Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Algebra: First Semester Lesson Plans 16-17
I stopped blogging here since it wasn't generating much interest or feedback. If anyone happens to be following along here, I just posted my first semester Algebra plans on The Fischbowl.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Day 17
We continue our work with Systems of Linear Equations.
Our opener will be Basketball Shots 2 (the sequel to their homework assignment)
Our lesson will include working through Atomic Weights (probably together), then the Types of Solutions activity builder, and then solving a couple of systems by both substitution and elimination for practice.
For homework they will decide when it might be best to use substitution and when it might be best to use elimination.
Our opener will be Basketball Shots 2 (the sequel to their homework assignment)
Our lesson will include working through Atomic Weights (probably together), then the Types of Solutions activity builder, and then solving a couple of systems by both substitution and elimination for practice.
For homework they will decide when it might be best to use substitution and when it might be best to use elimination.
Day 16
Today's opener will be a short review of solving a system of equations by substitution.
Then we'll use this Activity Builder to start talking about solving systems by elimination. I tried combining (and tweaking slightly) two activity builders that I thought went well together, but I'm a bit worried it might be too much for the roughly 50 minutes I'm hoping to give for it. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Their homework will be a solving systems by elimination problem involving atomic weights. This might be a stretch for them, especially if we they don't have any class time to start on it (and I hope they do). That's partially why I'm not making this one a screencast (the other part of that partial is just to give them a break from making screencasts.)
Update: Changed the homework to Basketball Shots and moved the atomic weights to part of the lesson the next day. Just felt like it was a bit too complicated to give them that quickly.
Then we'll use this Activity Builder to start talking about solving systems by elimination. I tried combining (and tweaking slightly) two activity builders that I thought went well together, but I'm a bit worried it might be too much for the roughly 50 minutes I'm hoping to give for it. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Their homework will be a solving systems by elimination problem involving atomic weights. This might be a stretch for them, especially if we they don't have any class time to start on it (and I hope they do). That's partially why I'm not making this one a screencast (the other part of that partial is just to give them a break from making screencasts.)
Update: Changed the homework to Basketball Shots and moved the atomic weights to part of the lesson the next day. Just felt like it was a bit too complicated to give them that quickly.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Day 15
We'll start with an opener that eases them into solving systems of equations by substitution.
We'll then complete the On The Road Again Activity Builder to learn more about systems.
Their assignment will be to record a screencast discussing solving a system by substitution.
Their assignment will be to record a screencast discussing solving a system by substitution.
Day 14
We'll start with a short assessment over function notation and application.
We'll then begin looking at Systems of Equations using the Racing Dots Activity Builder.
Their assignment will be to complete the Playing Catch Up Activity Builder.
We'll then begin looking at Systems of Equations using the Racing Dots Activity Builder.
Their assignment will be to complete the Playing Catch Up Activity Builder.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Day 13
Today will continue to talk about best fit lines and learn the least squares regression equation.
The opener will again be practicing finding x and f(x), but in the context of a best fit line.
Our lesson will continue with the air travel situation but in a Part 2 of the Air Travel Activity Builder. We'll now focus on a "best" fit line over a "hey, it looks good" fit line, and talk about what the correlation coefficient means. I really think the idea behind this one is sound, but I think the execution of it still needs a lot of work. Suggestions appreciated.
For homework they will complete a linear regression application problem. I think this one is pretty good, but it may be a case of me really liking it and the students not so much. We'll see.
The opener will again be practicing finding x and f(x), but in the context of a best fit line.
Our lesson will continue with the air travel situation but in a Part 2 of the Air Travel Activity Builder. We'll now focus on a "best" fit line over a "hey, it looks good" fit line, and talk about what the correlation coefficient means. I really think the idea behind this one is sound, but I think the execution of it still needs a lot of work. Suggestions appreciated.
For homework they will complete a linear regression application problem. I think this one is pretty good, but it may be a case of me really liking it and the students not so much. We'll see.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Day 12
Today we'll start talking about informal lines of best fit (soon to lead to correlation regression, and causation).
We'll start with an opener that practices solving an equation using function notation.
We'll then work two through Activity Builders, Line of Best Fit and then Air Travel (based on Dan Meyer's post from what seems a long time ago).
For homework I'll have them complete a short reading assignment (as well as look at some spurious correlations), then write a short summary of a second article (their choice).
We'll start with an opener that practices solving an equation using function notation.
For homework I'll have them complete a short reading assignment (as well as look at some spurious correlations), then write a short summary of a second article (their choice).
Day 11
Today is all about learning function notation as well the difference between continuous and discrete functions.
Our opener will review figuring out whether a relation is a function from a graph of the relation.
Our opener will review figuring out whether a relation is a function from a graph of the relation.
Then we'll complete Function Notation on Activity Builder. My goal is to expose them to function notation, including solving when given either the independent or dependent variable, talk about continuous vs. discrete, and then do a couple of application problems.
For homework they will complete a similar application problem and record a screencast explaining it. In addition, I'll ask them to do a small additional amount of homework by gathering some data that we'll use in class on Friday (for an activity based on Dan Meyer's Air Travel).
Friday, June 3, 2016
Day 10
Today's topic is relations and functions. In the past I haven't felt good about this one, as I have trouble coming up with any creative ways to teach it yet, on the other hand, it just seems so straightforward to me that I can't figure out why students struggle with it so much.
We'll start with an opener that will review writing equations in slope-intercept, point-slope, and standard form, mainly because I do worry that the lack of repetitive practice I give students (i.e., not a lot of homework problems) compared to other teachers may harm their retention. We'll see.
