SURN Math Forum

SURN Lesson Plan

2010-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

I 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.

Applying the Properities of Functions to Real Life Data

2010-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

I 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.

Students Struggling

2010-10-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Students 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....

Implementing the Magnificent Seven: Making Connections

2010-09-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

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.

I have to admit that I am enjoying the process of finding different ways for my students to connect with mathematics!

Properties performance

2010-09-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Today 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 associative 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.

Beyond One Right Answer

2010-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

In 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.

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.

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.

CITATION: Small, M. (2010). Beyond one right answer. Ed Leadership, 68(1), 28-32.

You can read the article online

Cheat Sheet

2010-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

I 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.

Focus Question(s):
What type of information can we put on our cheat sheet?
How can we use a cheat sheet to study?
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

Focus Question(s):
What math concept can we identified from the question?
Can someone reword the question?
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.

SOL Review

2010-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

I 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.

Scaffolding

2010-06-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Scaffolding 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.

Final Review

2010-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

This 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.

Bop-It

2010-06-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

The 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.

Review sheet idea

2010-06-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

When 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.

Final reviews

2010-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

We 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!

Capital B

2010-05-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

My students are constantly forgetting the difference between b and B 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.

Grades and Achievement

2010-05-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

As 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.

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.

Math Playground

2010-05-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

Someone 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!

http://www.mathplayground.com

SOL Review

2010-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

I 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.

Smartboard

2010-05-07T09:01:00.001-07:00

Our 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.

Websites Oh Websites (WOW)

2010-05-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

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 :)

http://illuminations.nctm.org/

http://classrooms.tacoma.k12.wa.us/gray/eschlytter/index.php

http://www.pppst.com/math.html

http://guest.portaportal.com/aaswanberg

http://www.math.com/

Student Monitored Progress

2010-05-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

As 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.

Web Quests ???

2010-04-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Does 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.

Foldables

2010-04-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

To 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.

Website- www.learningupgrade.com

2010-04-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

Our 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.
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.
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.
Give it a try if you can find the time.

www.Quia.com

2010-04-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

Check 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.

Crunch Time

2010-04-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

It is April and spring break is over. It is now time to make sure everything you taught your students is still there and ready to be used on the SOL's or EOC's. But wait a minute, the adults in your professional life also want more attention. What do you do to make sure your students are ready and keep the powers that be happy? How do you decide which group is more important? I try to find a happy medium where everyone can get some of what they need. I will be happy when the only group that matters is the student group. By the way, I do know the adult group have the children in mind. I just think they are unaware of the time that is taken away from planning for the students when another report is requested.

The Great Circle Hunt

2010-04-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Sixth Graders need to be able to calculate circumference and area of a circle when given either the radius, diameter or circumference. I do a "circle hunt" activity to help them calculate these. I have taken about 30 "circles" (paper plates) and labeled them with either a diameter, a radius, or a circumference. I also have placed a number on the back of each circle. The students all receive a circle hunt paper with different plates that they have to locate. Their papers have radii, diameters and circumferences listed on them. The object is for a student to find a circle and calculate the two measures that are not given. For example, a radius plate would need the diameter and circumference calculated and a circumference plate would need the radius and diameter calculated. Therefore, the students can't just pick up a plate and find a match, they have to actually apply the formulas and show their work. Each student has to make 10 matches. Typically, they have to check and calculate more than just 10 out of 30, so it gives them a lot of practice.

Our school has an enclosed courtyard, so when it's nice outside, I scatter the plates across the courtyard for an added element of difficulty. The kids really like it and they seem to get a lot from it.

I have two different circle hunt activities one for circumference, radius and diameter, and then another one for area. I also have several different versions of each sheet, so the students aren't all looking for the exact same 10 plates. If you're interested in this activity, I can email you the activity sheets. You're on your own with the plates though!

Student Teacher

2010-04-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

I currently have a student teacher in my room (which is a great blessing and she has been wonderful!). It is amazing though how funny our students are when it comes to something new in their environment or any type of change. It was interesting to watch how slowly they were willing to accept her into their lives. They were very skeptical at first – they were rebellious and rude at times. They asked me several times “why can’t you teach us anymore” when she officially took over the classes. I worked with her to create opportunities to earn trust which helped, and they eventually came around and now love her (most of them J).

It made me think about how over whelming that was for them, and that when we experience similar bouts of rebelliousness or rudeness in other parts of our teaching, that maybe we should consider some of the possible things that cause those behaviors that have absolutely nothing to do with us. Middle Schoolers (the only ones I have experience with) have lots going on in their bodies, brains, and lives outside of school. It just made me open my eyes to the fact that we may not always give them credit for all of those things when we must deal with these behaviors.

Area of Polygons

2010-04-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

We recently had a half day of school which dramatically decreased our class time. As a good review before their exam, students were given a polygon and asked to measure it, and to construct a poster including the area formula and showing all the work of how they "plugged" in their measurements into the formula. Extra credit was given to those students who decided to also compute the perimater. All materials were supplied by the teacher.

Character Education

2010-04-18T15:10:00.001-07:00

My school started a "Character Counts Initiative" about a month ago. To encourage students to appreciate and be respectful to one another, I began to use a strategy from Mr. Ron Nash (he was the speaker from the beginning of school this year) during test day. This is his suggestion: Pick 4 students to pass out paper; have students go to them and feed an appropriate compliment to get paper. Compliment: Start with whatever they want, then ask them to complement the 4 students on something that they do well.

Writing About Math

2010-04-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Students struggle with math. Students struggle with writing. It would follow then that students would struggle to write about math. A program out of Chicago, called COUNTDOWN, has helped my students to begin writing about math. A simple problem for middle school, such as finding common multiples is proposed in a Venn Diagram setting. Students sort the multiples into the separate sections of the circles - an easy enough task. Students then have to write a paragraph explaining what they did and why. Most students have a very hard time verbally explaining, let alone writing down why they made the decisions they did. I found that I had to start my seventh graders off with sentence prompts so they understood what I meant when I said "explain" why you did what you did. I have always been a proponent of math talk, but math writing has become my new world to conquer. It really helps the students' metacognition.

