Exam Review Project

Ok, I will just start by saying that I love this project.  It's one of my favorite activities of the year!

So, the details:

• Our exams are coming up.  A week or so before the exam, I give my students a review packet.  For my Calculus students, I just given them practice problems.  My Algebra 1 students are given practice problems and a review of each unit we have covered.
• I assign students groups of about 3 people.  Each group is assigned 2 or 3 problems from the review.  They start by solving those problems and carefully checking their work.
• Each group uses an iPad to record a tutorial video in Educreations.  This is a free app (iPad) or website (PC/tablet).  It makes videos in the style of Khan Academy, recording students' writing on a 'whiteboard' and their voices as they explain the problem.  The videos average about 2 minutes.
• The tutorial videos are collected, checked, and posted on their class website.  Students can then view a short video to explain any problem on their review worksheet.

 Most of my students really enjoy this project.  Some are a little embarrassed to record their voices, but because we work in groups, they can contribute to the group in other ways.  They love watching their peers' videos, which gets them listening to math for an extra hour or so.  They make up intros and outros (Is that a word?), they rap the steps to solving the problem, they make a celebration page when they finish the problem.  It's great fun.

It does take some time to grade the videos, but the way I see it, my students are getting a good review, doing a project, and helping each other prepare for the exam all at the same time.  It's worth watching 100 videos.

What are your greatest Math projects?  How do you help prepare students for the exam?

Function Auction

I pushed my Algebra 1 students through our introductory chapter on functions quickly.  It's a lot of review for 90% of them, there's not much actual computation to do, and in the past students seemed to understand the concepts pretty quickly.  So, after a few whirlwind days of notes, we were ready for an activity.

Today we reviewed for their unit test.  The first half of class, students worked on a review worksheet in groups.  It went better than most other reviews - many students asked each other very good questions, and because it was low pressure (AKA not part of a game), students took their time to check their notes and help their peers understand.

Near the end of class, we had a function auction.  I was so grateful to Sarah at Math=Love for the idea at just the right time.  The students loved it!  They were so determined to find the actual functions that they pulled out their notes and compared techniques.  The auction portion took longer than I expected, even with only 9 relations to bid on.  One group had an interesting strategy - they decided to bid on several non-functions for the opening bid just 'in case' they were wrong and it was actually a function!  Once other groups started driving up the price for them, they abandoned the non-functions. 

Overall, it was an activity that I will use again.  The pace and excitement did not lend itself well to review as a class, but groups did a great job of helping each other understand.  They had to make sure everyone was on the same page, or a bid paddle might go up without the whole group's consent!

Why do we have to learn this?

Calculus, that is.

I'm teaching 'basic' Calculus and AP Calculus this year, both for the first time.  My AP kids have been great and very easy - they love procedures, get things memorized, and generally do well on everything.  They ask good, specific questions and they help each other.

My regular calculus kids have been a struggle.  They had a not-so-great year in Pre-Calculus last year, with a teacher who was new to the school and new to the level of students and new to the material.  They did not learn a lot.  That's ok.  I'm willing to work with that.  Honestly, I think Pre-Calculus should only be a quarter or semester only, and we should not beat kids over the head so much with rational functions.

My problem with this class has been their attitude.  I have a 'change your words - change your mindset' bulletin board in the room that my students are quick to point out to each other, but their attitudes are not changing.  Everything is so hard, my examples are so hard, and then my examples were too easy and the homework is so hard.  They actually do ok on tests and quizzes, because they can learn the material.  But class is a struggle.  It really tests my patience.

These 28 seniors will probably all go to college next year, and most are anticipating needing some form of calculus for their major.  I studied Engineering and I worked as an engineer.  So at some point, they will realize that 'because you use it in Engineering and Sciences and Business' is not technically true.  But right now, related rates and implicit differentiation is new and therefore confusing, and they don't want to learn it.

