tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13432661961795813152024-03-18T20:01:03.971-07:00SURN Math ForumThe SURN Math Forum blog allows teachers to share and showcase what they are doing in their classrooms, offers a forum for questions, and lets viewers read posts of how teachers are working to effectively use mathematics strategies they learned at the workshop.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-38517175961439177782010-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:002010-11-21T15:08:14.342-08:00SURN Lesson PlanI am finally finished making my revisions to my SURN lesson plan. The topic is exponential growth through the lens of making connections. The power tools I am using are Reader's Theater, Golden Lines, and Exit Tickets. I found a video (with transcripts) showing the escallating rat population in a country in Asia. The students will do the Reader's Theater using the transcript (the first half of the transcript) from the video. They will read the rest of the transcript independently. As a class we will then make connections with the transcript as a class and gathering all findings on their Golden Lines template. The lesson will end with an M & M lab exploring exponential growth and an exit ticket with a real world example of exponential growth.K.McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022129244962890694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-89528197859846172112010-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:002010-10-24T15:34:15.671-07:00Applying the Properities of Functions to Real Life DataI had the task of teaching maximum, minimum, increasing, decreasing, domain, and range. Instead of using the generic graphs that the book gives I wanted to find applicable data. I wanted to find data that the students could relate and connect to. So I researched a popular topic: teenage pregnancy rates. I ended up at the Virginia State homepage. I found graph and article addressing teenage pregnancy trends across the different regions of Virginia. Surprisingly, the tidewater area was the second highest area for teenage pregnancy. We spent about 10 minutes connecting with the text and the graphs. I asked, "At what year was the rate at a maximum?" I then asked, "At what year was the rate at a minimum?". Afterwards, I asked them to look at the graph and tell me at what years there was an increase/or decrease in teenage pregnancy. I then asked, "Where do the years of the data begin and where do they end?" I then told them that that is called finding the domain of the graph. This activity made it a lot easier for students to apply what they had learned to any graph they would see.K.McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022129244962890694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-78665674998251867632010-10-21T11:36:00.000-07:002010-10-21T11:38:42.438-07:00Students StrugglingStudents are having a difficult time solving equations. We have been through three days of practice and I don't feel they are still ready for a test....Unfortunately pacing says we have to move on....KGibsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08836340780591600495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-20533641814920426322010-09-26T18:08:00.000-07:002010-09-26T18:19:47.309-07:00Implementing the Magnificent Seven: Making Connections<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Well now that the introductory period is over in my classes I am starting to blend literacy with my lessons. In my Honors Math Analysis classes I will begin functions, relations, graphs, et cetera. So for my opening lesson the students will be reading an article about the best and worst items to order from local restaurants. I am going to have my students use Marginalia to Make Connections with the text. After this they are going to draw a relation with the calories as the input (domain) and the fat grams (range). Their first relation will represent a function with one input for every output. The next relation will show an example of what a function is not (an input going to more than one output). Then the students will state the domain and range in set notation. </span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I have to admit that I am enjoying the process of finding different ways for my students to connect with mathematics!</span>K.McDowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022129244962890694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-51029907226388340802010-09-22T07:35:00.000-07:002010-09-22T07:53:06.551-07:00Properties performanceToday as my bell ringer I had the students get into groups of three(of their choosing). Once they were in their groups they had to choose a property to act out together. It went off without a hitch! The students loved it so much they were excited when I invited the another math class in to guess the properties they had chosen. For example, the group of boys that chose the <em>ass</em>ociative property acting out being on the football team in the fall, then the seasons changing so that they were on the basketball team in the winter. They adding a butt slap at the end to remind the students that they needed to look for ( )( ), hehe. They also wanted me to invite the administrators to test their knowledge.Ryan Shantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555773588563971929noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-67519132306853719322010-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:002010-09-08T09:37:12.470-07:00Beyond One Right AnswerIn this month’s Ed Leadership there is an article on questioning and mathematics. The author, Marian Small says that one way K-12 math teachers can effectively differentiate instruction is through the questions they ask and engagement in meaningful activities. Both of these items were explored by SURN project staff, teachers, and administrators last fall. So consider what else can be gleaned from the article. The author focuses on open questions and parallel tasks.