Today's slides are most of the lesson, with basically just a rewrite of what I used to do with this topic, just updated with examples from activities I will have done this year. After we go through the basic definition of a function and some examples, I'll have them complete the Function, or Not Activity Builder (slightly remixed from the original by Daniel Henrikson).
For homework tonight I won't ask them to do a screencast but, instead, will ask them to see if they can "figure out" the vertical line test for functions. I'm curious to see how they'll do with this.
We'll start with an opener that will review writing equations in slope-intercept, point-slope, and standard form, mainly because I do worry that the lack of repetitive practice I give students (i.e., not a lot of homework problems) compared to other teachers may harm their retention. We'll see.
Today's slides are most of the lesson, with basically just a rewrite of what I used to do with this topic, just updated with examples from activities I will have done this year. After we go through the basic definition of a function and some examples, I'll have them complete the Function, or Not Activity Builder (slightly remixed from the original by Daniel Henrikson).
For homework tonight I won't ask them to do a screencast but, instead, will ask them to see if they can "figure out" the vertical line test for functions. I'm curious to see how they'll do with this.
Day 9
Today we'll work more with point-slope form. We'll start with an opener that practices writing an equation in point-slope form, then substituting in for x and finding y, substituting in for y and finding x, then writing the equation in slope-intercept form.
We'll then briefly share some of their Des-Person creations.
The lesson will work through the How Long Does It Take To Sober Up? Activity Builder. I'm a little worried about the time it might take to do this, so still thinking if there's a good way to shorten it without skipping something important.
For homework, they'll do a modified version of Mathalicious's Domino Effect.
We'll then briefly share some of their Des-Person creations.
The lesson will work through the How Long Does It Take To Sober Up? Activity Builder. I'm a little worried about the time it might take to do this, so still thinking if there's a good way to shorten it without skipping something important.
For homework, they'll do a modified version of Mathalicious's Domino Effect.
Day 8
Today is a PLC day, so we'll only have a 39 minute class.
Instead of an opener, we'll start with our first assessment over Graphing Stories. I'm not sure I like what I've come up with here. As I mentioned in the Day 7 post, I wanted to keep this relatively short (10 minutes or less) and have them demonstrate their knowledge of various parts of graphing stories (verbal descriptions, tables of values, linear equations with domain restrictions).
Well, I think what I have right now is perhaps a bit too complicated and will take a bit too long. I'm guessing this is closer to 15 minutes instead of 10. And, while I like the problem situation, I'm worried it's too "busy" for students. It's hard to tell, because after a week plus of working with these stories, maybe it will be as straightforward for them as it was for me (in my head) when I was thinking about this. If it is, then it's not too busy and they'll cruise right through it. But if they aren't feeling good about graphing stories at this point, I can see them getting lost in all the details. Your thoughts on this assessment would be appreciated as I think about this more.
After the assessment we'll briefly work on point-slope and standard form. I've never been enamored of standard form, but it's an expectation, so we'll touch on it. Point-slope form is trickier, because it's confusing for a lot of students but, once they understand it, it's useful in a lot of situations. Here are my slides for this quick overview. I'm not happy with these either, but perhaps a boring, straightforward quick look is all they need here. (We'll continue working on point-slope the next few lessons.)
For homework they will continue working on the Des-Person assignment they received the previous day.
This is the first day I don't feel pretty good about. I have questions and concerns about the other days (most notably with timing), but overall feel pretty good about them. This day doesn't feel all that good, starting with the shorter class period, the assessment not being quite right, and the lesson being less than inspired. I'm telling myself that not every day can be fantastic, but I'll be thinking about this one a bit more.
Instead of an opener, we'll start with our first assessment over Graphing Stories. I'm not sure I like what I've come up with here. As I mentioned in the Day 7 post, I wanted to keep this relatively short (10 minutes or less) and have them demonstrate their knowledge of various parts of graphing stories (verbal descriptions, tables of values, linear equations with domain restrictions).
Well, I think what I have right now is perhaps a bit too complicated and will take a bit too long. I'm guessing this is closer to 15 minutes instead of 10. And, while I like the problem situation, I'm worried it's too "busy" for students. It's hard to tell, because after a week plus of working with these stories, maybe it will be as straightforward for them as it was for me (in my head) when I was thinking about this. If it is, then it's not too busy and they'll cruise right through it. But if they aren't feeling good about graphing stories at this point, I can see them getting lost in all the details. Your thoughts on this assessment would be appreciated as I think about this more.
After the assessment we'll briefly work on point-slope and standard form. I've never been enamored of standard form, but it's an expectation, so we'll touch on it. Point-slope form is trickier, because it's confusing for a lot of students but, once they understand it, it's useful in a lot of situations. Here are my slides for this quick overview. I'm not happy with these either, but perhaps a boring, straightforward quick look is all they need here. (We'll continue working on point-slope the next few lessons.)
For homework they will continue working on the Des-Person assignment they received the previous day.
This is the first day I don't feel pretty good about. I have questions and concerns about the other days (most notably with timing), but overall feel pretty good about them. This day doesn't feel all that good, starting with the shorter class period, the assessment not being quite right, and the lesson being less than inspired. I'm telling myself that not every day can be fantastic, but I'll be thinking about this one a bit more.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Day 7
Slightly shorter class period today (53 minutes) because it's an advisory day.
We'll start with an opener called Sloping Letters, which helps them review the idea of positive, negative, zero and undefined slope.
We'll start with an opener called Sloping Letters, which helps them review the idea of positive, negative, zero and undefined slope.