MOTIVATING STUDENTS

2010-04-09T10:43:00.002-07:00

Sunday, April 4, 2010
MOTIVATING STUDENTS
Last school year I had some students who did not care about completing classwork, homework or any type of work to achieve a grade. I observed that I had quite a few students who didn't care about learning, more over to get work done. When I gave them homework, most of them did not turn it in. I realized that if these students continued with this attitude, they would be in for big trouble when it was time for the SOL exams. Even though I gave them incentives and praises when they did well or answered questions correctly, I knew that they needed more than that. I realized that they needed motivation, love, and attention as most of them said that they were going to fail anyway.I started encouraging my worse behaving students to attend afterschool remediation and gave them special incentives for attending as this was the time that I could give them more individual attention. I told them that they can achieve anything they want achieve in life if they just stay in school and work hard. I constantly told them how smart they were and that they will get a higher grade on their next test. These were the students who told me that other adults said, "You will not become anything in life and will drop out of school eventually". These students actually believed that they did not have a chance in society because they were dumb. Well I turned that around and almost all those students passed their 2009 SOL test and have moved on to the next grade. Everytime I see them, I continue to encourage them to do their best.So if any of you have students who think that they will not make it, just continue to encourage and praise them in class. Place them the spotlight when they do well or answer a question correctly. Remind them of how smart they are and how they can achieve anything they want to achieve if they believe in themselves.
Posted by Almarie at 3:46 PM
Labels: Almarie Ferguson

SCAVENGER HUNT GAME

2010-04-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 28, 2010
SCAVENGER HUNT GAME
Sometimes I allow my students to complete activities that allow them to move around the classroom. Occasionally when a unit is completed I give them the opportunity play a game. An activity sheet is done while playing a scavenger hunt game. Posters are placed all around the classroom, and each student works with a partner (preferably a stronger student) to solve the problems on each poster. Each paper is folded with a letter written on the front. The letter on the paper will be recorded at number 1 on their activity sheet, and then they solve the problem under the flap of the paper. After solving that problem, the answer will be recorded, after which both students then move around the room and look for the answer at the bottom of the other posters in the room. When the answer is found, they record the letter on that poster at number 2 on their activity sheet, and then solve the problem. This is repeated until all the problems around the room are solved. Each group is randomly called to solve their problems on the chalkboard.
Posted by Almarie at 10:07 AM
Labels: Almarie Ferguson

STRATEGIES FOR SOL

2010-04-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 27, 2010
STRATEGIES FOR SOL
As the SOL exams draw closer, my team and I plan to zoom in on some strategies that can be used to help our students succeed on their math exam. We plan to compile practice questions from each SOL objective together with SOL test questions. When we begin our review, after each objective is reviewed, the students will get an assessment with questions that relate to that objective to see how ready they are for the test.These questions will also be aligned with the SOL language. After all these objectives are reviewed and tested, we will have enough data to know where we stand and what needs additional remediation. I believe this is a good strategy because we used it at our school last year and we made it in math. Our students also practiced on Jefferson Lab (Virginia SOL practice tests).
Posted by Almarie at 2:44 PM

DIFFERENTIATION

2010-04-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 27, 2010

DIFFERENTIATION
At a recent workshop we look at how to effectively differentiate for students operating at various levels in our classroom. My team came up with the following: We broke up our students in three groups, 1. Pre-requisite – students operating from 0-49, 2. Target – students operating from 50-69 and 3. Advanced - students operating from 70-100.SOL 6.5 – Integers6.5 A – Need to know: model real life situations by identifying/choosing the best integer for the situation.6.5 B – Need to know: compare and order integers using a number line and symbols (>, <, =)PRE-REQUISITE:Focus Question: How can you determine if a scenario represents a negative or positive integer?ACTIVITY 1: Students are given negative and positive scenarios and they differentiate what “pile” they go into.Example:1.) 10 feet below sea level/the ground2.) a kite ascended 12 ft in the air3.) Abby took the elevator from the ground floor of the hotel to the penthouse (5th floor)4.) Almarie withdraws $30 from her savings account.TARGET:Draw a number line and place the (pre-requisite) situations on the number line to correctly order them. Then, compare two negative and positive situations and answer the focus question: “How can you determine if a scenario represents a negative or positive integer?”ENHANCED:Focus Question: “Draw a number line to represent how each integer changes to determine the solution.”Students are given situations with change. They will determine the outcome of the change and note the changes of the integers.Example:Sam has $100 in his bank account. He withdraws $30 on Tuesday and $50 on Wednesday. He deposited $100 on Thursday and paid a utility bill of $60 that day. On Friday his car broke down and the mechanic charged $70. Does he have enough money in his account to pay the bill?
Posted by Almarie at 2:00 PM
Labels: Almarie.

Math Sort Cards

2010-04-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a workshop offered by Dan Mulligan. He has created Math Sort cards for grades K-6 and they are available for FREE. All we have to do is download and print!! I do not know how long they will be there, but they can currently be found at www.vaascd.org Just scroll down the page until you see
Practical Strategies for Maximizing Student Achievement in Mathwith Dan Mulligan.

Collecting data makes learning real (and fun)

2010-03-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

One of the things I do to bring real life to math lessons is to have my mathletes collect data about themselves -- measuring the lengths of ears, smiles, forearms, lower legs, around calves and wrists, upper torso, and so on. It takes one full block (about 90 minutes) to complete the collection process (actually it never really ends), but the data is so very useful right away or for another lesson days away. I know the kids find it much more enjoyable than using the data sets in the textbook. Also, there is the added benefit of becoming accustomed to using metric measurement tools that provide accurate numbers. Today we used the Size of Shoe data (from toe to heel) to construct line plots, frequency distributions, and histograms. Measures of central tendency were also calculated from the data collected by each class.

Team Teaching with Technology

2010-03-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, a fellow 6th grade math teacher (a very good one) and myself team taught our classes together using computers. It was such a productive day and we plan to do it every Friday now. We basically pair each of our students together and use a power point or a website for the students to work on together. The children enjoyed working with a member from another class and the teachers were able to pull the struggling students to a computer with us to work one on one with them. It was a little crowded, but the results were well worth it. It also happens that our regular and enrichment classes happen to be on opposite schedules so the regular students benefit from working with the accelerated students. The accelerated students reinforced their skills by helping "teach" another student.
The behavior was fantastic. The learning optimal. The motivation high. Hopefully it was not just the novelty and we can continue to use this technique to create a learning environment that helps all students.

