math Starter Bundle ($54.99, parts $77.96) adds Fractions Complete and compass and ruler constructions, which suit a phone-free room. For extra algebra practice, the Algebra Foundations Bundle ($59.99) has four workbooks, and the Algebra 1 Pathway Bundle ($44.99, parts $59.97) adds linear systems and quadratics for students moving toward Algebra 1.
Honest limits
Honest limits
The units are general middle school math, not written for Maryland or Baltimore City Public Schools, and they carry no state standards codes. Check the topics against your district's curriculum map before you plan. Calculators, dice, rulers, graph paper and apps are not included. How phones are collected or stored is set by your school and by the procedures your school system writes under the new state law. If colleagues in your department want the files, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If the bundle is not a fit, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this bundle match Maryland's math standards or the City Schools curriculum?
No state or district body, including Maryland and Baltimore City Public Schools, has aligned, reviewed or approved it. The six units cover common middle school topics, but compare each with your district's curriculum map and the state standards before teaching, and use what fits as core lessons, reteaching or review.
Can my students do the work if personal devices need principal approval?
Yes. The worksheets are printable and the slides are for you to project. The product descriptions do not require student devices, accounts or apps, so teaching these units does not depend on approval for personal device use. If you want students to use devices for something else, the principal approval rule still applies.
Will the new Phone-Free Schools Act change how I use it?
Probably not much. HB 525 asks local school systems to set first-bell-to-last-bell procedures, and City Schools said it would adjust its policy after monitoring the law. Paper-based units work under either version. Watch for your school's updated procedures on storage and exceptions. The units themselves do not change.
Students used phones as calculators. What now?
Decide with your department whether students get school calculators and plan around that; the bundle does not include any. Percentages and Interest and the Pythagorean theorem problems are good places to teach estimation first, so students can judge whether an answer makes sense before they compute it.
Is it a full-year course for Grade 8?
No. It is six core units, not a complete course for any single grade. You might teach two or three of them in a given year and the rest the next. Use it alongside your district materials, and fill gaps with the Algebra 1 Pathway or Algebra Foundations bundles if needed.
How fast can I get the files?
Right after purchase. You receive a download link by email, and the files stay in your account under Orders, so you can print the first unit tonight and teach from it in tomorrow's class. Should the units miss your course, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Paper-ready math for the rest of the year
Open the product page to check the six units and decide where they fit your sequence.
Go to the math bundle