#MakeOverMonday ... Put on the Brakes!

Welcome to this week's MakeOverMonday challenge!  Our basic goal is to revise the posted textbook problem to make it better ... more worthwhile, more accessible, more engaging!  This week students are invited to take on the role of an accident investigator!

The problem we are revising this week is looks like this ...

I don't like this problem.  The formula doesn't match any that I could find online.  It does not take into account road conditions or adjusted drag factors.  In the problem there is a formula, a table, and a graph.  That leaves little for students to do or to interpret.

In my revision I would love to invite a local police investigator to share his work with our class.  Hopefully the officer would share video demonstrating a crash and how fault is determined.  If that isn't possible, there are some youtube videos that illustrate the main idea of this problem.

I chose to use just the graph and create a short activity for analyzing the graph. Analyzing graphs gets at a number of Common Core State Mathematical Practices such as making sense of problems, reasoning abstractly, constructing viable arguments, and modeling with mathematics. Analyzing graphs also addresses two Common Core State Standards.

• CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-IF.B.4 For a function that models a relationship between two quantities, interpret key features of graphs and tables in terms of the quantities, and sketch graphs showing key features given a verbal description of the relationship. 
• CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-IF.B.5 Relate the domain of a function to its graph and, where applicable, to the quantitative relationship it describes. 

Here is the activity ... I'd love to hear your suggestions!

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Fraction Stations - Understanding Concepts

Students need to have a deep understanding of fraction concepts.  Our textbooks often focus on the basic skills.  It’s important to provide opportunities for mathematical discourse, reason abstractly, and construct viable arguments.  I adapted problems from various sources to create five stations providing opportunities for elementary students to explain their thinking about the concept of a fraction, the meaning of fractions, and reason about equivalence and addition.

The stations address these Common Core State Standards:

•       CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.2 Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.

•       CCSS.Math.Content.3.NF.A.3 Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size.

•       CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.A.1 Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.

•       CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.A.2 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g., by creating common denominators or numerators, or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.

You can use the stations as journal entries, group work, formative assessment and purposeful practice.

Check out the stations here in my Google docs or here at my TpT store!

Let me know if the stations work well for you!

How do you challenge students to think deeply about fractions?

Virtual Filing Cabinet ...

After reading the many ideas that Julie mentioned in her blog - topics for middle and high school teachers to share, I decided to create a Virtual Filing Cabinet of resources that fit our Texas Algebra 1 curriculum.  Eventually I want to tackle more areas of math ... and cross coordinate with the Common Core State Standards (which TX did not adopt).

Please take a moment to check out my Virtual Filing Cabinet.  I would love, love, love for you to share your favorite resources so that I can post those as well!

Mixed Practice Equations of Lines

Just before our Thanksgiving Break, we had a rare "review" day ... a much needed review day.  My students have found manipulating equations of lines difficult.  They understand the basic concepts but struggle with the details.  Students are weak in working with integers in particular.  So they often drop significant positive or negative signs.

I gave students 8 pieces of information.  They had to use the information to write the related equation in slope-intercept form and standard form.  They had to identify the slope and intercept, and then graph the function.

Here is the practice students completed:  Mixed Practice Equations of Lines

Here is the Word Document version:  Mixed Practice Equations of Lines

Next stop ... transformations of lines!