#MTBoSBlaugust 9: Day ONE plans ... rough, rough draft!

Working on my first day plans ... and this is where I am tonight.  It's still rough!  I have a couple of weeks to tweak these ideas ... and create the actual materials.

First day goals

1. To get to know something significant about students
2. Set an expectation that there is work to do when they first enter the room
3. Set an expectation for problem solving, participation, active learning

First Day Outline

The room will be arranged in groups of 3 or 4 desks.  I’ll greet students at the door.  Materials will be on the table at the front of the room.  

Part 1:  about 12 minutes

Projected will be instructions on how to begin:

1. Pick up materials from the “materials” table.
2. Begin working on four 4’s activity - instructions will invite students to collaborate and chart their responses
3. A timer will be set for 7 minutes past the bell

While students are working on four 4’s, I’ll circulate and talk with students.

After about 7 minutes, we will talk about the strategies they used.

Part 2: about 25 - 30 minutes

So what do mathematicians do? And how is that different from our classroom?

Distribute parts of Boaler’s work from Chapter 1 to each team.  Groups read the passage they’ve been given and identify key attributes of the work of mathematicians and/or the typical classroom.  Students write phrases on cards, and place their information on the Venn Diagram chart at the front of the room.

After about 8 minutes, we will talk about what they found.  I’ll share key components of our classroom.

Part 3: about 15 - 20 minutes

Explore consecutive numbers with these problems, given a, b, c, d as consecutive numbers:

1. What is (a + d) - (b + c)? Always?
2. What is (a^2 + d^2) - (b^2 + c^2)?  Always?
3. Explore a + b + c - d and generalize
4. Will a + b + c + d always be positive? negative? Explain.
5. Why can (ac - bd) never, ever, be even?
6. What is bc - ad? Always?
7. Which consecutive numbers are such that the sum, a + b + c + d, is divisible by 3? Explain.
8. Why can’t the sum, a + b + c + d, be a multiple of 4?
9. Why is (abcd) divisible by 24?

from http://donsteward.blogspot.com/search/label/consecutive%20numbers

Use Three 3’s in a Row from TPT to organize this activity.  That means, type those 9 questions in a 3 x 3 grid - leaving space for students to write down key ideas.  Give students 3 to 5 minutes to think about the questions without writing anything.  Then invite them to mingle around the room … to find someone who can explain one of the 9 questions.  Students take notes on each other’s ideas … and then move to another classmate.  After allotted mingling time, debrief as time allows.  (It is not necessary to answer all 9 questions in class)  See a previous post on TPT strategies for a description of Three 3’s in a Row.

Homework: Students will be given a choice of reading a selection from Make it Stick or watching a video on the book.  Students will create a graphic design of their choice about key ideas and write one goal for themselves ... still working on just what this will look like.