IMP Day 29 - From Rules to Graphs and Instagram

Today I took a breath (I haven't slowed down and done this in a while) and allowed my class to use chart paper to share their graphs for  From Rules to Graphs. We had some good discussions about the graphs and whether or not they should have been continuous or discrete. My first class didn't get the u-shape of the quadratic graphs so I assigned the two quadratics again for homework (#2 and # 4b).

My second class happened to have 2 groups that graphed number 2 and when we combined the points from the 2 groups we "saw" the u shape of the graph. Both blocks were told to start thinking about stories that they could use for the equations in "You're the Storyteller." I had one student start rapping and I so wish I could get someone to do a rap or a song but I am afraid they won't follow through. We will see!

On a side note...some of my students have been trying to get me to get an Instagram account and use it instead of Twitter for posting "pictures of success" or other pics from class. I set one up last night and it was so funny how they reacted to me having an Instagram. I post pics to Twitter pretty often and we have started the hashtag #WeAreEtowah for sharing positive things going on at EHS. I had a "younger" teacher explain to me yesterday that Instagram, like Twitter, is set up where people can follow you and you don't have to follow them back. Also, you can post pictures to both Instagram and Twitter using Instagram. I am excited because I can post as many pics of my students on Instagram as I want now and they don't fill up the feeds of other teachers who follow me on Twitter (who may get tired of all the EHS pics!). BUT, when I do have some pics I want to share with my principal or other teachers on Twitter I can post both places when I want. Also, you can use hashtags in Instagram too! I'm sure that there are many people that already know all of this but I just thought I would "share." I would like to start using Instagram as a way for students to share their work with me on occasion.

IMP Day 28 - Algebraic Expressions quiz retake, Out Numbered and From Rules to Graphs

Today I decided I would go over the Ox Expressions at Home assignment (which I gave as a quiz) in class and then give them a quiz retake. I had a different version of the quiz and let them take it. The majority of the class improved.  We then finished Out Numbered and started From Rules to Graphs.  I love the way this unit develops writing function rules and graphing!

You have to like them to teach them

I am amazed at the turn around in one of my classes. At the beginning of the year I really struggled with this class. They were full of rowdy boys and I had a difficult time connecting with them. Honestly they got on my nerves! I have them at the end of the day and I had to find the most patience at the time that I am worn out from my day.

I displayed my frustration and annoyance on a daily basis. And then I realized I needed to hit the reset button. I needed to learn to like those students. I take pride in being able to see the positive in most circumstances but I had not applied that "talent" to that class. One day I announced to the class that I did not like the ways things were going and that we were going to change it. I started trying to enjoy the students. Miracle of all miracles it worked! I know that "they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" but I don't know that I have ever seen it so clearly. Yesterday I had to leave that class a little early and several of the students made the remark that my class was their favorite. The funny thing is that class has my heart now. They make me laugh on a daily basis.

IMP Day 27 - More Graphing Sketches, Notebook Check, Out Numbered and...Searching for Dry Trails

Progress reports are being printed next week. Therefore I needed to do a notebook check with my classes. I gave them pg. 117 as a quiz and graded their notebooks while they were taking the "quiz." When they completed the quiz they started working on Out Numbered from pg. 49.

Funny thing...many of my students with the best "math minds" HATE estimating. They didn't like assigning a coordinate to the points that didn't go "through the crosshairs." One student in particular is extremely bright but doesn't realize how smart he is! Several of my students, when assigning themselves grades for their POWs, underestimate their work.

Sonya New, Gary Webb, and I had a brief discussion after school today about how things are going. Gary and Sonya don't seem as worried about time and grades. I need them to "rub off" on me. Gary's students were displaying their stories from "You're the Storyteller: From Rules to Situations" today. Our senior counselor, Kali Brand, walked by and said that those students looked like they were having fun. I was secretly (or not so secretly) jealous. I am going to have to take a deep breath and just enjoy where we are. We are piloting a new curriculum. We have made a change because we did not believe what we were doing was effective. We hope to see improvement. We started 7 weeks late. Relax! Roll with it! I am trying to convince myself:)

I almost forgot to mention something awesome! My 5th block finished Family Constraints and started The Search for Dry Trails today. They cracked me up arguing (justifying) about which trials they would choose and why. They did a great job today. Several of them have some great thoughts...I just tried to help them "tie" some math vocabulary to those thoughts today. I had 2 or 3 of them up at the board at the end of class still arguing their points. It was super!

IMP Day 26 - Graphing intro activities and The Issues Involved

I had started to skip pages 40-47 in the book because I spent a good amount of time on graphing stories at the beginning of the year (before we received our new books). However, there was some things brought out in the activities in Meaningful Math that I did not talk about before. I actually had assigned these pages several weeks ago when we had PD for our books. Therefore I just gave them a completion grade and handed it back out.

We went through and discussed some vocabulary like constant, linear, discrete and continuous. We went over #7 on page 44 in class because it was a commonly missed graph. I love the tie in to the absolute value graph.

We wrapped up the day with The Issues Involved. Once again...I feel like I am moving too slow. Will I ever shake that feeling?

IMP Day 25 - Categorical Data on the Wagon Trian

This was a good activity for apply percent questions and logical reasoning. It was like putting a puzzle together. The students were using number of people as the percentage of people. I had one student who did an awesome job of using the idea of percent as per 100 and he took the 17/25 and instead of dividing the fraction to get the percentage he multiplied top and bottom by 4. I was excited about his prior knowledge because that is something we have not discussed this year. RETENTION STILL EXISTS!!  I HAVE SEEN PROOF!

I think this assignment could be assigned as a homework activity although we did it in class.

Reflections after 5 weeks of IMP Meaningful Math Algebra

1.  I can no longer walk in and wing it...effectively. To get everything out of a lesson  (that the authors intend) one must study over the teacher's guide first. The guides are so much different than the typical teacher's edition!
   **Later revision - this sounds bad, I know. I also know that "on the real" I am not the only teacher that hits "spells" where my life (at school and with my family) gets so crazy and busy that I can not put the planning time into my school lessons that I would like. This past week has been that way for me. 
2.  I am not going to be able to get the "big picture" until I have taught through the book once. 
3. Grading is so strange. I haven't quite figured out how to grade effectively using this curriculum.  I know I can still give "normal" quizzes but... it is harder to identify good places for quizzes...and they aren't really recommended...
4. Since almost every activity has a context you can spend forever on them if you want to...
5. It is easy to get frustrated when things are so unfamiliar.
6. Referencing back to #3...because the way grading is done so differently I feel unsure about where my students stand.  I ask them to explain a lot...I think I know where they stand...I think they are learning...look at the picture of an excerpt from a POW write-up 

Things I know I'm doing better than before IMP...

1. Addressing literacy standards
2. Teaching how to solve word problems
3. Stretching the students (especially with POWs)
4. Questioning...there are always suggested questions in the teacher's guide. 
5. Making real-world applications
6. Celebrating various approaches to problems...I find that since there really isn't a mathematical title to the lesson (i.e. Percent Increase or Systems of Equations, etc...) that students tend to take more varying approaches to problems.  Also...I don't say to students as a form of a hint..."Hey guys. ..look at the title of the section!" (I really used to do that sometimes.) 

**I love #6 because no problem we face in the real world comes with a title that gives you a hint on how to solve it:)