Released Test Items in Powerpoint Format

2010-03-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

In searching for different ways to review for our third nine week benchmark and SOLs, I found this website that has all the released test items in powerpoint format. I just wanted to share the link in case this would be helpful to anyone else. Other subjects are also available on the site. Hope this is helpful.

http://web.dps.k12.va.us/gibson/SOL%20PowerPoints/sol_released_tests_in_power_poin.htm

Treasure Hunt Sequences

2010-03-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is an activity to use with SOL 7.19. There are 16 cards like the one pictured on the far right. Each group or student has an answer sheet (pictured). I used groups of two. Each group starts at the card of their choice. The answer to each cards leads them to the next card. I put the cards up randomly around the room. If all the cards are answered correctly the numbers will form a loop similar to the game "I have, who has". The students were all actively involved and seemed to enjoy the activity.

You can find this and other free math PowerPoint's at www.worldofteaching.com

End of Year Review

2010-03-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

As the time for SOL testing is fast approaching and we are about to head into review full throttle, I thought I would share one of my favorite review techniques. My previous teammate and I compiled a 3-ring binder containing all of the released items from previous years. We made overhead transparencies for all of them and then catalogued them by SOL. This was a little tedious the first time around, but after the major work is done it's not so bad to add the new test each year. We then use these transparencies as the basis for our daily review in the 3 weeks prior to testing. Most of the time I will put the question up and have the students answer it on their own and then present the answer to me before I go over the question. This works well because it helps them to understand the "language of the SOL's" as well as gives me the opportunity to discuss test-taking strategies and common distractor answer choices. The released test items are a really great resource and I highly recommend that everyone uses them!

Method for SOL 7.22

2010-03-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've been using a "two column" method for SOL 7.22 (One step equations and inequalities). It works well with the ThinkPads I've been using in that it helps kids to keep their work more organized and on track with following the steps. Basically they fold their paper in half "hot dog" style and then in half from end to end two more times. This creates two columns and four rows. One column is for the solution and the other for the check. I happen to have four steps for both the solution and the check but, you may use something different. I've found that keeping both sides to 4 steps helps them remember the steps easier. Even if some steps are somewhat automatic. This small paper folding excercise has become very routine for the students in that it is very similar to the ThinkPads I spoke about in a previous post. Their work is much easier to review and it's been a tremendous help this year. I believe it's also helped them to organized their thoughts and recall steps also.

What's My Rule

2010-03-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

In the midst of our lesson on the characteristics of quadrilaterals, I used the activity given to us my Margie Mason "What's My Rule." Prior to this activity, we had discussed the characteristics of the different quadrilaterals on which they are to be tested. With some familiarity of the characteristics, the students in pairs categorized their shapes in an attempt to stump the rest of the class with a rule. In my directions, I gave them an example of different shapes that all had four congruent sides. They were asked to go more specific using sides, angles, and/or names. Some of the rules students came upon where: four right angles, but not all sides congruent, at least one right angle, irregular shapes, and no sides congruent. This activity deepened their understanding of quadrilaterals and proved to them that a square is always a rectangle, a parallelogram, and a rhombus even though not all of those shapes are always a square. So when I review characteristics of quadrilaterals, I ask, "What's My Rule."

Cold Calling

2010-03-17T12:09:00.001-07:00

One idea that I'm experimenting with is the idea of cold calling. You give a problem and have everyone solve it in silence. Then, you "cold call" a student's name by drawing it out of a hat. I don't love the idea for my low level students because they may be very fearful of saying the wrong answer. I like it better after Think-Pair-Share. This way they have an opportunity to rehearse their answer with a partner before sharing with the group. Cold calling does keep students on their toes and gets students that don't normally share, to talk. It also raises the level of excitement in my class because some students want to be called upon, and it treats responses more like a game than just calling on those who raise their hands.

Predictor Tests

2010-03-14T14:49:00.001-07:00

With several "predictor tests" coming up for our math students, I am at a loss as to when I can and should be reviewing. Currently, I try to slip review into the "Do Nows," and homework each day, but sixth graders really need concentrated focus when they review. With our curriculum being so packed (like everyone else), there is not much other time. I am afraid I am not doing a good job of giving that to them before these tests. I fear even more the devastating effects this will have on the confidence levels when they are faced with things they do not remember. The rate of surrender will not be high and not give us accurate readings on how our students are performing or where they truly need help. It is very exhausting.

Surface Area and Volume

2010-03-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

This is the time of the year in Geometry for teaching about surface area and volume. Helping the students understand how to find surface area and volume is too difficult. They can visualize where the areas are and what to do to find an answer with or without the formula. The problem I have is finding quality practice problems that challenge the students beyond finding the surface area and volume. The students are rarely asked to just find the surface and volume and these types of problems are difficult to make up. Does anyone know where I can go online to find some of these problems? I would really appreciate any ideas.

Team teaching

2010-03-09T15:58:00.001-08:00

I would like to know what other teachers think about teaqm teaching. We have started doing this recently, and while starting out was difficult, it does seem an effective way to reach students. My partner and I put both of our classes in one room and divide up the areas of the lesson we each will cover. The teacher not actively leading the lesson, can then roam the room and help students stay on task and give on the spot aid.
Some of the difficulties have been managing the increased class size and making sure materials are ready-we do a lot of moving around, it isn''t possible to team teach each bell. I would sure like to hear if anyone has any ideas on improving the effectiveness of this.

3//=CvS

2010-03-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

I was teaching my Geometry students about parallel lines and angle pairs:
-If two parallel lines are cut by a transversal, then each pair of alternate interior angles is congruent.
-If two parallel lines are cut by a transversal, then each pair of consecutive interior angles is supplementary.
-If two parallel lines are cut by a transversal, then each pair of alternate exterior angles is congruent.
At the end of my lesson, I asked my students to sum up what they have learned as a closure activity. One of my students went up to the board and wrote down "3//=CVS". I was confused, so I asked him to explain. He said to me, "Today in class, we learned three parallel lines theorems (3//) about (=) angles that are either congruent (C) or (v) supplementary (S)."

I thought that it is a very unique and fun way to help students memorize these theorems. Therefore, I would like to share it with everyone. I would never thought of it myself. I am always amazed how creative my students can be!

Formulas

2010-03-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Currently we are working on area, perimeter and circumference in order to perpare for the harder stuff like surface area and volume. I have taught the students to depend on the formula sheet. Pretty much everything they need is on there. By focusing on the easier formulas they should already know makes it much easier to introduce the harder ones. If they understand that all of the parts they need are labeled already for them. Now that they understand that they have realized that all they are doing is substituting. Because we have spent some quality time working on the easier formulas I asked my students the other day to solve for the volume of a rectangular prism, cylinder and a cone without going over it and they got it!