We will then go over a homework screencast and talk about their first assessment tomorrow. This assessment will be over Graphing Stories and will ask them to put together what they know about verbal descriptions, tables of values, linear equations with domain restrictions, and Desmos. I'll explain to them my assessment philosophy and how I will give them an adequate amount of time for the assessment, but not unlimited (therefore they should be prepared). The actual assessment will include a link to a Desmos graph (or possibly Activity Builder, haven't constructed it yet). Right now (may change after I construct it), they will complete the problem, then take a screenshot and upload that to formative. I anticipate giving them about 10 minutes for the problem, but we'll see.
Today's lesson will be a combination of Polygraph Lines and my version of Des-Person/Winking Man Part 1 (part 1 because I'm hoping to create a part 2 and maybe 3 after we do quadratics later in the year). I'm hoping this will be a fun way to reinforce what we've done, including having them focus on some vocabulary (slope, intercept, quadrants, etc.) as well as domain restrictions.
Their homework will be to prepare for the assessment tomorrow (so no screencast), as well as their own Des-Person assignment that will be due on Friday (if I'm on track, today is Tuesday, assessment will be tomorrow on Wednesday, we don't have class on Thursday).
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Day 6
Today we revisit Graphing Stories and the MARS task Interpreting Distance-Time Graphs, but this time we will write linear equations for all the stories that have all linear components - even if they are piecewise.
The opener will review how to find the y-intercept when you aren't given it but, instead, are given the slope and a point, or more often two points and you have to calculate the slope first.
We will then discuss one of the student's homework screencasts from the previous class.
Today's lesson will work through the Activity Builder Graphing Stories Part 2. This will solidify our ability to connect descriptions, tables of values and graphs, and then to be able to write equations for those graphs (including domain restrictions for piecewise functions). As part of this we will need to utilize solving for the y-intercept since we won't always have that for the different pieces of our graph.
For homework they will complete one more graphing story and record a screencast with their thinking. The hope is that by the end of this lesson they are feeling very comfortable with everything related to graphing stories, including writing equations for linear data.
The opener will review how to find the y-intercept when you aren't given it but, instead, are given the slope and a point, or more often two points and you have to calculate the slope first.
We will then discuss one of the student's homework screencasts from the previous class.
Today's lesson will work through the Activity Builder Graphing Stories Part 2. This will solidify our ability to connect descriptions, tables of values and graphs, and then to be able to write equations for those graphs (including domain restrictions for piecewise functions). As part of this we will need to utilize solving for the y-intercept since we won't always have that for the different pieces of our graph.
For homework they will complete one more graphing story and record a screencast with their thinking. The hope is that by the end of this lesson they are feeling very comfortable with everything related to graphing stories, including writing equations for linear data.
Day 5
Today I hope to to cement the connection between a situation, a table of values, the graph, and the equation. The will also begin to connect slope more explicitly with the idea of rate of change and specifically with speed for distance-time graphs.
We'll begin with an opener that reviews slope and connects it to rate of change and speed (screenshots below).
We'll then complete an activity that requires gathering some data on three people walking, entering it into an Activity Builder, then using the data to try to come up with equations to describe their motion. The first walker will start at 0 and walk at an even pace for 10 seconds. The second walker will start at 3 feet (for example) and walk at a steady pace (hopefully slightly different pace than the first walker, we'll see). The third walker will walk a piecewise graph. Starting at 2 feet (for example), walking at a steady rate for 4 seconds, standing still for 3, then walking at a steady rate back toward the starting point for 3 seconds.
The hope is that they will not only connect the actual walk to the data tables and the graph, but they'll get a better idea of how speed relates to the graph and the idea of a domain restriction and piecewise equations. In our next class we will then revisit Graphing Stories and the MARS activity, coming up with equations for any of the linear graphs (including the piecewise ones).
For homework students will take a piecewise table of values, graph it on Desmos and come up with equations, domain restrictions, and a verbal description of what may have happened, then record a short screencast of their thinking.
We'll begin with an opener that reviews slope and connects it to rate of change and speed (screenshots below).
The hope is that they will not only connect the actual walk to the data tables and the graph, but they'll get a better idea of how speed relates to the graph and the idea of a domain restriction and piecewise equations. In our next class we will then revisit Graphing Stories and the MARS activity, coming up with equations for any of the linear graphs (including the piecewise ones).
For homework students will take a piecewise table of values, graph it on Desmos and come up with equations, domain restrictions, and a verbal description of what may have happened, then record a short screencast of their thinking.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Day 4
Today we'll finish the MARS activity we started yesterday, looking at the connection between the tables of values, the graphs, and the verbal descriptions.
I'll use today's opener to again review slope-intercept form, see the screenshots below.
I'll use today's opener to again review slope-intercept form, see the screenshots below.
We'll then discuss one of the student's screencasts of last night's homework problem.
The lesson will continue with the MARS activity, matching the various tables of values to the graphs and verbal descriptions (slides, see the MARS activity for the tables of values we're using).
Today's homework will be to tie together the verbal description, the graph and the table of values, and again use a screencast to share their thinking about the problem.
My hope is that after today they are feeling fairly confident connecting descriptions to graphs to tables of values, and perhaps seeing the connection to rate of change and slope (although we'll make that more explicit in our next class, which is two days away because we don't meet on Thursdays).
Day 3
Today I want to continue exploring the relationship between two related variables, and how to sketch a graph given a verbal description. Today we'll focus on distance/time graphs by using this MARS activity.
I'm going to start with an opener that will hopefully remind them of what they already know about slope-intercept form of a linear equation. Again, in Formative, so I'll give you screenshots.
After discussing the opener, we will then view and discuss one of the screencasts they did for homework last night (the assumption being that at least a few of them were successful). We'll talk about the math in the problem, of course, but we'll also talk about problems anyone had with the screencast process and possible solutions.