So, my response to 'Why do we have to learn this.'
1) You don't.  It's not an 'everyday' type of math.  You can get through life and be entirely successful without it.
2) Studying calculus helps you practice abstract reasoning.  Beyond being used in traditional STEM fields, this is of utmost importance to lawyers, communications majors, journalists, teachers, and EVERY PROFESSION I CAN THINK OF.
3) Yes, it may be needed for you to earn your desired post-secondary degree.  Perhaps you will even use it in your future career, if you are one of the lucky ones. (And you choose a theoretical career)
4) You can see the beauty of math and by extension appreciate the beauty of our world.
5) By taking calculus in high school, you see wide-ranging applications which may spark an interest.


Maybe I'll make this into a poster.  Then when someone asks I can just point to it. 

Poof Books

I have found a few uses for poof books.  My students are amazed by the small book they are able to make.  I like being able to refer to a specific page in the book as we solve problems.

I use poof books in Algebra with solving systems of equations - our 3 methods fit perfectly in the 3 'pages' inside the book.  I also used them recently with Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities.  They were great!

I created a template for this book, so I could type in the 'rules' for dealing with absolute values.  We do spend a good amount of time discussing why these absolute value problems have 2 parts to their solutions.  My students are pretty good at understanding the big picture...And then they try to solve problems on their own.  They forget to isolate the absolute value bars.  They forget to follow the 'rule' for changing the absolute value into two parts of their solution.  And they just assume that if one part is x > 3 (for example,) that the other part will always be x < -3.  Sorry kids, not that easy.

So, we made a poof book.  It has a page each for dealing with =, </≤, and >/≥.  Then the back lists the STEPS FOR SOLVING.  We refer to these most.

Overall, I'm happy with the books.  Except any time we use any guided note aid, students want to use them on the test.  Sorry kids, just you and your brain on this one.

If you've never made one, be sure to check out some directions for poof books here.

An inside page.  I type the rule, students write an example.

The back cover - step by step!

I'm back...

Well...August and September sure were interesting months.  School has started wonderfully, my students are pretty great, and I have been feeling not great.

Sorry the blog was neglected!  Some days (and months), you just have to survive.

Back to regularly scheduled programming:

BINGO

My students love the idea of playing bingo.  And then we start playing, and it's actually a pretty quiet game, and I just walk around working with individual students.  But they ask, so we play.

I used to use an Excel template I downloaded somewhere.  It was great.  My only issues with it: 1) Sometimes math expressions don't work well in Excel, and 2) Every student received a different board (generated by the template), but many of the boards were really similar, so several people would win at once. 

A few weeks ago my Calculus students asked to play bingo.  So we did.  But they are cut-throat competitive, so I looked for a new Bingo card generator.

I ended up using Print-Bingo.com.  I typed up my 25 problems (finding derivatives) in Excel, copied them into the 'Word List' and printed 30 different boards for class.  Worked great and was easy for me to do!  I hope you find this resource useful!

Week 2....complete

Whew! At my school, teachers had a full week last week, with students joining the fun last Wednesday.  This was our first full week of class.

Thoughts so far...
* Using the traffic light cups strategy has been fun for the freshmen, and I like getting them used to the process now, before we get to the stuff that's harder for them.

* I am getting used to the way no classroom is set up this year - I turned it sideways, so I have more columns of students facing me and fewer kids 7 seats back who can barely see.  Biggest change so far is fewer squinting kids trying to see from too far back in the room.  I also moved my Smartboard higher (actually it's slightly too high to be really useful, but that's another story), so students have an easier time seeing over the heads of those in front of them.

* I have one class that has some real personalities.  These are freshmen, and it usually takes them a while to come out of their shell.  Not this little class.  There are some very self-possessed kids in there!

* Our copier has been broken and I get so mad every time I see it.

* Cutting back on the number of quizzes I give has allowed me to spend more time giving meaningful students and gives students more time to master each concept.  So far, it has been great!

School starts tomorrow!