<br /><br />Open questions are purposefully broad so that multiple student responses are appropriate given the students’ level and multiple perspectives are gathered on the same concept. This encourages more math sharing than single rapid fire responses. For example, if the perimeter fence of the skate park is 160 feet, what is the area of the town’s skate park? Student A could say 1600 square feet since the sides are each 40-feet long. Student B may say 1200 square feet because the length is 60 and the width is 20 feet. Student C might say…you get the picture. Then a discussion could ensue about the relationship of the width and length making up the perimeter on the area within.<br /><br /> Parallel tasks have students working on the same concept at different levels of difficulty. A teacher may have common questions for all students to answer and a student choice option between simple and complex problems. The author provides examples for what good questions may be at grades 1, 4, 8, and 11 (p. 32) to support the reader in applying her research to their practice.<br /> <br />CITATION: Small, M. (2010). Beyond one right answer. Ed Leadership, 68(1), 28-32.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Beyond-One-Right-Answer.aspx">You can read the article online</a>SURN Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702897551332643100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-1523622402292911252010-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:46:22.881-07:00Cheat SheetI use this strategy every year in reviewing for the SOL's. I explain to students that in math we have learned a lot of concepts. I then display a pre-released SOL exam and tell the students that we will create a Cheat Sheet that they can study from. I then instruct the student to fold a piece of paper into eight sections. (Students will utilize both sides of the paper).I explain the importance of creating a cheat sheet(study notes) and how on the day of the exam, the student will remember what strategy to use to solve a math problem.<br /><br />Focus Question(s): <br />What type of information can we put on our cheat sheet?<br />How can we use a cheat sheet to study?<br />Why is it important to know the mathematical concept? :Teacher will go through each question on the Released SOL exam and create cheat sheet based on the question concept. Teacher and students will list important strategies on the cheat sheet<br /><br /><br />Focus Question(s):<br />What math concept can we identified from the question?<br />Can someone reword the question?<br />What test taking strategy can we use to answer the question?Teacher will ask students to explain what their study strategy is for this upcoming SOL exam.DMThompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641962872503575289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-86755622393977063262010-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:44:11.609-07:00SOL ReviewI am using turning point as a review tool in preparation for the SOL test. This is an effective diagnostic tool to quickly assess student understanding regarding a specific skill or question. I am currently using the 2009 SOL released test. I display the question on smartboard. The students typically have 15 seconds to answer the question. Using their assigned individual clickers, each student selects an answer. The beauty of this is that I get to see who selected the correct answer. If a student did not get the answer correct, I will know, thus I can provide immediate feedback.DMThompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641962872503575289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-85107126718455628862010-06-14T10:40:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:41:55.535-07:00ScaffoldingScaffolding math problems determined by student math readiness has really increased student engagement during math class. This process is really time consuming in that you must disaggregate your data to predetermine your 3 levels: the prerequisite, target, and enhanced. As you establish your groups, the objective is to make sure your math questions in your targeted group meet the state objective for that particular SOL. As indicated, this process is time consuming: however, the student will encounter much success in working math problems that are level appropriate. And the student will easily master that SOL objective.DMThompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641962872503575289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-21254940029306844112010-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:38:14.405-07:00Final ReviewThis week is the last week for SOL review. To keep the students focused, we have been using several strategies at all grade levels. What seems to really work is getting the students to talk and explain in writing what skill that was currently reviewed. The student then has to share their writing with a peer. If the student can't explain the procedure in writing such as how to find the discount/mark up, then this will let me know as a teacher what the student needs help on. Addtionally, if the student is able to write about it, the student tends to truly understand the concept.DMThompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641962872503575289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-87223444280942000042010-06-09T08:46:00.000-07:002010-06-09T08:58:07.104-07:00Bop-ItThe hasboro game, "Bop-It" or the various versions of it, it a fantastic review tool. I set it to the "pass it" mode and the students begin playing and pass it around the room. The trick it that when they mess up they have to do a review problem. I stretch this out for about 50 minutes and get through between 10 - 20 reveiw problems, depending on the SOLs. The students love it because they get a break between problems, it is up to them when they do them and they have the movement involved. I do have some that are hesitant to play because of the pressure there is but after the first time they go it subsides. It also acts as a great classroom management tool because the class has to stay fairly quite in order to hear the commands.Ryan Shantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555773588563971929noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-43779077930265575812010-06-06T17:30:00.000-07:002010-06-06T17:42:16.118-07:00Review sheet ideaWhen I give students a review sheet for a test, I like them to go over the answers in pairs. So, I created the attached sheet. Each student gets a sheet. They put their own name at the top. Then, they choose three people to pair up with. Those names go in the slots for Partner #1, Partner #2, and Partner #3. The students complete the review sheet for homework. Then, the next day, they pair up with 4 different people. With each person, they have to agree on the answer to each problem and write that answer on the sheet. Then, after 15-20 minutes, I stop them and go over any questions that the students have. They then switch partners for the next section of the review sheet. We continue in this way until they have gone over the whole review sheet.