We will then move on to the MARS task (outlined in the slides). The entire task is going to take one and a half to two class periods, so I'm anticipating getting through the "sharing posters" phase (bottom of page T-6 in the MARS pdf), then adding in the data tables tomorrow.
Their homework will be to complete the Journey to the Bus Stop activity, including recording and submitting a short screencast to describe their thinking. I again hope they will have the opportunity to start the homework in class and perhaps only have to do the screencast portion outside of class.
I'm going to start with an opener that will hopefully remind them of what they already know about slope-intercept form of a linear equation. Again, in Formative, so I'll give you screenshots.
After discussing the opener, we will then view and discuss one of the screencasts they did for homework last night (the assumption being that at least a few of them were successful). We'll talk about the math in the problem, of course, but we'll also talk about problems anyone had with the screencast process and possible solutions.
We will then move on to the MARS task (outlined in the slides). The entire task is going to take one and a half to two class periods, so I'm anticipating getting through the "sharing posters" phase (bottom of page T-6 in the MARS pdf), then adding in the data tables tomorrow.
Their homework will be to complete the Journey to the Bus Stop activity, including recording and submitting a short screencast to describe their thinking. I again hope they will have the opportunity to start the homework in class and perhaps only have to do the screencast portion outside of class.
Day 2
Since my first day with my Algebra students is a Friday (their second day of school, but Algebra doesn't meet on Thursdays), I sort of feel like Day 2 is my "real" first day with students. My first unit is "Everything Linear", and I want to really hit hard the ideas of relation (and eventually function) and rate of change, while liberally sprinkling in modeling. While it's hard to tell exactly what my students will have had mathematically before me, most of them theoretically will already know how to solve equations, have learned about slope/rate of change, and already done quite a bit of graphing using slope-intercept. (I meet with that incoming 9th grader this Wednesday, so I may have to revisit this statement later this week.)
This day's opener is based on Dan Meyer's 3-Act Sugar Packets. Right now I'm experimenting with Formative and, since I'll be assigning it to my class, I can't link to it so that you can see it. Hopefully these screen shots will give you an idea.
I thought this was an interesting way to start and hopefully immediately engaging. In the past, I've used this as a lesson activity, so I do have some concern that it might be "too much" for an opener. (I also wish Formative allowed a "page break" so that students could enter their estimates, click next, then see the information necessary to solve it exactly; worried they'll scroll down before making estimates.)
Then I decided a great lesson to start with was a Desmos Activity Builder remix of Dan Meyer's Graphing Stories. (FYI - you will be seeing a lot of Desmos and Dan Meyer in subsequent posts.)
I really like how this gets students to think about the relation between two variables in an informal way, yet one that leads to more formal mathematics pretty nicely. Because Desmos recently added the ability to sketch, it fits nicely into Activity Builder. (They are apparently working on the ability to embed videos, right now I just link to them.) I'm reasonably happy with the way this worked out, but am still debating if including all 10 of them is too much. I scaffold the first two, asking them to stop after their sketches so that we can compare everyone's sketches, then turn them loose after that. I think that they'll be able to run with it, but not sure.
Their homework (which hopefully they will get to start on in class - I think I will cut the lesson short if I have to to make sure that happens), is to complete one more graphing story, then record a short screencast describing how they went about coming up with their solution. This will be their first attempt at a "production" screencast (if all goes well they will have practiced on Friday), and I'll make sure to let them know that if they have trouble at first, we'll work through it and that I expect by the end of the week everyone will be able to smoothly make screencasts. (Having the ability to come in on an unscheduled hour will be really helpful here for any students who are really struggling with the screencasts at first.)
This sounds like a great day in my head, but what are your thoughts? Would love to hear feedback, suggested tweaks, or alternatives. (Day 2 Slides)
This day's opener is based on Dan Meyer's 3-Act Sugar Packets. Right now I'm experimenting with Formative and, since I'll be assigning it to my class, I can't link to it so that you can see it. Hopefully these screen shots will give you an idea.
I thought this was an interesting way to start and hopefully immediately engaging. In the past, I've used this as a lesson activity, so I do have some concern that it might be "too much" for an opener. (I also wish Formative allowed a "page break" so that students could enter their estimates, click next, then see the information necessary to solve it exactly; worried they'll scroll down before making estimates.)
Then I decided a great lesson to start with was a Desmos Activity Builder remix of Dan Meyer's Graphing Stories. (FYI - you will be seeing a lot of Desmos and Dan Meyer in subsequent posts.)
I really like how this gets students to think about the relation between two variables in an informal way, yet one that leads to more formal mathematics pretty nicely. Because Desmos recently added the ability to sketch, it fits nicely into Activity Builder. (They are apparently working on the ability to embed videos, right now I just link to them.) I'm reasonably happy with the way this worked out, but am still debating if including all 10 of them is too much. I scaffold the first two, asking them to stop after their sketches so that we can compare everyone's sketches, then turn them loose after that. I think that they'll be able to run with it, but not sure.
Their homework (which hopefully they will get to start on in class - I think I will cut the lesson short if I have to to make sure that happens), is to complete one more graphing story, then record a short screencast describing how they went about coming up with their solution. This will be their first attempt at a "production" screencast (if all goes well they will have practiced on Friday), and I'll make sure to let them know that if they have trouble at first, we'll work through it and that I expect by the end of the week everyone will be able to smoothly make screencasts. (Having the ability to come in on an unscheduled hour will be really helpful here for any students who are really struggling with the screencasts at first.)
This sounds like a great day in my head, but what are your thoughts? Would love to hear feedback, suggested tweaks, or alternatives. (Day 2 Slides)
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Day 1
Our first day of school this year is Thursday, August 18th. My Algebra class doesn't meet on Thursdays, so my first day with them will be Friday, August 19th.
