Beginnings - The HOOK!

Brian Sztabnik is a highly recognized AP English Teacher. Here’s his quote about the first and last eight minutes of class:

That is the crux of lesson planning right there—endings and beginnings. If we fail to engage students at the start, we may never get them back. If we don’t know the end result, we risk moving haphazardly from one activity to the next. Every moment in a lesson plan should tell.

The eight minutes that matter most are the beginning and endings. If a lesson does not start off strong by activating prior knowledge, creating anticipation, or establishing goals, student interest wanes, and you have to do some heavy lifting to get them back. If it fails to check for understanding, you will never know if the lesson’s goal was attained.**

                  

How do you engage or HOOK students in the first few minutes of class? One of my favorite ways was to use videos ... visual stimuli attract students' attention. Several years ago, I compiled a list of favorite Youtube videos that worked for my Algebra 2 curriculum.  You can access the file here.

You'll notice certain sources are repeated!  Check out these sources for videos that fit your curriculum:

TED
Ted Ed
Numberphile
Vi Hart

Do you have a video that inspires students in math class?  If so, share the title/link in the comments!

And if you are looking for even more ideas ... check out these resources for hook strategies!

• Talkin’ Chalk. (2018, September 9). Learning Hooks | Engage Students in the Classroom. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYiacSSLP9o&feature=youtu.be  
• Teach Starter. (2021, August 17). 9 Lesson Hook Strategies to Launch Learning. https://www.teachstarter.com/us/blog/lesson-hook-strategies-to-launch-learning/?queryID=ad3019fcf6bd045218cd34cf920cc3e6&objectID=1855798 
• Gonzalez, J. (2020, June 13). Know Your Terms: Anticipatory Set. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/anticipatory-set/ 
• Elliott, J. (2021, June 30). What is the Engagement Phase of the 5E Instructional Model. What I Have Learned. https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/engagement-phase-5e-instructional-model/
Diede, M. D., & Risby, K. R. (2021, September 2). Captain of a hook: 10 engaging lesson introduction ideas. Ditch That Textbook. https://ditchthattextbook.com/lesson-hooks/

**(Sztabnik, B. (2015, May 1). The 8 Minutes That Matter Most. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-minutes-that-matter-most-brian-sztabnik)  

  

Curated Ideas for Engaging Students from a Distance

MTBoS BLAUGUST

 Today I saw a slide show how to engage students in distance learning.  There are quite a few ideas curated from various blogs and such.  The presentation is not original with me.  I am sharing it with permission of the author.  The Facebook group where I saw it is a public group called Amazing Educational Resources. 

I hope that some of the ideas in the presentation are helpful to all of you working so hard to capture the hearts and minds of your students while delivering required content ... from a computer screen.  No easy feat for sure!

If you want to download the presentation, click here and make a copy.

Five ways to phrase questions to engage all students

Inspired by five weekends in August ... weekend edition ... sharing five fives on Saturday this month to celebrate #MTBoSBlaugust!

How can you phrase questions to engage all students in participating in class?  Here are five ideas ... 



Be specific about waiting:  "Don't raise your hand; I want everyone to have time to think about this!  Be ready to explain your process in 57 seconds ... setting the timer now for think time!"   

Choose a few students to share their work:  "Take a minute to visualize this problem.  Can you write or sketch a possible [solution, example, counterexample]?  As I walk around the room, I'm going to select 3 students to share their work with the class."

Encourage more than one correct answer:  "Create an example to support this [problem, statement, scenario] and write it down.  In a minute we will share examples to see how many ways the [problem, statement, scenario] can be supported."

Check individual work:  "Put the next step on your whiteboard; be ready to explain why this step is necessary. I'll take a tour of the room to see your work; I may ask you to share your reasoning."  

Encourage sharing:  "Stop and jot down your thoughts on this problem.  In a minute you are going to share your ideas with your partner."

Videos for Math Class to Support Student Engagement #alg2chat

We had a great Algebra 2 Chat on Thursday night!  Our topic was student engagement ... folks shared many ideas!  Check out the Storify here!

One topic was using videos in math class.  I liked introducing units with videos or the occasional video to capture students' attention.  Here are some of my favorites:



You'll notice certain sources are repeated!  Check out these sources for videos that fit your curriculum:

TED
Ted Ed
Numberphile
Vi Hart

This is a new one ... might work out well ... Media4Math Math Labs Playlist on Youtube!