Vertical Communication

2010-03-08T17:05:00.001-08:00

I would like to know more about experiences that you have had with vertical communications. I know I spend a lot of time thinking about why in the world my students do not know certain information (like how to multiply). I would like to work on a project to help me find an avenue in which I can talk with the elementary school teachers to see where the break down is occuring. If they find out that in the 7th grade their students cannot not demonstrate this skill, then maybe we can all work together to find a more effective way to teach and review it throughout the students' math career.

If you have been given the opportunity to meet with and discuss strategies with the other math teachers in your district, at various levels, I would love to hear how it was structured.

2009 Math SOL

2010-03-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

We all know that during the 2010-2011 school year, teachers are supposed to teach the "old" and "new" math standards at each grade level. I am wondering if other districts have discussed how they will address the content that is shifting by more than one grade level. That content will be "lost in the shuffle" for many of our students. The properties that are currently part of the 7th grade curriculum are a good example!

Give them the answers

2010-03-02T06:24:00.000-08:00

I just learned a great activity to help students have to think about why something is the answer. You give a class 8 or so answers. Then, you give them the questions that go with those answers. They have to then sit in small groups and discuss which answer goes with what. This way they have to justify answers, rather than come up with them.

"I have.......who has...????"

2010-02-25T03:51:00.000-08:00

"I have..., who has....?" is a great activity to use for several SOLs in Math 7 and I'm sure many others. Recently I used it for SOL 7.20. Students were each given pairs of cards. One "I have card" and One "Who has?" card. The " I have" cards would have a statement such as " I have 6x +7" and the"who has?" cards would have " Who has seven more than the product of six and a number". The game needs to start with a person reading their "who has?" card and then continues with the second person reading the corresponding "i have". If they are correct, they can then read their "who has?" and so on. You must be sure to make sure each person has one "i have" and one "who has?" and you must be sure they do not match. I've also used sorting activities in this SOL . They are both great ways to break up and create interest in what seems to sometimes be a "boring" lesson...:-).

Review Ideas

2010-02-25T02:18:00.000-08:00

Students need everyday reviews to help them retain information. I also like to to do formal reviews as lessons before the big tests in our district. I think we all always need fresh ideas for review practices.
1. Sink or Swim- this game can be used best with vocabulary. Students are on two teams and students who get the question correct can sink an opposing team member or save one of their team members who was sunk. The kids love this game because of the social interaction.
2. Power points (which can be used year after year) are usual because they can be sent home and used over and over for practice.
3. White boards and expo markers for each child keeps them all on task and gives immediate feedback to the teacher.
4. Daily Exit tickets- Students are given a review question each day and have to provide the answer on a ticket to turn in as they exit the class.
5. Swat it- Use fly swatters to select the correct answer for a question
If anyone else has any review ideas, I need some new ones too!

Properties

2010-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

Last week I taught properties and I found my students severely lacking in prior knowledge. My students were turned off to how easy some of the properties were "Duh, Ms. H, 3 + 5 = 5 + 3.", however they had no idea, even when presented with options, what the property was called. I checked the SOL's and it turns out, they were taught the properties in earlier grades, but not to the extent that their current grade level demands. I found that 3 + 5 = 5 + 3 is taught in primary school, however memorizing that it is called the Commutative Property is not demanded for years after that. I was wondering if there is a certain rationale for that or if Commutative Property is just too big of a phrase for primary school.

SOL 7.20 Activity

2010-02-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is an activity I just used yesterday in class. Each student gets a set of numbers, variables, and operators (see graphic). I created a power point of verbal expressions and equations. Each screen has two or three depending on the level of difficulty. The students create the algebraic expressions and equations with the cutout pieces. Traveling around the room is an easy way to see which students are having problems and which are doing fine.

Angle Relationships

2010-02-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

We just had a fantastic workshop for the third nine week SOLs but we also focused on previous SOLs that were troublesome, angle relationships being one of them. A collegue presented "Can You Build It?," a great activity where students use pipe cleaners to build an angle using a protractor and then add to it its complement or supplement or making it part of a vertical pair. I'm looking forward to using it as a re-teaching tool. I'll let you know how it goes.

What Now!

2010-02-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

Now that the first semester assessments and data reports are over, I find myself wondering what to do next. The results were not where I would like them to be (what else is new) yet the scores increased. The trend is to continue with the curriculum and separate the students into remediation groups with a portion of the class period. I am still on the fence about how I feel about this idea. I quess I will know by next year. I just hope the trend does not change by next year so that I will be ready to imporve on the mistakes that I will make this year. My quest is to find the happy medium between knowing when to continue with the curriculum and reviewing previous material.

Angles

2010-02-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

Last we focused on complementary, supplementary , vertical angles , etc. The students were having a hard time remembering the word "vertical". I told them that it is the one that is opposite of the angle you are looking for and it always forms a "V", either a wide "v" or a small "v". Also the kids came up with changing the "c" in complementary to a 9 and adding a 0 to remember that complementary is associated with 90 degrees. And for supplementary angles change the s to a 8 and add the 1 and 0 to associate supplementary with 180 degrees.

Math Talk

2010-02-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Something that has been working great for my classes is challenging students answers. I no longer just accept an answer. Right or wrong, I have them justify their answer. Then, even after I have then justify, I ask other students whether they agree or disagree and explain why. Doing this, I have come to understand better my students' thought processes and methods. Other students may have gotten the same answer, but came upon it differently. They desire to share their new or different method with the class. With this, I have seen students' engagement, confidence, and vocabulary grow. It also gives way for students to teach others. This has greatly and positively effected my classroom environment.

Algebra Rap

2010-02-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

A sixth grade student is required to know the difference between variables, coefficients, terms and equations. I came up with a little "rap" to help them differentiate between the four vocabulary words. As we all know, they can remember anything when it is put in a song!

A variable is a symbol you see, like a circle, a square or an A B C.
You get that symbol with a number in front and that number becomes your coefficient.
A term is easy, there's no need to fuss! You just take away the minus and the plus.
Put it all together with an equal sign, and Yo! Yo! Yo! It's equation time!

You may be able to persuade me at our April meeting to perform this if your having trouble picking up my rhythm! I hope this helps!

SOL review

2010-02-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when I start to wonder what my students remember from earlier in the year, We have started reviewing SOL's, and I wanted to get some of your opinions and strategies on what has worked for you in the past. At my school we are dividing our students up by ability levels to differentiate the instruction. They are divided into 3 groups, "enhanced"(they have it down and just need a little refresher), the "target group"-(need some work but should be able to master the material with more work), and the "prerequisite group", (these students are way behind and need a lot of re-teaching). We are team teaching these kids for the first time this week, I'll let you all know how it works next month.