The class starts with announcements over the PA (we meet third period, which is when announcements are scheduled). As they enter the room (I'll greet them at the door) they'll see these slides displayed on the projector. They'll find their seats, listen to the announcements, and hopefully navigate to our class website just fine.
I won't go over Course Expectations (because most of them will hopefully have already read through them), but I will ask if there are any questions. I will then spend just a minute or two on "Fisch Philosophy" in terms of what I want them to get out of the course.
We will then sample all the tech, working through many of the things on the Setup page that they've hopefully already setup, with a big emphasis on helping each other, and generally just getting used to some of the tools we'll be using. While we're doing that, we'll experience a little math along the way, too. (I don't have the sample openers created yet in Kahoot and Formative, nor have I created the sample Activity Builder activity in Desmos, but all of those will be Algebra-related while learning the basics of how the tool works.) We will then create a sample screencast (not Algebra-related, but showing them how to get an image onto their screen that they will need to know for their homework problem each night). If we manage to successfully get through all of this, it will be amazing, but we'll give it a shot.
At the end of class there is a link to "Assignment 0" which is all of the things I suggested they do before school starts, but that is due in a week if they haven't finished some or all of it. Since our first day is a Friday, they'll have a weekend before I'll see them again, and then Monday will be a more "typical" day.
While I wish there was a bit more mathematics on this first day, I'm worried that the tech could be overwhelming so I want to expose them to as much of it as possible right off the bat, have them help each other out, then of course they will see each piece over and over again as we work through lessons each day. Right now, however, with our first class day being on a Friday, this is my best guess of what I'd like to do with this day. I'm still debating whether this is a good idea, or whether I want to introduce one thing at a time over the course of a week or so, so feedback is appreciated.
The class starts with announcements over the PA (we meet third period, which is when announcements are scheduled). As they enter the room (I'll greet them at the door) they'll see these slides displayed on the projector. They'll find their seats, listen to the announcements, and hopefully navigate to our class website just fine.
I won't go over Course Expectations (because most of them will hopefully have already read through them), but I will ask if there are any questions. I will then spend just a minute or two on "Fisch Philosophy" in terms of what I want them to get out of the course.
We will then sample all the tech, working through many of the things on the Setup page that they've hopefully already setup, with a big emphasis on helping each other, and generally just getting used to some of the tools we'll be using. While we're doing that, we'll experience a little math along the way, too. (I don't have the sample openers created yet in Kahoot and Formative, nor have I created the sample Activity Builder activity in Desmos, but all of those will be Algebra-related while learning the basics of how the tool works.) We will then create a sample screencast (not Algebra-related, but showing them how to get an image onto their screen that they will need to know for their homework problem each night). If we manage to successfully get through all of this, it will be amazing, but we'll give it a shot.
At the end of class there is a link to "Assignment 0" which is all of the things I suggested they do before school starts, but that is due in a week if they haven't finished some or all of it. Since our first day is a Friday, they'll have a weekend before I'll see them again, and then Monday will be a more "typical" day.
While I wish there was a bit more mathematics on this first day, I'm worried that the tech could be overwhelming so I want to expose them to as much of it as possible right off the bat, have them help each other out, then of course they will see each piece over and over again as we work through lessons each day. Right now, however, with our first class day being on a Friday, this is my best guess of what I'd like to do with this day. I'm still debating whether this is a good idea, or whether I want to introduce one thing at a time over the course of a week or so, so feedback is appreciated.
Day 0
Last time I was teaching Algebra, as well as for my Computer Science classes this past year, I sent an email to the students that were in my classes (and their parents) before the school year even started. I'm going to do that again with Algebra this coming year. (First day of school is August 18th, I'll probably send the email around July 31st.)
The email is an introduction to me and to the class, as well as asks for some information from them. While they can wait until the school year starts to provide me the information, I encourage them to do it ahead of time both to get it done when they have lots of time and so that I can read through the information before school starts. The email links them to the course expectations page on the class website, which will then have a link to a google form for them to "sign off" that they've read it. This allows them to get an idea of my philosophy and how the class is going to work.
I also have them read my About Me, and then write their own and submit it via a Google Form. This gives them a chance to learn a bit about me personally, and for me to learn at list a bit about them personally. I offer them an opportunity (optional) to join our class Remind group (parents can join, too). And then I suggest they go through some setup on their devices (although I will help them with this if they need it once school starts).
I then ask the parents to give me contact info via a Google Form as well as give them a chance to tell me anything they'd like me to know about their student. And then I give both parents and students a recommended, but completely optional, Mindset assignment. My school did a staff read, and then a community read, of Mindset a year ago, but even before that I thought this was a great way - particularly for incoming freshmen - to begin the year. There's no requirement, but I hope most of them at least try session 1 and that some of them go through all the sessions. We'll see.
This accomplishes (hopefully) several things. It allows them to start getting a handle on how my class is going to be, as well as allows me to start getting to know them. It also allows me not to use the first day of class going over rules and procedures, which they get more than enough of. I assure them that, if they don't want to start before school starts, this will be their first assignment and it will be due at the end of the first full week.
Feedback is appreciated.
The email is an introduction to me and to the class, as well as asks for some information from them. While they can wait until the school year starts to provide me the information, I encourage them to do it ahead of time both to get it done when they have lots of time and so that I can read through the information before school starts. The email links them to the course expectations page on the class website, which will then have a link to a google form for them to "sign off" that they've read it. This allows them to get an idea of my philosophy and how the class is going to work.