I'll meet my darling students tomorrow in a pandemonium of a day - Mass, an all-period day, a party after school.  I can't wait and I'm always nervous!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eWXOurnVTYg

Saint for Students

I teach at a Catholic school.  We pray at the beginning of every class.

The first test I gave my first year, my students told me they were nervous.  So I grabbed my computer and looked up the patron saint of test takers.  It's St. Joseph of Cupertino.  So we always said a prayer for his intercession before tests.

This year I kicked it up a notch and made a poster.  I made it using PicMonkey, so it is a picture file.  Feel free to use it in your classroom!

In this classroom...

I just posted a link to Office Depot/Office Max's sale on posters.  Obviously I needed to find something worth printing as a poster!

I decided to make an 'In This Classroom' poster. 

I made one with my name on it for my classroom.  Then I made a generic one to add to my Teacher's Pay Teacher's store.  Check it out!

Poster sale at Office Depot / Office Max

I was just checking the back-to-school ads for several office supply stores, and saw this link I knew I had to post.

Get a poster printed out for $4.79!  I can't print anything bigger than 11x17 at school, so this is a great deal for me!  And in color!

Here's the deal:
http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/officedepotsd/weeklyad?SiteID=145&PretailerID=-99860&CityStateZip=45385&sid=nsiv3fB_nXkFjnLwvMqmANH&odserver=www.officedepot.com&storeid=2670303#!/promotion?storeid=2670303&languageid=1&promotioncode=OfficeDepot-150802&pagenumber=1

MathMilla Facts

My students know a lot about me.  I tell them about my weekends, about my summers, about what I think about the world.  I feel like it's easier to learn from someone you (semi) like/respect, and you have to know someone to do that.

Since my students know so much, it's only fair my blog readers do as well!

Some random facts:

I sell flowers and baked goods at a Farmer's Market in the summer.  It is the best.  I get out of the house, I'm productive, I make a tiny amount of money, and I enjoy every step of it.  Highly recommended.

We (mostly my husband) keep bees. 

My favorite book is probably Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly.  Other books are top contenders.

My favorite music artist is Jon McLaughlin.  Yep, that was him singing in Enchanted.

I don't really follow any sports, so no favorites there.

I love to cook, especially things that most people buy - ravioli, ciabatta bread, ricotta cheese and yogurt, pasta, sauces of all kinds...you get the idea.  I cook and bake and love it.

I firmly believe in long summers.  I'm so ready for school to start next week after being so ready for the year to end in May.

My favorite color is pink.

Group Work Expectations

My students work in groups almost every class.  I teach on a modified block schedule, so all my classes with them are 85 minutes.  We can't take notes for 85 minutes. (Or is it that I can't give notes for 85 minutes).

So, we work in groups and it generally goes really well.  My first year, I chose groups which we changed about once a quarter.  They were set up to be people that would work together well, quiet people with friends who would help them, slow workers together, etc.  It was great and it helped a lot of students.  Last year, for some reason, a lot of the time the students picked their own groups.  I let them choose at the beginning of the year, and they just worked really well in their own chosen groups.  I'm going back to hand-chosen groups this year.  It cuts down on the drama, and I think it reinforces that we're in this group for a very specific purpose, not just hanging with friends.

I do want to be really clear with my students what I expect from them.  So, I'm going to reference some 'expectations,' which I'll hang on the wall.  Here is a link to an editable dropbox file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/v6y199i01c3y1lw/Group%20Work%20Process.docx?dl=0.
 
And here are images of the poster (both pages).  The font I used is Hello Just Sayin.

The cups are traffic light cups to help me understand where groups are.  I like it 1) as a group self-assessment tool, 2) as a way for the group to have to talk to each other, not just to me, and 3) as a quick way for me to see how we're doing.  Too many red cups tells me we should regroup and review.
 I got the idea from Sarah at Math=Love, and I'm excited to use it.

What do you think?  Are my expectations clear?  Do they cover the basics?