Do you have a video that inspires students in math class?  If so, share the title/link in the comments!  

Thursday Thoughts ... Student Engagement

Student Engagement

So many possibilities!

Students want to be known, for us to know that they are in the room, that they matter!

• Greet them daily - high fives, fist bumps, handshakes 
• Know their interests - ask about the game, the concert, the artwork, their weekend
• Use that time right before the bell rings to chat a bit casually with students

Passion is infectious!

• Students take cues from us ... get excited about the concepts
• Use math riddles, puns, puzzles to generate interest
• Love the work students do ... post it around the room!

Novelty and variety ... the spice of life!

• Routine and structure have their place in our work but don't overdo!
• Talk less ... let students do more!
• Organize lessons so that students collaborate with one another
• Use multiple activities in a class period (2, 3, 4 ... depending on the length of class)
  Try a variety of strategies ... check out Learning to Love Math: Teaching Strategies That Change Student Attitudes and Get Results or  Math Tools, Grades 3-12: 60+ Ways to Build Mathematical Practices, Differentiate Instruction, and Increase Student Engagement
• Try these ... 
• Card Sorts
• Desmos Activities
• Circuits (or Loops or Scavenger Hunts)
• Row Games (Partner work that matches)
• Speed dating 
• Kahoot, Quizizz, Socrative, Plickers 
• Hole Punch (stickers, stamps)
• Mini Projects
• Math Labs
• Whiteboarding
• Giant whiteboards - group work
• Search MTBoS Blogs for ideas for how to teach difficult concepts ... the search engine is a life saver!

Check out these resources ...
Global Math Department  Cultivating Mathematical Reasoning
Algebra's Friend  Phrasing to Engage All Learners in the Math Classroom  
Fawn Nguyen's Seven Deadly Sins
ASCD Article: Strengthening Student Engagement: What Do Students Want
Blog by a student:  4 Engagement Tips

#MTBoSBlaugust Phrasing to Engage All Learners In the Math Classroom

How can you phrase questions to engage all students in participating in class?  Here are five ideas ... 

Intro to Conics with Rice Krispies!

My colleague uses play-dough to explore conics.  And that was what I had planned to do until I read in Twitter one day that Julie was making rice krispy cones.  And I decided I wanted to do THAT!  After all, a bit of sugar helps the medicine go down!  (Not that I think conics is medicine ... it's one of my favorite units!)

But as Julie tells us in her blog about this activity, she has only one class of Algebra 2.  I have SIX!  Yes, 149 students.  And making 149 cones sounded daunting!

I purchased 3 big boxes of HEB crispy rice ... and 7 bags of HEB miniature marshmallows.  I was tired last night ... but I persevered in making 50 cones ... using about half of those ingredients (4 recipes of 6 cups cereal, 10 oz marshmallows, and 3 Tbls butter).  I had purchased 4 oz cone water cups ... I found mine at Amazon.  I bought one sleeve of 200 cups for about $6.

I see my 149 students over two days ... we are on a block schedule.  I decided to give one cone per pair of students today.  I used 39 cones ... I have 13 left.  Tonight I need to make 21 more cones.

So why all of that detail ... and all of that work, you ask???  For the smiles, the engagement, the joy of finding hidden shapes in our treats ... and the great give and take math talk all around the room!  "Can we eat these?" they asked.  Well, of course, you can!  

So the lesson:  

1.  Students did a quick web hunt for homework before class today to provide some understanding of conics.

2.  When students arrived in class, they shared their homework responses with their partners for just a few minutes. Then I asked a few questions about conics in general and about cutting a cone in particular, using an illustration on the board.

3.  I gave each pair some wax paper, a plastic knife and a cone.  I asked them to cut the cone to illustrate the four conic sections.  At the same time I asked them to discuss these 12 questions.

4.  To wrap up this section of our lesson I showed just a short clip (out-dated) of a teacher and student cutting a cone with a band saw to emphasize the relationships between the sections and the central axis and edge of the cone.

We continued by learning how to identify a conic section when its equation is given in general form.  We also practiced completing the square to rewrite from general form to standard form.  In our next classes we will tackle each of the sections one by one ... using Cindy Johnson's conic cards!  Conic cards are now online ... find them here!

Other blogs about Rice Krispy conics ... here and here.

NaBloPoMo #15 Jigsawing questions

I've been reading The Highly Engaged Classroom by Marzano with my online PLN.  Marzano cites research that relates physical movement to higher levels of engagement in the classroom.

