Beginning of the Year

As we come down to the final week before school starts, I'm getting back in the swing of waking up (semi) early, but still going to bed late. Since I am teaching three new preps my focus will be less on Algebra 2, but it is still my favorite class.

Sequence of Topics

We use Pearson Algebra 2 books, I try to follow the sequencing, but sometimes it doesn't make sense.

Chapter 1- Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities
Chapter 2- Functions, Equations, Graphs
Chapter 3- Linear Systems
Chapter 4- Quadratic Functions
Chapter 5- Polynomials
Chapter 6- Radicals
Chapter 7- Probability and Statisitics
Chapter 8- Trigonometry
Chapter 9- Sequences
Chapter 10- Logarithms
Chapter 11- Rational Functions
Chapter 12- Conic Sections

First Week Activities

To start out with on the first day, not all of our students have iPads yet, so we do a Math About Me to get an easy A and start the year on a positive foot. Students need ten numbers that describe themselves and their picture in the middle or on a presentation, could be digital or paper copies. If students hand in a paper copy it goes on the wall to be my first student work of the year.

Second day I am going to start with a BreakOutEDU game, to show them that this year math will look and feel a little different, I like to focus on activities and projects!

Goals

Find better ways to use the iPad, for activities instead of presenting or worksheets.

Use time more effectively, get students use to bell to bell.

Remember that math isn't serious.

Icebreakers 

Mentioned above, but I do try to learn all my students names the first two days even though the shy ones might squeak through to the following week.

Class Set Up

I am playing around with different organization, but I think I've settled on groups of 4. 

Drones and the Coordinate Plane

The school year is wrapping up and with just three days left I realized I hadn't used the drones I received for Christmas this year.  In Algebra we are looking forward to their next year, so I rearranged the desks and made a giant coordinate plane on the floor of the classroom.

There was some great build-up since it took me a couple days in advance to lay it all out.  Students from all my classes were wondering what we would do.

I had a bell-ringer about graphing coordinate points.  Then I pulled the drones out and since our students had to turn in their iPads the day before I used my iPhone and iPad as the two driving devices. (It also turned out that is why I have very few pictures.)

Here is the game that I laid out for each team.  

It was a learning curve since I didn't tell them how to fly, but students got the hang of it and it moved pretty quickly.  Here is a picture of one student's drone landing and another's trying to find the spot.

Next year I will have students graph the coordinates who are not flying the drone on a separate sheet of paper and help give directions on which way to fly the drone.  It was a great end of the year activity, will definitely use this in the classroom next year.

Basketball Substitution

In class we were struggling with the concept of substitution, we already talked about it for two days, we did a vocabulary activity and guided worksheet to help them, but after the second day they were still struggling.  With basketball starting soon, we took to the 92' courts and made a little explaination of what substitute means in basketball.  

Then we talked about how good Michael Jordan was and what players on the court could have made the Bulls just as good as Jordan alone, we then could substitute in different players to see what the best possible outcome was. Here is a picture.

Students seemed to like the explaination a little more, we did a few more example problems and students seemed to understand.

Polynomial Puzzles

This week our focus in Algebra 2 was on Polynomials.  I have been searching for a project, but never seem to find any, but here are two activities we did this week. First to review factoring techniques we had a factoring polynomial puzzle that students completed in pairs.

Some students figured out that the pattern was Pythagorean theorem, one group did just put them in order from least to greatest.  It was a good activity I will have in class instead of homework next year.  

Here is the link: (free) www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Factoring-Polynomial-Puzzle-543255

The other lesson was an Illuminations Polynomial Puzzler that had students practicing multiplication.

Here is the link: illuminations.nctm.org/Lesson.aspx?id=2938

Paper Doll Math

I have recently blogged about Ada Lovelace and her paper doll which could be used as a history piece in a history of mathematics center that students can learn about mathematics and how math was developed back in the day.  Today, are some activities that you can use in your classroom that revolve around paper dolls and mathematics.

Patterns: Figures alternate, for example: right arm up, left arm up, right arm, left arm.

Reflections: Students love that every doll is a flipped copy of the one next to it.  Technically, that's called a reflection, one of three kinds of geometry transformation students study in elementary school, the other two being rotation and translation.

Powers of Two: Fold the paper twice, you get four figures.  Fold the paper three times, you get 8 figures.  Fold four times, you get 16 figures.  Every fold is a power of two of the figures.

Multiplying fractions: Every time you fold, the dolls become half as wide.  That's a visual illustration of what it means to multiply a fraction, in this case x 1/2.  Or, if the first fold divides the paper in half, and the second fold divides it in quarters.

Learn more here: Paper Doll Math

View other activities and information here:
Math Manipulatives
Geometry of Folding
Probability

GIF's that Teach Math

There are many GIF's out there that are of funny cats and of many different movies.  I know that I love the occasional GIF's and especially when they are about math.  Here are some great GIF's that you can include in your classroom to spice up lessons and activities for students.






Find more here: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/math%20gif






Find other great GIF's here: 7 GIF's for Trigonometry