Black History Month

2010-02-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

My students are doing a project on notable african american mathematicians. They have been given the choice to write a paper, brochure or power point (to differentiate). I had the mobile lab in this week to begin research. They were able to choose from a list of about 29 different people but if they found a name I left off the list they were more than welcome to choose that person as long as they fit the criteria, african american and in the area of mathematics.

Achievement Series

2010-02-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

"Achievement Series" is an assessment tool that allows K-12 educators to develop and administer online and paper-based test from Scanton. I learned about Achievement Series last year and I strongly recommend other teachers to use it. Below are several features that I really like about Achievement Series:

-Build Test Item Banks: You may create a test with your own questions, but you may also search items for a test based on the (Virginia) SOLs.

-Administer Tests: After you create a test, you have the option to create different versions (by switching questions or the answer choices) of the test.

-View Reports: You can select the option to provide immediate results to students when you create the test. This option will let students know what questions they complete correctly and incorrectly.

-Data Analysis: The Achievement Series will provide you data (in many different ways that you need) for monitoring student progress.

My school district has been using Achievement Series for several years. I don’t want to sound like a salesperson, but if you have a chance to use it, definitely give it a try. Trust me, you will love it too!

2010-02-09T05:34:00.000-08:00

We are currently working on SOL 7.1 (compare, order and determine equivalent relationships between fractions, decimals, percents and to include scientific notation). We created a game of "WAR" using cards that have a decimal, percent, fraction or number written in scientific notation. The game can be played in pairs or groups of three. Deal out all the cards and each student turns over one card. The student with the highest value wins the hand. My students really enjoy it and are required to show their work.

Seating Strategy

2010-02-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

This strategy came from a Dan Mulligan Workshop--and I love it!! When I arrange my classroom, I put the desks in groups of four. Two students sit shoulder to shoulder, facing the other two students who are also sitting shoulder to shoulder. The students sitting next to each other are...ready?...shoulder partners. The students facing each other are called...you got it...face partners. It is important to know the mathematical level of your students for this to work the best. Your shoulder partners should be paired with a one-level difference. (A strong math student should be paired with an average math student and a struggling math student should be paired with an average math student.) Face partners, however, should be of the same mathematical level. Sometimes students work with their shoulder partners and sometimes they work with their face partners, depending on the nature of the activity. Grouping students in this way has really helped my cooperative learning groups reach new heights!

Shots for SOLs

2010-01-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

You look up at the clock ... several minutes to go before the bell rings. It's the perfect time to take some shots for SOLs, a quick fun sports game to review facts and concepts from today's (or any) lesson. All you need is a prepared list of review questions, a Nerf-like or soft (plush) ball, and a receptacle that represents a basketball goal. For the latter, I've used a toy basketball net that can be hung in front of the room. This week I used a cardboard box that measured 1' X 1' and placed it on a table (desk) in a corner up front. I use an LCD projector to flash questions on the screen (Jeopardy style). You can also be read questions aloud and/or give students a way to solve problems on paper. Then I choose one student to answer. Correct answers earn one point with a chance to score more points by attempting a shot from one of three designated point zones. One point for a "free throw" (about 5 feet from basket), two points from 10 feet away, and three points from 15 feet away (the back of the classroom). Points can be used for extra credit (or any way you choose). It gets noisy just like a basketball game, but I've captured their motivation with a bell ringer of a review game.

GCF and LCM Confusion

2010-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

Sixth graders always confuse GCF and LCM. We were brainstorming one afternoon and came up with an idea to help the kids remember GCF and LCM. This is really helpful when a testing question asks for the LCM of 15 and 21, and most the kids see these numbers and want to answer, "It's three!"
Well, it's not. That's the GCF.
So, we use a graphic that looks like the one to the right (hope you can see them). The F is morphed into a division sign, and the M is morphed into a multiplication sign. The division sign is a reminder that common factors are numbers that DIVIDE into 15 and 21. The multiplication sign is a reminder that common multiples are the numbers that are MULTIPLES of 15 and 21. Every little bit helps.

2010-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

I'll be starting SOL 7.8 next week (Surface Area and Volume of Cylinders and Rectangular Prisms). Our school in general had great success last year with this SOL. One of the strategies I like to do is to involve as many household and hands on items as possible. One assignment I used last year was to have students find 3 rectangular prisms and 3 cylinders in their home and determine the surface area and volume of each. This allowed them choice in the assignment and many were drawn to their favorite possessions. In the classroom I set up a "yardsale" with items I owned that involve circles, cylinders, and prisms. For instance: tires, razor scooters, bicycles, boxes, etc. Students were grouped into pairs and had to measure and compute to get the volume and surface area as appropriate. We also took a "field trip" to the cafeteria and media center to measure columns and pillars and perform computations. These were, of course, after the students received step by step instuctions on how to solve these problems. I made these step almost identical to how we taught SOL 7.7 .

Test Review

2010-01-25T05:31:00.000-08:00

My students found it very helpful when we reviewed for the nine weeks test that I had stations set up in the room with each focusing on a different SOL. I had seven stations set up to focus on the SOLs that gave my students a challenge. I kept the groups to 3-4 students and grouped the students with different area of "expertise" so that they could help each other out. It was very helpful to the students and to myself to have the smaller group setting so that I was able to work with groups that really struggled on a SOL individually and not as a whole class.

Scale Drawing Activity

2010-01-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

While teaching SOL 7.6 (proportions), I use an activity for scale drawings. The students work in groups of two and have to produce a scale drawing of the classroom. The first step is to make a simple sketch of the room. They use this sketch to record their measurements of the room. Once they have completed all measurements, they have to use proportions to come up with the measurements for the scale drawing. I used the "window" method for proportions this year. "K" is what you know; "?" is what you are calculating; and the units go on left side. You can easily differentiate this activity by adding more details in the room (desks, shelves, computers, etc.)

I Can Learn

2010-01-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

My school has adopted I Can Learn as a form of instruction/remediation. I Can Learn is a program that does complete lessons on different topics. Each lesson contains a pretest, warm-up, lesson presentation (videos), tutor, independent practice questions, quiz, and journal entry. Any or all of these options can be included, depending on the need of the student.

I use I Can Learn mostly for remediation. What I love most about this program is that I can put students on differentiated paths that address their weaknesses. It also offers a different approach to teaching the lesson. If a student did not get the concept in class with my presentation, the videos/animation on the computer may capture attention and get the concept across. This program also helps with students' note taking. During the lesson presentation, it frequently pauses and tells students to copy information into their notebook.