With that in mind, I've been trying to be aware of the movement in class.  And when possible getting students up out of their seats.

So in class the other day, we had 6 higher order thinking questions that I wanted students to consider.  Our desks were in pairs.  I put a piece of tape on each pair of desks with one question marked on the tape ... so that each pair had one question assigned to them.

Pairs had 5 to 8 minutes to discuss the one question given them.  Then I asked pairs to partner up ... all those who had the same question.

After partners with the same problem had an opportunity to share their answers and correct any errors, I asked students who had different problems to meet up and explain their work.  So pairs with questions 1 and 2 met up, then 3 and 4 met up, then 5 and 6 met up.  They explained their respective assigned problems and everyone took notes.

We split up one more time ... so that by the end of the rounds, every student had discussed half of the assigned problems with someone else.

Students were then asked to finish the other three on their own.  We checked them together after a few minutes.

As pairs were partnering up, I noticed that some students chose to stay seated and encouraged others to come to their desks.  This is the pattern I see - that whenever possible some students resist leaving their seats.  Even when I plan vertical activities ... like scavenger hunts (or circuits as we call them), students will move the activity so they can sit on the floor instead of standing.  Or some will even take pictures of activities so they can do the work in their desks.

Is movement itself important or is the choice or opportunity to move important?  Do I insist that students get up?  Or do I offer the opportunity to work wherever or however they are comfortable?

NaBloPoMo #8 and #MTBoS Challenge Week 13 Summary

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

The worst ... because ...

It was the last week of the marking period.  Our school allows students to retake quizzes and tests up to a 70.  And too many of my students waited until this last week to correct previous tests and quizzes.  I find it frustrating that students weren't interested in making corrections three weeks ago when the matrices unit was fresh on their mind.  They were only interested when they realized that the lack of corrections was going to negatively impact their six weeks grade.  And then I remind myself, these are still children, yes young teens.  And organizing priorities is not yet a strength for some of them.

And so I had students eagerly looking for help during tutorials, and a stack of corrections and retests to grade daily.  (I know that sounds like students did poorly, but out of six classes, if just 5 students want to make multiple corrections, then the stack grows quickly!)

This is a pattern that I want to change.  I am thinking about how I can facilitate the change - what can I do to motivate students to make corrections in a timely manner?

The best ... because ...

I enjoyed the lessons this week.  We explored the fall of Javert, counting seconds of that one long note.  Talked about the unusual height of a bridge that would have been needed for such a fall.  I loved seeing the eyes of certain students light up when I mentioned we were going to visit France and the story of Les Mis.

We also took a trip to Switzerland for a famous blob jump.  Students debated briefly if the jump could possibly be more than 50 feet.  They loved watching the video of the jump.  Some of them said they had tried that activity locally?  So ... I checked ... blobbing originated in TEXAS according to Wikipedia :)

Students worked on more typical textbook problems in using graphs of quadratics to answer questions - how far did it fly, how long was it in the air, how high did it go?  I like using stations.  I like hearing the conversations that go with the work!

Coming up this next week, I get to participate in the first Google Lesson Plan Jam in the Austin Google offices on Monday.  I am one of two teachers in our school attending.  I'm a little nervous because I don't have a solid idea of a lesson to "Google-ize."  So I'm taking 2 - 3 ideas about upcoming units ... some skill-based that could use a fresh look as well as the more likely candidate like the analysis of functions we haven't studied yet.

Also coming up this week is the test on characteristics of functions.  I believe my students are ready for this test ... I am excited to see their work!

And last we jump into solving quadratics late in the week.  We will start with factoring.  I've been working on ideas for routine practice.

Twitter Chats are BIG this week!

On Monday, #Alg2Chat returns at 8 pm CST.  We will be talking about lesson planing and 3-act, mathalicious and more ... matching engaging explorations to our algebra 2 curriculum

On Wednesday at #Eduread  (8 pm CST) we are discussing student engagement from Marzano's book The Highly Engaged Classroom ... chapter 1.  I hope to learn much from this discussion.

It's going to be a big week!