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QLZre0qHfoCqzwZ1VLaWzSwKv6nC3i02udepl13FAG_W2ZBKndFZNDH_Tp1fyfeRYdv5L6GInSDEsOWdWThQ2Q6PvdpAiTVVLTqOva9IPd53D921FH5SD8qLayeHcZkbV1nCQDD9LB2H/s1600/partner+review+sheet+check.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QLZre0qHfoCqzwZ1VLaWzSwKv6nC3i02udepl13FAG_W2ZBKndFZNDH_Tp1fyfeRYdv5L6GInSDEsOWdWThQ2Q6PvdpAiTVVLTqOva9IPd53D921FH5SD8qLayeHcZkbV1nCQDD9LB2H/s320/partner+review+sheet+check.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479825450905111298" border="0" /></a>msmcgrawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13457030376674813952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-34644751111086796142010-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:002010-05-23T12:40:43.860-07:00Final reviewsWe are coming into our last week before the SOL and I wanted to share how my team has reviewed. We based the material we reviewed on(for the most part) on a mock SOL we gave-the released 2009 8th grade SOL. My colleague and I then made a calendar out four weeks with different material being covered for the groups we made up in the classes we had. The students are grouped by what areas they still need to learn to achieve a passing score on the SOL. My colleague appointed "team leaders" in her class that were students who have pretty much mastered the material. Their job is to help the students in their team when needed and to help them stay on task. I didn't do this in my classes, but I am going to be curious to see the results from her class. I'll let you all know how we fared after the test!Don Lloydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253338664323872618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-81277724066979071632010-05-20T11:50:00.000-07:002010-05-20T11:53:53.291-07:00Capital BMy students are constantly forgetting the difference between <em>b</em> and <em>B</em> when used in formulas (base vs area of base). They see the that it is a b and it doesn't matter that it is capitalized. They make the same mistake over an over and over and over when trying to find the volume of a pyramid. I'd love suggestions on how I can get them to remember the difference. My telling them over and over and over again is not working! I have no doubt that they are going to have to find volume of a pyramid on the SOL and I don't want a simple mistake like that to hurt them.Ryan Shantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555773588563971929noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-68562013789832444542010-05-15T07:15:00.000-07:002010-05-15T07:53:42.176-07:00Grades and AchievementAs we are wrapping up the year I find myself in a familiar but very uncomfortable place: grades. There are students who have worked very hard and made marked improvements over the year and improved their testing scores by 20 points or more, but they are still failing. I have students that come to me, as I am sure we all do, that are significantly below grade level. Adding with decimals should not be a big issue in the seventh grade, but it is.<br /><br />So, when you are faced with a student that is clearly not performing at grade level, how can they receive a passing grade in your class? At the same time how do you send a student who has worked diligently all year long home with a failing grade? I know this is a can of worms but I struggle with this and would love to hear some opinions.ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12037984574119531576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-77853941571608500782010-05-13T17:40:00.000-07:002010-05-13T17:44:39.480-07:00Math PlaygroundSomeone recently shared a website with me that I like MUCH more than brainpop. Here the games are actually math based and lesson specific. It is better for remediation on basic skills but has some more advanced lessons as well (algebra). Another really helpful feature is the videos. They are very clear and detailed. Even shown in a note taking format!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mathplayground.com/">http://www.mathplayground.com</a>ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12037984574119531576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-42424773401777863722010-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:002010-05-07T10:34:02.733-07:00SOL ReviewI have found that the biggest problem with the SOL tests is that my students freeze up when they see word problems. To help ease this problem I took the released tests and broke them up into the 5 strands. Then I make copies for the students and we go over the questions highlighting what is important and talking about what the question is asking them to do. We also look to see if there are answers that can be eliminated right away. Then they work the problem out and we talk about how they solved them. This has worked in the past to help eleviate some of their anxieties.Mrs. Ptuchahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05385774721017758785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-19173534827970814652010-05-07T09:01:00.001-07:002010-05-07T09:06:21.878-07:00SmartboardOur school only has one Smartboard that we all have to share. I have reserved it for the next two weeks and my students are loving it. I have seen such a change in those actively learning and more and more wanting to be involved in the learning. They love that when they use their finger the words magically appear. I also gave a mini-lesson to another teacher on how to use the smartboard in her classroom and she got excited. In Suffolk it has become a lost treasure and they are working on moving away from the Smartboard to simply using the Interwrite software/hardware with the MPCarts. It is such a disservice to our students who are apathetic to the learning