I am seeing success more than last year with this program and look forward to even more.

The Coordinate Plane

2010-01-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

This month my PreAlgebra class is focused on the coordinate plane. We started off just graphing points. I stole this from another teacher, but this trick seems to work well to remind them how to graph a point. I tell them to imagine we want to get on an elevator. We have to walk to the elevator first, before we can go up or down. This helps them to remember to go along the x-axis first and then go up for the y-value. We then have to focus on taking an equation, making a table of solutions, and graph those solutions. I try to incorporate as much vocabulary as I can when doing this. I always call the list of x-values the domain and the list of y-values the range. I also insist they call x the independent variable and y the dependent variable. That way the vocabulary is becoming cemented in their minds before I ask a specific question on it.

Days before holidays provide complete workout

2010-01-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

My first blogs were published twice in cyberspace, but somehow they never made it to our math forum. I decided to share what I originally blogged and get your feedback anyways.

Holiday breaks often present unique opportunities for middle schoolers making sense out of practical math problems. A couple of days before Thanksgiving the students and I brainstorm the foods we feast on. Next, we'll compose 7-to-9 course menus that will feed up to 12 people. Then, with $200 to spend, student pairs rummage through the grocery pages to identify food items and prices that satisfy their selected menus and budget. Some pairs cut out the food items from these pages to illustrate their table settings. Not surprisingly, the students are engaged in math talk as they demonstrate the depth of their proportional reasoning skills by using unit rates to figure out how much they spend altogether and per person. This activity also allows me to pre-assess their ability to keep and maintain a checkbook registry.

Good ole Ma and Pa

2010-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

This little tip was actually given to me by one of my students a couple of years ago, but it has proven to be very helpful. I have found that my students confuse the fact that they should add for perimeter and multiply for area. I teach them all to remember their "MA" and "PA." This helps them to remember to "Mulitply Area" and "Perimeter Add." It works well for simple perimeter and area.

2010-01-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

My student's are getting ready to tackle the fun unit on percents, fractions and decimals . In an effort to "keep it real", I download a popular restaurant menu, print enough for the entire class, have the students order an appetizer, entree, drink and dessert. They have to keep their meal close to $30 and compute tax and tip rate based on our locality. I have full participation on this activity as many of my students haven't been to a restaurant whre they can order off a menu.

Back to Work

2010-01-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

I have missed being in the classroom. I have been out on maternity leave for a few months now but am gearing up to get back to class! I look forward to catching up with this blog as a part of that.

Reviewing for the Midterm Exam

2010-01-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

My Geometry students are scheduled to take their Midterm Exam next week. To review all the material that we have learned in class from the beginning of the school year, I asked them to work on a group project. For each class, I have my students to separate themselves into eight groups (3-4 people/group). Since we have covered eight SOLs so far, each group is responsible for presenting the key concepts for one of the SOLs. To help them to be more organized and ensure that they all have an active role in the project, I assigned each student a "job" in each group [1st member: Find all the key concepts from the given SOL; 2nd member: Record all the key concepts; 3rd member: Present the key concepts (give examples) to the class; 4th member: Leader of the group, assist all members].

It worked very well with my Geometry classes last year, which was the first year I implemented this "project" idea into my review lessons. I am not sure if my students will benefit from this activity this year, but I will definitely let you all know. However, most of students told me that they like working on a project like this. Compared to other subjects, they said that they rarely have projects like this in their math classes.

Functions

2010-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

We are currently trying to conquer the daunting task of teaching Tables, Graphs, Rules and Ordered Pairs. We approach this by breaking each down and give it a day. We also focus on the students completing a 4-square frayer model. In the middle we have the Rule and the other outside squares include a Table, Ordered Pairs, Mapping and Graphing. Once we have taught all of the areas we then start them anywhere on the 4-square and have them complete the entire thing. Hope this helps.

Unifix Cubes

2010-01-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

In our class we are beginning Central Tendency next week and I am excited about the activity that uses unifix cubes to help students explore mean, median, mode and range. Unifix cubes are similar to Lego's in the sense that they are small plastic blocks that link together. Students grab a handful of these blocks from a bucket and line up at the front of the room. They count their individual blocks and then put themselves in order from least to greatest. The students can find the range by the lowest and highest students stepping forward, the mode by seeing which number of blocks appears most often, the median by the middle student, and then finally the mean. This is the interesting part. The students begin to "share their blocks" so that each student has the same number of blocks. Most of the time it does not work out this way and so the students can estimate that the mean will be between the two numbers of the amount of blocks the students have. A chart can be kept under the doc cam so that the actual mathematics can be worked out simultaneously. I find the students enjoy this hands on exploration and they also remember a lot from it.

IDK

2010-01-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

IDK are three letters that I wish students did not know how to use. With the end of the quarter and semester upon us, these letters are the scariest letters in the alphabet. Winter break is responsible for an increase number of students using these letters as their answer to math questions. I guess my main problem is why they are using the letters. Is it because they really don't know or is it because they just didn't try? How do you fix the problem? Do you increase review time before exams or hold after school sessions? Does anyone have any ideas on how to decrease the use of the dreaded letters and increase student retention?

Patterns

2010-01-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

We spent the first 2 weeks back from our break going over patterns and rules. We really hit the students hard with patterns the first week and let them develop their own rules. I spent a week one summer a few years back in a Maryline Burns Algebra techniques class and learned al ot from it that allowed me to apply her methods. The students did very well in developing rules and this week adopted quite well to a more formalized approach to rule development.
My only regret is that since I teach 8th grade pre-algebra we stop at the point of developing rules from graphs and tables, It seems like it would be a natural progression to teach the students about slope at this point while we have their interest instead of waiting another year. Or maybe this is a necessary stopping point, I would be interested in hearing some opinions on what the rest of you think.

Factors or Multiples??

2010-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

Each year, I find that my sixth grade students have great difficulty distinguishing between factors and multiples. A colleague of mine shared an idea that I love!! She suggested telling the students that there are only a few factors but there are millions of multiples! I always find myself stuttering the words ffffew ffffactors and mmmmillions of mmmmultiples!! It is amazing how reciting this has helped so many of them remember the difference!

Back to school!

2010-01-04T17:04:00.001-08:00

Welcome back. I spent a significant part of each class trying to review classroom expectations with respect to behavior and academic responsibility. With the excessive time off from storm weather to Thanksgiving and then the winter break it seemed that behavior and performance steadily declined. I would like to consider a behavior contract so if anyone has any suggestions I would certainly appreciate any inputs. Has anyone experienced success with this?