#MTBoSChallenge Week 9 Summary

#MTBoS Challenge

My Summary of Week 9

3 Engaging Activities

1. I wrote about our math oases, islands of study, in this post.  Students were highly engaged and the practice was worthwhile!
2. We also worked through 8 stations in class this week.  I love station work because students again are talking the math, working together to solve problems, checking their work with my key, and when necessary hunting down their errors.  My only concern this time around was that our time was short, so I didn't grade the stations.  A few students took advantage of that.  I need a way to hold students accountable that doesn't end in a grade.  I should have continued the hole-punches that I used the day before on the study islands.
3. The third engaging activity is happening on Tuesday.  It's a review game, ZAP (I wrote about it last year).  I'm excited about the process of working problems out in small teams, calling on a random team member, and then using the surprise of the ZAP cards to add fun to the game.

2 Fun Activities this week ... Balancing Act

1. My husband and I don't get to the movies very often, but we did this weekend.  We saw The Judge.  I usually check Rotten Tomatoes for ratings ... and disagree wholeheartedly with the critics.  Both Robert Downey Jr and Robert Duvall give award winning performances!
2. I shopped briefly at Lakeshore Learning and Half Price Bookstores this weekend.  I found a construction set half-price at Lakeshore ... a new set to stimulate my grandsons' imaginations.  I didn't buy anything at the bookstore this time ... but I always enjoy browsing there.  It's very relaxing!

1 BIG WISH

I wish our district had a fall break.  Yes, I don't have students tomorrow, but I do have school, meetings, training.  I would gladly start school a few days earlier in August to have a 4 day weekend in October!

ZAP!! Review Game

 I saw this game called ZAP on a couple of websites ... here  and here and here!

I decided to create my own ZAP board ... in preparation for review day.


At the end of the last semester I asked students for feedback on our class and our activities.  One activity they said they liked was playing games to review for tests.  BUT I was tired of the football and basketball games.  So I started hunting for a new way to play!

I didn't have library pockets and didn't want to go out to buy them.  So I used half size index cards and tape to create pockets.  I found some old construction paper already cut into strips ... about 2 x 4 inches.  I also found stickers that I had purchased over the summer.  So ... it took just a few minutes to create pockets and cards.  Then I wrote varying number of points on the cards along with a few silly actions, and the word, "ZAP."

We play on Friday!  Maybe I'll have a great learning experience to report!

Solving quadratics - what to do?

We are finishing up our unit on Characteristics of Quadratics.  Students are more comfortable with this unit ... they are beginning to see how the progression of learning since August fits together.  A few still struggle with domain and range.

The next unit, though, will be all algebraic solving ... the nitty gritty of factoring, completing the square, and using the quadratic formula.  How do you engage students in the bare naked solving???

I'm looking for a hook ... I've got notes, examples, and oh my, worksheets!  BUT how do I revamp this unit?

Any ideas????

How to Learn Math #1

This week I jumped into a MOOC out of Stanford entitled, How to Learn Math. 

The premise for this course began out of a course that was offered to students last year that helped students overcome their anxiety about math and to develop appreciation for the study of math.  The professor, researcher, author, Jo Boaler, decided to offer the course to parents and teachers  to provide background on why students struggle in math and to help adults find ways to “powerfully impact students’ learning experiences.”

I took the course because last year I met way too many students in grade 9 totally turned off to math!

A few key facts …

•     50% of college students are in 2-year schools, only 1/10 of those students complete the required math courses
•     Stories abound of students disconnected in their math class
•     Still there is a pervasive belief that girls don’t do well in math
•     Racial stereotyping is alive and well in math classes
•     Studies show that students excel when teachers express their belief in them

Assigned reading this first week included Paul Lockhart’s: A Mathematician’s Lament.  I read just the first five pages and was totally captivated!  Lockhart says, “By concentrating on what, and leaving out why, mathematics is reduced to an empty shell.  The art is not in the “truth” but in the explanation, the argument. It is the argument itself which gives the truth its context, and determines what is really being said and meant. Mathematics is the art of explanation. If you deny students the opportunity to engage in this activity— to pose their own problems, make their own conjectures and discoveries, to be wrong, to be creatively frustrated, to have an inspiration, and to cobble together their own explanations and proofs—you deny them mathematics itself.”

The challenge from the first session is to create an activity to let students know how much you support their goals, to help them connect in math class.  How do you build connections in the first days of math class?  How do students know you care?  Why do students love to come to your class???

I have a first day questionnaire to gather information and feelings from students. Check it out here .  

On our first day, I plan to ask students to make a list of 2 - 3 things they like about math; and 2 - 3 things they don't like.  Students will crumple up that paper and we will have a short snowball fight.  Then students will pick up a random snowball as we return to our seats ... and we'll share aloud the items, one at a time.  I'll make a list on chart paper.  My goal is that we'll see that we share many of the same concerns.  