already. I have invited my principal to come in and check out the difference it is making in my class. If you have one in your building I'd love to hear success stories it has created in your classroom. I am really trying to push one for every math teacher at least(wishful thinking considering the budget "crisis"). I even asked one for mother's day from my husband...he even laughed at me.Ryan Shantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555773588563971929noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-12332366292623787562010-05-03T12:16:00.000-07:002010-05-03T12:36:39.242-07:00Websites Oh Websites (WOW)Last time around so I wanted to share with my friends some of the places I'll go to generate ideas for my classes. Many of you already visit these sites -- some of you may have more to share. Enjoy :)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://illuminations.nctm.org/">http://illuminations.nctm.org/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://classrooms.tacoma.k12.wa.us/gray/eschlytter/index.php">http://classrooms.tacoma.k12.wa.us/gray/eschlytter/index.php</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pppst.com/math.html">http://www.pppst.com/math.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://guest.portaportal.com/aaswanberg">http://guest.portaportal.com/aaswanberg</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.math.com/">http://www.math.com/</a>Yankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115122644806648257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-84429512106914633192010-05-01T19:16:00.000-07:002010-05-01T19:22:37.112-07:00Student Monitored ProgressAs we are remediating students on weak areas from their last benchmark, I created a form to track their progress. Last year, I kept track of their growth and filled in the form for them. This year, I am letting them do it to see their progress. On the form, they have their percentage on each SOL. When I pull them to work in small groups, they first check their benchmark percentage so they can understand why their working on the particular strand. After our remediation, I give them a quick quiz and have them record their new percentage. The excitement in them as they record the new score and see their progress has increased motivation. I now have students asking to work in small groups more to target areas where they once struggled. This has greatly affected in a positive way their attitude and confidence in their ability to succeed on the SOL.Ms. Ramseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14655243734183151727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-84275916183076687162010-04-29T12:42:00.000-07:002010-04-29T12:48:01.934-07:00Web Quests ???Even though I've heard about Web Quests, I've never actually used one in the classroom or assigned one for enrichment ..... SO, I was wondering how many (if any) of my SURN-mates have used Web Quests. If so, any recommendations on how to use this tool in the classroom. I'm actually building one now in a class to earn recertification points. The process of putting it together is quite structured, layered, and at times, complicated.Yankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05115122644806648257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-7053588278605410332010-04-29T05:51:00.000-07:002010-04-29T05:53:48.956-07:00Does anyone regularly use "BrainPop"? I find that it is a great lesson opener as well as a quick way to check previous understanding. My students are just starting solving equations with inequalities and the BrainPop video was a super introduction and the quiz let me know the prior knowledge that my students were coming to me with.LC Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864424778659580733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-19906400102570873072010-04-29T05:46:00.000-07:002010-04-29T05:50:50.935-07:00FoldablesTo teach students to solve equations I had them create a foldable. They took a regular 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper and folded into a brochure. Holding it horizontally the front in the first step: simplify by combining like terms to one side using inverse operations. The students open the first flap where they will write step 2: undo addition or subtraction then they fully open the foldable where step 3 will be: undo multiplication or division. They are required to bring it to class everyday and they use it as they solve various equations. It has worked really well for many students.Ryan Shantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17555773588563971929noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-19282655920002680482010-04-26T17:39:00.000-07:002010-04-26T17:46:59.393-07:00Website- www.learningupgrade.comOur grade level, in math, recently received a grant in which membership to a website was purchased. The website is www.learningupgrade.com, and they have a free 7 day trial for those interested.<br />The kids love the website. It starts with basics as a review and moves up to the more complicated objectives. They use fun songs, tutorials, and then practice on this interactive site.<br />We just started a remediation process each afternoon with each student using self paced lessons. The format keeps the students engaged and even the most hard to keep focused students are focusing. The company uses graphics and themes that appeal to middle school aged kids, yet the explanations are simple enough to grasp.<br />Give it a try if you can find the time.Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07045688797639680764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343266196179581315.post-41782507313726540192010-04-23T18:12:00.000-07:002010-04-23T18:17:32.182-07:00www.Quia.comCheck this site out. Your technology person should have a free login and password (otherwise $55/yr). I am trying to spend some time concentrating on vocabulary. With this site you can create a hangman, concentration or matching game just by entering the information once. With this site I enter in a definition and have the students play hangman to solve for the term. The students enjoy this and don't really realize that they are practing or reviewing vocabulary.Jemet Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13395981411661561424noreply@blogger.com6