Testing

2010-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

This is THE month for questioning and evaluating our students' progress (in our school district). There have been several meetings at the city level, lead teachers, and content that emphasizes the importance of the midterm exam that is coming up this month. I must admit this is my first year teaching mathematics and have enjoyed reading the wonderful ideas of how to review and reinforce SOL objectives every week.

I worry about how to be sure my students have the concepts needed to be successful on this exam. I am struggling most with the wisdom and skill of having several students in my room needing help with several different skills and getting all of them what they need. I am used to teaching science and social studies where skills are more all-purpose. I am learning quickly that math is not so easily covered with "the masses."

Note Passing

2009-12-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

Each year is always a little different in respect to the personalities we are responsible for educating for the year. This year happens to be one in which our grade level is experiencing dynamics in our population that are not optimal for the educational environment.
In blunt terms, many are so busy messing with each other in negative terms, that the learning environment is in danger of being lost.
This year has been what I call "The Year of Notes". I have even started a file folder in which to keep them all and have scanned some to send to parents so they are aware that their child is not doing assignments, but involved in a completely different activity during class time.
The children have been very creative in their delivery of the notes, and other children are enlisted through out the class to pass them along.
Some delivery methods:
1. Student asks to throw trash away, and then another student asks to sharpen a pencil (or whatever) and takes the balled up paper (note) from the trash.
Solution: Monitoring of course, but also, I collect trash from a student and put it in the trash next to my desk.
2. Simply throwing a balled up paper or paper airplane through the air.
Solution: This one is difficult as they usually wait until your back is turned or you are helping another student.
3. Student asks to use the restroom. Leaves note. Another student asks to go after, gets note.
Solution: Class bath room breaks, but as we know there will be the child that insists they will have an accident if they do not go, even if you have just taken the class.
4. Other students used to pass the notes across the class, after the great care a teacher has taken to make sure certain personalities are apart.
Solution: Bring it all out. Let the entire class know that if they participate in the passing of notes during instructional time, they will be just as guilty as the note writers and their parents will also be told of their involvement.
If anyone else has experienced any other methods and can let me know, I would appreciate it. This Year the Notes have not only taken from our educational experiences in class, but the effects of their contents have led to fights, bullying, and drama that needs to decrease.

Division of Fractions with Common Denominators

2009-12-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

We teach division of fractions using common denominators. The kids have picked up on this easily, but for some reason don't want to change the numerators when they find the common denominator. The don't do this when they add or subtract, just divide. Any ideas on how to remind them to change the numerator as well as the denominator when they are dividing?

Surviving the holidays

2009-12-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know about everyone else, but this week has been an adventure and not the kind that I want to go on again! Trying the keep the kids focused and caring about class discussions have been very challenging. The last two days before our holiday break, I plan to review all I can. I know new material will go in one ear and out the other and if the review is not for a grade, the students will not complete it.

Five of the same...

2009-12-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

Something we started last year at King's Fork Middle was beginning each day with five SOL type questions. We use SOL released items, but change the numbers. The five questions come from different SOL's, including some that we have not covered yet. From Monday through Thursday the students see the same five questions with different numbers. I give them about 10-15 minutes to work them out. When they have finished I go over the answers with them on an Interwrite Pad with projector (a transparency can also be used). They must correct their work on their papers which I collect. Student receive a check if they have shown all the work we went over or a check minus if they didn't. On Thursday, they get a classwork grade. Each check minus takes off 10 points.

Friday we do the same 5 again with different numbers, but this time it is a quiz grade. With only 5 questions worth 20 points each they learn pretty quickly the importance of keeping up with this each day.

Last year we started this at the beginning of the second semester. This year we started about 2 weeks ago. It really makes a difference. It's an ongoing review of SOL's covered, plus it gives them some familiarity with upcoming SOL's.

Think Pads & Notebooks

2009-12-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

Everyday my students enter the room and work on 5 Math Review problems to continually practice for upcoming tests. I've had problems getting them to organize their work and save it for future use. I started making sure they work by making it a part of their classwork grade and that part worked. However, I would find their papers on the floor, counters, and tables regularly. I just knew they weren't taking my advice on how useful these would be.

A collegue offered some suggestions and I've taken it a little further with this plan. Now when they enter the room they make their "Think Pad" by folding paper to create three columns. One to show their work, one for the solution we come up with as a class, and one for the multiple choice answer. The rows are folded based upon how many problems you have and the front and back can be used. These are easily graded daily by walking around and making sure each block has the appropriate information inside.

In order to encourge the organization of them we've developed the Think Pad Notebook. Inside they are to keep the weekly worksheet that contains all the problems for the week and behind that sheet they are to keep their "Think Pads". These notebooks are to remain in the room for now and they will be graded each nine weeks for completeness. I've made this worth the same as a Test Grade so they realize the importance of it.

I'll keep you posted with the results!

Giving them the answers!

2009-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

I really try to emphasize in my class that I'm not that worried about the answers. I want to see the process they go through to get the answers. I've tried a couple of things to help them out. One is that I give them a set of problems and just hand them the answers. They have to spend time figuring out how I got the answers. Another is to pair up students. Each person in the pair has a different set of problems, and their partner has the other person's answers. So, one person does a problem, and then the other checks if they are correct. If they aren't, this generates discussion as the students try to figure out how to get the correct answer. The kids really enjoy checking and helping each other.

Reducing Fractions

2009-12-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

I find that sixth graders really struggle with reducing fractions, so I have them come up with the 3 characteristics of a reduced fraction themselves. I put 15 to 20 reduced (simplified) fractions on the board. Some of them have 1 in the numerator, some are consecutive like 3/4 or 8/9, and then the rest have a Greatest Common Factor (GCF) of 1. I put the fractions with 1's in the numerator in circles. The consecutively numbered fractions go in squares and then the remaining fractions go in triangles. I then have the students work together to come up with what each shape has in common. Obviously they have no trouble with the first 2 rules, but they tend to struggle with the "GCF is 1" rule. Once they have thought about it awhile, I have them list the factors for each numerator and denominator. From here I have them find the GCF. By this point they are able to give me the three things they need to look for to see if a fraction is reduced: The numerator is 1, consecutive numbers, the GCF is 1. The fact that they came up with the three rules themselves tends to make it stick a little better.