If you have feedback, please share!

#MakeOverMonday Week 3 Bedroom Carpet ... Let's Save Money!

Dan Meyer has published his third #MakeOverMonday textbook revision challenge - Bedroom Carpet.  Check it out here!  (Hmmmm ... the problem says her sunroom, OK?)

There are two things I notice about the problem.

• First, the dimensions in the scenario are all in customary measurements and the picture is in meters.  My first revision would be to change the measurements on the diagram to customary measurements.  If I see that the prices are described in customary measurements, I am going to measure my room with feet/yards ... not meters!
• The second thing that catches my eye is this sentence, "Lesa wants to lay out the carpet so the nap is running in the same direction, with the minimum number of seams."  I am guessing that "nap" will need explanation.  And this creates the possibility of two solutions ... the nap could run from left to right in the diagram or it could run from top to bottom.  Thus my revision, is which way costs less?  Let's save money! 

Use the information given in the problem to determine the cost of the carpet if installed from left to right.  Also determine the cost of the carpet if installed from top to bottom (as in the drawing below).  Which installation will save Lesa money?  Would one way be more wasteful than the other?

A second revision might be to question Lesa's choice of indoor/outdoor carpet (ugh!) and suggest that students find an appropriate alternative and determine the cost.  The teacher could provide links to websites for flooring choices like this one. This revision could be combined that with their English class' assignment to create a persuasive argument for a specific flooring.   (If time is limited, and research not desirable, the teacher could provide costs for alternative flooring).

Additional revisions could include students measuring rooms in their own homes, bringing in the layout drawn to scale, and determining the cost of flooring.  Students could research flooring costs in their area, choose their own style, and determine the total cost.

Even though I don't expect to use a problem like this next year, I like the challenge of thinking about revision.  I even went on an Internet scavenger hunt this morning for a project in which students plan their first apartment.  I know such a project exists ... I had created one many years back but today I didn't find any links to share.

How are you revising this problem?  And if not this one, what problem are you revising?

Blogosphere ... Good Ideas Round 3

As I have been reading around the blogosphere, I am in awe of the many excellent ideas shared among educators!

Here are 3 ideas that caught my eye!

Our school is fortunate to have a 1:1 initiative for 9th and 10th grades.  (Last year only freshmen were issued laptops).  I am always on the lookout for meaningful ways to embed technology in my algebra classes.  I ran across Education Rethink: Fifteen Paperless Math Strategies.  I notice that several of the strategies involve a blog and/or a shared document.  I've already committed to learning how to use Google products more effectively - thinking the shared document will work.  One more note at this blog ... this team of two offer their visuals for free ... which may be helpful as I create materials for class!

Mary Dooms writes a poignant post about students and curiosity in response to Dan Meyer's post on The Unengageables. She says, "Students are curious. We just have to give ourselves permission to allow them to pose questions and wonder."  Mary goes on to talk about how we use the summer to recalibrate; this resonated with me!  Mary mentions the Annenberg series and Fostering Algebraic Thinking.  My stack of books is growing and the time I'm spending reading them is shrinking!  Her post inspires me to keep at the work of developing good problems - worthy of students' curiosity!  Check out her 7th grade textbook revision problem!

To follow up on developing good problems, a third site I found interesting is Inquiry maths! As we discuss textbook revisions at #MakeOverMonday and read professional books, developing rich worthwhile mathematical discourse is essential! I'm looking at the inquiries suggested for algebra and considering how I might use these to stimulate creative and analytical thinking. The author at Inquiry Maths says "Inquiry is built on inquisitiveness and curiosity. And for those to be articulated, students need to learn how to ask questions. When students inquire into their own questions, levels of motivation, engagement and confidence rise. Students become self-starters who take responsibility for their own learning. Importantly, they lose the fear of giving the wrong answer because they control the question under consideration."

So much to think about ... so little time ... even in the summertime!   The math blogosphere is an amazing source for professional development!

eliciting student responses

Chapter 4, "Eliciting Evidence of Learner's Achievement" in Wiliam's Embedded Formative Assessment is all about ways to figure out if students have learned what has been taught.