I also have them read my About Me, and then write their own and submit it via a Google Form. This gives them a chance to learn a bit about me personally, and for me to learn at list a bit about them personally. I offer them an opportunity (optional) to join our class Remind group (parents can join, too). And then I suggest they go through some setup on their devices (although I will help them with this if they need it once school starts).
I then ask the parents to give me contact info via a Google Form as well as give them a chance to tell me anything they'd like me to know about their student. And then I give both parents and students a recommended, but completely optional, Mindset assignment. My school did a staff read, and then a community read, of Mindset a year ago, but even before that I thought this was a great way - particularly for incoming freshmen - to begin the year. There's no requirement, but I hope most of them at least try session 1 and that some of them go through all the sessions. We'll see.
This accomplishes (hopefully) several things. It allows them to start getting a handle on how my class is going to be, as well as allows me to start getting to know them. It also allows me not to use the first day of class going over rules and procedures, which they get more than enough of. I assure them that, if they don't want to start before school starts, this will be their first assignment and it will be due at the end of the first full week.
Feedback is appreciated.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Organization, Structure and a Crisis of Confidence
One of the things I struggle with (as most teachers do) is the balance between covering the material I'm supposed to cover and taking the time to make sure students understand the material we are covering at the moment. I have no magic answers for this dilemma, but I try to at least ameliorate it by having a year-long plan and being very organized.
For me, I have to be organized. I'm not good at "winging it", and I need the structure (control?) that comes with having everything very well thought out ahead of time. There are (hopefully) obvious upsides to this, but there are some downsides, too. My personality outside of the classroom tends toward efficiency and getting things done, and I'm constantly fighting that tendency inside the classroom. Not that I don't want to be efficient and get things done inside the classroom as well, but I fear that too often that leads to me "telling" the students what to do instead of them figuring it out. The same with my need for structure and organization. While I think that overall that's very helpful to a good classroom experience, I have to be constantly aware that learning is messy and that I can't let my need for structure and organization override the needs of the actual students in the classroom.
When I'm honest with myself (and I try to be most of the time), this is probably my greatest failing as a teacher. The combination of wanting to be "efficient" and "cover" what I feel to be the most important topics in Algebra 1, along with the need for organization, "routine", and not "winging it", constantly puts me at risk of bulldozing through my lesson no matter what is happening on the student side. I'm also not particularly good at "thinking on my feet", at least in the sense of asking the right question at the right time and subtly guiding students. In my quest to "Be Less Helpful", this is a major sticking point.
This point was reinforced to me a day or two ago when I looked through my Algebra 1 lesson plans from the 2013-14 school year (first semester, second semester). (Quick side note for full context: second semester in 2013-14 had some complicating factors). My first response was, "Hey, these were pretty good." Still lots of room for improvement, and I'm willing to push the envelope a bit more now which will change some things but, overall, I liked a lot of the lessons/activities I used back then. And then I remembered how successful they were (or perhaps more accurately, weren't). Don't get me wrong, I think I did okay, and I don't think the students in my Algebra 1 class learned less than the students in the other Algebra 1 classes in my building, but I also don't think they learned anything close to what I thought they should have.
As I was discussing this with my wife, I eventually articulated what I thought the problem was. "I think the problem is me." I don't say that in a "self-deprecating, please compliment me" fashion, but with honest concern. This is not a new feeling for me, but one I had put aside the last few years as I was out of the classroom completely for a year and then teaching only computer science this year (which was sufficiently new enough for me that I don't have calibrated expectations for myself yet). I know that I want to teach like Dan Meyer, Fawn Nguyen, Robert Kaplinsky, Kate Nowak, Jo Boaler, <fill in your favorite math blogger here>, and I will greedily borrow and modify every good idea they talk about, but my problem isn't necessarily coming up with the ideas anymore, it's the implementation. Many (maybe most) of my lessons are great in the planning stage, but only adequate (or worse) when I implement them. Again, I think this is partly because of my desire for efficiency that leads me to short-circuit student thinking, but also my inclination to be a bit more "laid-back" (for lack of a better term) and let students get whatever they are going to get without pushing it.
This is a real dilemma for me, because I desperately want them to get the insights and understanding that I think these lessons should help them get, yet I apparently lack the ability (conviction?) to push hard enough to make that happen. I write that knowing full well how that's going to come across (not well) but, in the interest of being honest with both myself and anyone reading, I think it's important. I've said this before in various blog comments or Twitter replies, but I think often the problem is not that many math teachers don't see the wisdom in a lot of the ideas voiced by folks like those mentioned above, it's just that we aren't good enough to carry them out. (And, yes, it's very possible I"m just projecting here, but it's my blog so I'll project if I want to.)
Okay, so for whatever it's worth, that's a very long run-up to the ostensible purpose of this post, to describe my initial thoughts around the structure and organization of my Algebra 1 class. Let me briefly lay out what a typical day looks like so that, the above angst notwithstanding, you can give me suggestions for improvement if you'd like.
I like to start class with openers. (Many folks call these warm-ups. This may just be semantics – but I don’t really like the connotation of that. That somehow we’re “warming up” for the real work that’s to come, and that this isn’t that important. I like “opener” better because it feels like it begins the learning for the day, not just prepares you to begin. I’m probably over-thinking that.). Because my Algebra class will be 3rd period this year, class will start with announcements read over the PA system. This is both good and bad. It's bad because while we try to keep announcements short (2-3 minutes), you never know how long they are going to be, so you never know exactly how long class is going to be. It's good, however, because it (theoretically) allows the students to be ready to go (laptops on, logged in, opened to whatever link I've given them for the opener) the instant announcements are over. My current thinking is to use a combination of Kahoots and Desmos Activity Builders.