2009-12-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

While teaching dividing fractions this year I started with a paper activity to capture their attention. I held up 4 peices of paper and asked what 1/2 of 4 was. I then wrote the step that 1/2 x 4= They reminded me to multiply the numerators and the denominators. And the last step to simplify. They redidly gave me the answer that 1/2 times 4 was 2. The students were then ready to restate that mutiplying by 1/2 and dividing by 2 were the same thing. The point was made that dividing by a fraction was the same thing as multiplying by it's reciprocal.
Ex. 4 divided by 1/2 (four sheets of paper torn in 1/2 gives you 8 sheets of paper) therfore it is the same as 4 times 2 (multiply be the reciprocal!)

I Can Learn

2009-12-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

This year, my middle school has invested in a computer software program called I Can Learn. It is highly recommended to be fully integrated into the classroom nearly all day, every day. My school chose, however, to integrate the program partially, at only 2 days a week for 60-90 minutes. This software is well rounded with problems of the day, pretests, warm ups, lesson videos and notes, examples fully explained, tutorials, quizzes, section tests (pre-made and teacher made) as well as almost full SOL correlations. The program has a list of best practice strategies that add to its 20% increase in student test scores such as students wear headphones continually, notes are taken very methodically and thoroughly, a mastery level is to be set so students can not move on to the next lesson until, for example, a 70% quiz score is achieved, students write out all examples and quiz corrections, etc.

This year I have attempted full integration for 4 of my students from each block. There was criterion for selection, but to my amazement, the students are writing notes, focusing on their own computer screen, keeping their headphones on, and passing quizzes with scores I wondered if they could achieve. In speaking to these students about their math experience, more math vocabulary is being used and student engagement is increasing. I encourage everyone to take a look at the link to the website and watch the tutorial. Complete computer teaching is a futuristic sounding concept, but I have found success with it in my class for a select group this year.

http://www.icanlearn.com/default_new.asp

2009-12-09T17:03:00.001-08:00

I am concerned about how I have been teaching percents this year. The district I work in no longer wants us to use the cross product method of finding percents. The preferred method is for students to use benchmarks when solving consumer application type problems. I have tried the Singapore method and some of my students really take to it and like it, but many students say they find it tedious and refuse to use it. I currently teach Pre-Algebra at the 8th grade level and from diagnostic testing a large percentage(about 40%) are at a 4th or 5th grade level of math proficiency. During testing we have done at our school, the teachers who have ignored our districts recommendations about how to teach percents have achieved significantly better (30 to 40 percent better)results in student achievement, making students write out the steps necessary to solve percent type questions using the cross products method. My concern, and I would like to hear any input and advice I an get on this, is that perhaps since so many of my students are 3 to 4 grade levels behind where they are supposed to be, does it make more sense to try and drill them using cross products type solutions or should I continue forcing the students to use benchmarks. What have other teachers seen as the learning curve for students using this technique?

12/5/09
by Don Lloyd
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Patty Paper Proofs

2009-12-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

I have been using patty paper in my geometry class to help students understand concepts. It has been a huge help especially with students who have a hard time visualizing. I usually have an easy time knowing when to pull out the patty paper in geometry but not so much in pre-algebra. I am sure this method could be helpful in pre-algebra as well in areas other than geometry. I would appreciate any ideas. I also really like using foldables for note taking. They are a great place to store the patty paper.

"Unwrapping" 1-step & 2-step equations

2009-12-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last year when teaching this I saw that the students were having a hard time solving 1 and 2 step equations so when this was introduced to me I immediately fell in love with it. It has worked marvelously. Attached are two worksheets I made to help the students with solving 1 and 2 step equations. The first is two step equations. (Of course we started with 1-step but I accidently attached 2-step first oops). For example 2x - 4 = 12. The variable always starts in the first triangle (x) (then follow the arrows) then the first bubble you put what happened immediately to x (multiplied by 2) and second bubble you (subtracted 4) and the answer always goes in the star (12) after the star you follow the arrows around. The opposite of subtracting 4 is (adding 4) and the opposite of multiplying by 2 is (dividing by 2). If you have the students start at the star and do the operations they will get their answer in the second triangle. So have them take 12 add 4 and then divide by 2 to get the answer. They should be able to "substitute" the answer they got in the second triangle and for the variable in this case x and perform the operations to get the answer in the star.

It works the exact same way for 1-step equations.

Hope this helps you like it did me.

Word Problems

2009-12-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

Word problems are a constant struggle for my students. I have searched for different ways for students to interact and conquer this skill. I found a wonderful activity that our math coach shared with us called "Silent Pass." In this activity there are 6-8 problems that you place on the back of numbered note cards. Students are asked to divide a paper into 8 sections (by folding). They are then asked to solve each problem in the corresponding box. When they are done with one problem they hold the card up and silently pass it to another student and obtain another card to solve the next problem. This continues until they have answered all 8 problems. I was very impressed with the number of students who were actively involved all the students were. Even those who normally find it out difficult to participate or refuse to do the work assigned.
This activity can be modified to accommodate any level and any subject involving problem solving.

Scale Factor

2009-12-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Since I teach Geography as well as Math I incorported practicing map skills when teaching scale factor. The students had to plan a trip from Norfolk to L.A. making three stops along the way. They had to calculate their distance from each stopping point as well as total distance of their trip using the scale on the map. It was a great way to make an interdisciplinary lesson and make it relevant for the students.

APEX LEARNING

2009-12-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

My school district is encouraging us, the Math teachers, to use the Apex Learning for Algebra and Geometry courses. Apex Learning is educational software that offers online courses in mathematics, science, English, Social Studies, Romance Languages, and Advanced Placement. The curriculum is organized into semesters, units, lessons, and activities. A typical semester includes 5 to 7 units, each with 3 to 6 lessons. A typical lesson comprises a number of activities including studies, practices, readings, journals, labs, discussions, projects, explorations, reviews, and embedded assessments. Although each Apex Learning online course provides a complete scope and sequence based on national and state standards, it does not align perfectly with the educational framework (SOLs) in the state of Virginia. Therefore, I need to pick and choose lessons on Apex Learning for my Geometry classes.

Overall, my students like the Apex Learning digital curriculum because it has a lot of interactive activities within each unit. For me, as an educator, I like Apex Learning because it changes my role in the classroom. Since I usually have my students work with Apex before I actually teach a concept, it allows my students an opportunity to become a self-learner, which in turn, allows me to be a facilitator/resource for them. Furthermore, I like the fact that students are allowed to use this program at home once a login ID is created for them.