The chapter includes very practical discussions of how to elicit responses.  I have been guilty of calling on the students who raise their hands knowing full well that the others are quite willing to let those few answer all the questions!  One suggestion in the book is that students should only raise their hands if they have a question.  The teacher should have a plan for calling on students randomly in discussion.  I used a random name generator and the students loved it.  But because it was online, it tied up my computer/projector ... made it difficult to flip back and forth if I was displaying questions electronically.  I purchased Popsicle sticks last year but never wrote students' names on them.  I think that I need to put them in place for the coming year.  But I might try this "card-o-matic" idea ... names on index cards, same name on more than one card, cards on a ring ... looks easy!

To gather input from all students, I plan to make a simple A, B, C, D card for students to keep in their binders.  To add variety, I'll use technology as well.  Clickers are great if they are available.  We can use Socrative since our 9th graders are being issued laptops.

Students love to use their phones.  I saw the Spanish teacher's students talking on phones near the end of school.  I asked her what they were doing.  She uses Google Voice to capture student dialogue.  Students dial her Google Voice number and "leave a message!"   I want to explore this tool for sure ... would love for students to verbally explain their work to me.

Besides the practice "how-to" capture students' responses, the author discussed the kinds of questions to ask and how the right question can tell us so much about a student's thinking.  One example had two equations:  3a = 24 and a + b = 16.  Students were asked to solve them.  Students were puzzled, said it couldn't be done.  It confused them that in this set of equations a and b both equal eight.  It's so true that so many of our examples are carefully contrived, that it is difficult for students to overcome the hidden patterns that we teach.

Another example, Simplify (if possible):  2a + 5b, at first glance seemed unusual.  The author purports that this example is fair and worthy.  If a student can be tempted to simplify that expression, then the teacher needs to know that before moving on.

This chapter challenges me to consider the questions I'm asking in class and the methods I use to collect student responses.

How do you engage all learners in responding to discussion?
What are your best questions?

Vocabulary Mix UP

As a member of ASCD, I receive six books during the year.  This year, I tossed them on the shelf - there was no time to read them.  But now that summer is settling in, I decided I should check out these books and see what gems are hiding between the covers.

The first book I chose to thumb through is Overcoming Textbook Fatigue by Lent.   Since we don't use textbooks much at all at school, I chose this book first thinking I could dispose of it quickly.  Not so!  I skimmed the first several pages and discovered excellent strategies that I could put to use in the fall!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I want to do better with teaching our math vocabulary.  In Lent's book, she has a chapter dedicated to teaching vocabulary.  One idea that jumped out in my quick reading she labels as Vocabulary Mix Up.  She suggests placing vocabulary words on table tents - one word per tent.  Set up student groups, use roles even ... reader, illustrator, leader, and reporter.  Provide resources ... a textbook, other books, chart paper, markers.  Have each group draw, define, and explain their assigned term using the available resources.  When completed, ask each group to report out and hang up their work to create an illustrated word wall.

Since I teach several classes with the same content, I might hang all of the posters and ask classes to determine which posters get to represent the words for that unit.

I can see doing this activity as part of a warm-up sequence in an introductory lesson for a unit.

To build on this vocabulary idea, I could also begin using Question Cards 2 - 3 times during the unit.  Students simply write one of the assigned words on an index card.  On the back they respond to a prompt that I provide.  The author gives this example for the word, variable:  If you were a variable in math, what would your role be?

Other questions I might ask ...

• When can a variable represent more than one value?
• What is an example of the word, variable, in literature and how does that meaning help you understand math?
• How are the words variable and solution related?

How do you teach math vocabulary?

Textbook Revision Idea

I read with interest Dan Meyer's plan for Makeover Mondays this summer.

My workplace, curriculum, team ... they were all new this past year. I was surprised to learn that the Algebra teachers didn't use the textbook at all. I am not a fan of textbooks, but to not use them at all seemed drastic. After all, all resources have some value.  As it was we created almost all of our own materials.  Some were OK, maybe a tad better than the book and some were not.

So, I am taking Meyer's challenge to heart in an effort to create more worthwhile learning activities for my students. I am looking through the textbook that we don't use to find problems that could be revised and made useful in our curriculum.

Today I chose #24, from page 240, of Holt Algebra 1 published in 2007.

I chose this problem because we start the year studying functions and relations.  We do quite a bit of graphing, analyzing graphs, discussing domain, range, continuous, and discrete.