There's nothing magical about Kahoot (there are others you could choose), it's just an easy way to provide a few multiple-choice type openers in a format that's accessible to students and that they like. I used it with my computer science classes this year and it seemed to accomplish what I wanted with the opener, as well as be a little bit "fun" for students. Some enjoy the mock-competition, and I usually try to throw in at least one humorous or offbeat one, so it starts class off well.
Some days I anticipate wanting an opener that is perhaps a bit more in-depth than Kahoot lends itself to, so my plan at the moment is to build some of my openers as activities within Desmos. I haven't yet created an Activity in Desmos (that will happen as soon as I actually start the specific plans, hopefully within the next week) but, from what I've seen browsing through Activities that others have created, I see a lot of potential in this. This kind of opener would take a bit longer than a Kahoot opener and might blur the line a bit between what an "opener" is and just regular instruction, but we'll see.
After the opener (or conceivably before if it's a longer, Activity Builder one), I'm anticipating "going over" the previous night's homework. As I mentioned briefly, my plan is to usually just assign one homework problem each night, but that the emphasis will be on students not just completing the problem, but explaining it. My idea right now is to have them do a (very short, hopefully 1-3 minutes, max) screencast explaining their thinking as they worked through the problem. Some students will have access to a tablet where they could actually do that in real-time (screencast as they work the problem), but I anticipate most of them will work out the problem on paper, take a picture of it, upload it to Google Drive (docs, or drawings if they want to annotate a bit), then use something like Screencastify to record a quick screencast. (The screencast will be in their Google Drive, in a folder that is automatically shared with me, and I'll have them submit the sharing link to the screencast via a Google Form.)
My thinking is that this really gets them to think much more deeply about the problem, and their own thinking, than simply completing a bunch of problems. I will then pick one to share at the beginning of class the next day to address any questions or misconceptions. I'm still trying to decide between picking one screencast randomly versus previewing and trying to pick one that I find particularly interesting for some reason. I'm leaning toward random for two reasons. First, I'm not sure I'll have the time to preview them to pick the "most interesting" one to share. Second, it provides a little bit of "accountability" (as much as I dislike that word) for students if they know I'll just be randomly picking one. (I only plan to "grade" them - for "sincere completion" - and enter into the grade book once a week, and I'll pick which of the four days at random.)
After the opener and going over the homework screencast, we will then proceed with the lesson/activity for the day. At the end of the lesson/activity, my hope is that they will actually have class time to start (and perhaps complete) the written portion of the homework problem, just leaving them to do the actual screencast outside of class when there's no background noise (so a relatively short amount of time required to do that).
My concern with this plan, in addition to the ones expressed in the beginning of this post, is if this is too "routine" and could get boring for students. While I think routine is often good for students (they already have 8 or 9 different teachers in a semester at my school, so that's 8-9 different sets of rules and procedures they have to learn), I know that sometimes routine can get too routine. My hope is that the lessons/activities themselves are varied enough, and engaging enough, that any sense of "too much routine" is mitigated.
The one variation to this plan would be on assessment days. As I mentioned previously, my goal is to give relatively frequent, short assessments (think 5-15 minutes, not full class period). What I've done in the past is on days that we are going to have assessments, the assessment takes the place of the opener (and perhaps the going over the homework screencast, depending on timing). My goal is to get good feedback on student progress using the least amount of class time to do it. (As mentioned previously, if students do poorly they will be able to re-assess outside of class as many times as they wish.)
So, that's my initial plan for the organization and structure of my class (with a large helping of angst on the side). I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.
For me, I have to be organized. I'm not good at "winging it", and I need the structure (control?) that comes with having everything very well thought out ahead of time. There are (hopefully) obvious upsides to this, but there are some downsides, too. My personality outside of the classroom tends toward efficiency and getting things done, and I'm constantly fighting that tendency inside the classroom. Not that I don't want to be efficient and get things done inside the classroom as well, but I fear that too often that leads to me "telling" the students what to do instead of them figuring it out. The same with my need for structure and organization. While I think that overall that's very helpful to a good classroom experience, I have to be constantly aware that learning is messy and that I can't let my need for structure and organization override the needs of the actual students in the classroom.
When I'm honest with myself (and I try to be most of the time), this is probably my greatest failing as a teacher. The combination of wanting to be "efficient" and "cover" what I feel to be the most important topics in Algebra 1, along with the need for organization, "routine", and not "winging it", constantly puts me at risk of bulldozing through my lesson no matter what is happening on the student side. I'm also not particularly good at "thinking on my feet", at least in the sense of asking the right question at the right time and subtly guiding students. In my quest to "Be Less Helpful", this is a major sticking point.
This point was reinforced to me a day or two ago when I looked through my Algebra 1 lesson plans from the 2013-14 school year (first semester, second semester). (Quick side note for full context: second semester in 2013-14 had some complicating factors). My first response was, "Hey, these were pretty good." Still lots of room for improvement, and I'm willing to push the envelope a bit more now which will change some things but, overall, I liked a lot of the lessons/activities I used back then. And then I remembered how successful they were (or perhaps more accurately, weren't). Don't get me wrong, I think I did okay, and I don't think the students in my Algebra 1 class learned less than the students in the other Algebra 1 classes in my building, but I also don't think they learned anything close to what I thought they should have.
As I was discussing this with my wife, I eventually articulated what I thought the problem was. "I think the problem is me." I don't say that in a "self-deprecating, please compliment me" fashion, but with honest concern. This is not a new feeling for me, but one I had put aside the last few years as I was out of the classroom completely for a year and then teaching only computer science this year (which was sufficiently new enough for me that I don't have calibrated expectations for myself yet). I know that I want to teach like Dan Meyer, Fawn Nguyen, Robert Kaplinsky, Kate Nowak, Jo Boaler, <fill in your favorite math blogger here>, and I will greedily borrow and modify every good idea they talk about, but my problem isn't necessarily coming up with the ideas anymore, it's the implementation. Many (maybe most) of my lessons are great in the planning stage, but only adequate (or worse) when I implement them. Again, I think this is partly because of my desire for efficiency that leads me to short-circuit student thinking, but also my inclination to be a bit more "laid-back" (for lack of a better term) and let students get whatever they are going to get without pushing it.
This is a real dilemma for me, because I desperately want them to get the insights and understanding that I think these lessons should help them get, yet I apparently lack the ability (conviction?) to push hard enough to make that happen. I write that knowing full well how that's going to come across (not well) but, in the interest of being honest with both myself and anyone reading, I think it's important. I've said this before in various blog comments or Twitter replies, but I think often the problem is not that many math teachers don't see the wisdom in a lot of the ideas voiced by folks like those mentioned above, it's just that we aren't good enough to carry them out. (And, yes, it's very possible I"m just projecting here, but it's my blog so I'll project if I want to.)
Okay, so for whatever it's worth, that's a very long run-up to the ostensible purpose of this post, to describe my initial thoughts around the structure and organization of my Algebra 1 class. Let me briefly lay out what a typical day looks like so that, the above angst notwithstanding, you can give me suggestions for improvement if you'd like.
I like to start class with openers. (Many folks call these warm-ups. This may just be semantics – but I don’t really like the connotation of that. That somehow we’re “warming up” for the real work that’s to come, and that this isn’t that important. I like “opener” better because it feels like it begins the learning for the day, not just prepares you to begin. I’m probably over-thinking that.). Because my Algebra class will be 3rd period this year, class will start with announcements read over the PA system. This is both good and bad. It's bad because while we try to keep announcements short (2-3 minutes), you never know how long they are going to be, so you never know exactly how long class is going to be. It's good, however, because it (theoretically) allows the students to be ready to go (laptops on, logged in, opened to whatever link I've given them for the opener) the instant announcements are over. My current thinking is to use a combination of Kahoots and Desmos Activity Builders.
There's nothing magical about Kahoot (there are others you could choose), it's just an easy way to provide a few multiple-choice type openers in a format that's accessible to students and that they like. I used it with my computer science classes this year and it seemed to accomplish what I wanted with the opener, as well as be a little bit "fun" for students. Some enjoy the mock-competition, and I usually try to throw in at least one humorous or offbeat one, so it starts class off well.
Some days I anticipate wanting an opener that is perhaps a bit more in-depth than Kahoot lends itself to, so my plan at the moment is to build some of my openers as activities within Desmos. I haven't yet created an Activity in Desmos (that will happen as soon as I actually start the specific plans, hopefully within the next week) but, from what I've seen browsing through Activities that others have created, I see a lot of potential in this. This kind of opener would take a bit longer than a Kahoot opener and might blur the line a bit between what an "opener" is and just regular instruction, but we'll see.
After the opener (or conceivably before if it's a longer, Activity Builder one), I'm anticipating "going over" the previous night's homework. As I mentioned briefly, my plan is to usually just assign one homework problem each night, but that the emphasis will be on students not just completing the problem, but explaining it. My idea right now is to have them do a (very short, hopefully 1-3 minutes, max) screencast explaining their thinking as they worked through the problem. Some students will have access to a tablet where they could actually do that in real-time (screencast as they work the problem), but I anticipate most of them will work out the problem on paper, take a picture of it, upload it to Google Drive (docs, or drawings if they want to annotate a bit), then use something like Screencastify to record a quick screencast. (The screencast will be in their Google Drive, in a folder that is automatically shared with me, and I'll have them submit the sharing link to the screencast via a Google Form.)
My thinking is that this really gets them to think much more deeply about the problem, and their own thinking, than simply completing a bunch of problems. I will then pick one to share at the beginning of class the next day to address any questions or misconceptions. I'm still trying to decide between picking one screencast randomly versus previewing and trying to pick one that I find particularly interesting for some reason. I'm leaning toward random for two reasons. First, I'm not sure I'll have the time to preview them to pick the "most interesting" one to share. Second, it provides a little bit of "accountability" (as much as I dislike that word) for students if they know I'll just be randomly picking one. (I only plan to "grade" them - for "sincere completion" - and enter into the grade book once a week, and I'll pick which of the four days at random.)
After the opener and going over the homework screencast, we will then proceed with the lesson/activity for the day. At the end of the lesson/activity, my hope is that they will actually have class time to start (and perhaps complete) the written portion of the homework problem, just leaving them to do the actual screencast outside of class when there's no background noise (so a relatively short amount of time required to do that).
My concern with this plan, in addition to the ones expressed in the beginning of this post, is if this is too "routine" and could get boring for students. While I think routine is often good for students (they already have 8 or 9 different teachers in a semester at my school, so that's 8-9 different sets of rules and procedures they have to learn), I know that sometimes routine can get too routine. My hope is that the lessons/activities themselves are varied enough, and engaging enough, that any sense of "too much routine" is mitigated.
The one variation to this plan would be on assessment days. As I mentioned previously, my goal is to give relatively frequent, short assessments (think 5-15 minutes, not full class period). What I've done in the past is on days that we are going to have assessments, the assessment takes the place of the opener (and perhaps the going over the homework screencast, depending on timing). My goal is to get good feedback on student progress using the least amount of class time to do it. (As mentioned previously, if students do poorly they will be able to re-assess outside of class as many times as they wish.)
So, that's my initial plan for the organization and structure of my class (with a large helping of angst on the side). I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.
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