I also chose this problem because this last year while my family was reading "real food" blogs and working on maximizing nutrition, I noticed that my ninth graders ate a lot of junk food.  Now I don't propose to preach "real food" to them, but I thought it might be fun in the first week of school for everyone to bring their favorite snack food.  (I've heard that the way to man's heart is through his stomach and I'm wondering if this maxim will help me win the hearts of my 14-15 year olds!)  The only "rule" is that students must bring the snack in the original packaging so that we can use that packaging for math!  (I'll bring a few snacks myself so that we have plenty to work with).

I'll ask teams of students to chose 5 snacks to compare.  I'll ask students to create two graphs each illustrating the relationship between 2 elements of nutrition on the packaging.  First I'll ask students to examine the relationship between fat grams and fat calories as pictured in the textbook problem.  For the second graph students can choose any of the nutrition facts to compare.  I'll ask students to create a mini poster with their snack packaging and the graphs.  Then we will discuss if the elements of nutrition they compared represented functions or relations and why.

My specific goal in reworking this problem is to provide real data for students to analyze.  Additional side goals include enlisting their interest in math class and bringing attention to the nutritional value of the food they snack on.

PS ... during the summer I hope to find a really good article ... something short and on target for teens that discusses nutritional values as a bonus to this math activity.

Blogosphere ... Good Ideas Round 2

I love summertime!  I love the sunshine, the down-time, swimming, reading ... and surfing!  Surfing the blogs, of course!


Here are 3 great ideas shared by bloggers recently!


Alwilda's Daughter writes about the game of spoons.  I had to read to figure out what she meant by spoons!  Turns out there is a card game by that name.  Sarah blogs about an adaptation to the card game that provides routine practice for students.  I like the game because it sounds like fun and doesn't require much set up.  In fact, you could use those ready made worksheets to make the game!

Speaking of ready made worksheets, Simplifying Radicals compiles several great online resources for creating a ready-made worksheet.  Sometimes students need extra practice.  We all know that worksheets are not for everyday/all the time.  As Marcia Tate, author/speaker says, worksheets don't grow dendrites!  But to build students facility with basic algebra skills, extra practice is  warranted!  Anyway, check out her awesome list ... including math-aid, kuta, and more!

Since we spend so much of the year on linear equations, I appreciated I Hope This Old Train Breaks Down's recent post on using visual patterns to introduce linear equations.  She provides a number of dot patterns from which her middle school students learned to write equations.  I'm thinking that this would be a great introduction ... and then I could follow up by using Visual Patterns regularly to keep those skills sharp!

As you visit the blogosphere, what great ideas are you discovering?  How are you organizing those finds??

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Blogosphere ... Good Ideas!

As I was working on my Feedly list, I visited a number of blogs today.  I am really bad about remembering good ideas that I see around the blogosphere.  So I was delighted when I happened up the radical rational ... where she mentions reading three blogs a day.  She blogged about the three great ideas that she found today ... which sent me on my own hunt for three ideas to use next year!

One of my goals for next year is to do more with math vocabulary.  So I was delighted to find this simple self-reflection on vocabulary at Math = Love!  I remember reading about this strategy in Marzano's book on vocabulary but I didn't put it into practice this past year.  Creating a master list for each unit, rating before, in the middle and at the end of the unit will be helpful in getting students to think about their own understanding of math terms.  (And ... Sarah mentioned a book I might need to add to my summer reading list ... Styles and Strategies for Teaching High School Mathematics: 21 Techniques for Differentiating Instruction and Assessment!

I was not satisfied with my math notebooking efforts this past year.  I value keeping a well-organized notebook but doing so is not one of my skills!  I am afraid that I passed on my lack of organization to my students this past year.  So I was glad to run across Borsht with Anna's post on math notebooking in a 3-ring binder!  Our print shop will copy assignments on hole punched paper. Hole punching is so much easier than gluing and pasting!  I'm hoping that with this plan in place I can teach myself and my ninth graders how to keep each unit organized!

Last but not least, I visited Math Munch today.  Wow!  So many possibilities!  I love the numeric design project.  I had some doodlers this year that would have loved to created graphic design numbers for me!  The Math Munch folks highlighted a TED video presented by Nina Fetterman on epidemics. I can imagine using this video (or a clip of it) as I introduce exponential numbers - talking about the spread of disease!  An ongoing effort is capturing students' attention and interest.  I'm thinking there will be ways to use Math Munch next year ... maybe even "math munch Mondays!"

As you peruse the Internet this summer, how are you organizing the good ideas you find?  Please share!