Unit 2: Quadratics

These are my notebook pages for my second unit of Math III (kind of like Algebra 2) on Quadratic Equations.

One thing I've started doing for this class is printing a detailed schedule on the back of our table of contents. Of course it is subject to change, but my honors students seem to really appreciate it and it helps me keep all the details of the bigger picture in mind as I go.

The first thing we talk about are operations on complex numbers. Left hand page are some notes I wrote and the right is a maze found here as a free printable from teachers pay teachers. 

The next topic is completing the square. I have them do a geometric investigation first. I got the idea from this site . It ends up that they need to cut the middle piece (ie b) in half. Looking at it now I only see one set of the squares, not sure where I got the three. I will try to scan my copy in. I have them color each row a different color so they can tell the difference between the 3 squares when doing the investigation.

The they go through Kate Nowak's completing the square algebraically. Early finishers continue to work on using the box to understand completing the square. Next time I will probably include Julie's investigation using the box here.

After we've done the investigation we come together and summarize in some notes I made. Available at bottom of post.

We spend another day practicing completing the square.

We then complete the square to find the quadratic formula and move into that.

The right hand page is a cut and paste matching activity I've had for a while from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Next up is factoring. At this point this is their third exposure to factoring. We spend one day on trinomials and four terms, one day on binomials.

Then we move into graphs. This is their 3rd time talking about quadratics, so I focus on changing mathematically between different forms. I have a graphic organizer on the different forms on the left. I copied some of the tables from this website to make the page on the left. Behind the table is the pre-assessment for the MAP shell project on the right.

On the right we used the MAP Shell project "Forming Quadratics". I modified it so they cut and pasted the graphs together rather than doing them as dominoes. Then they pasted it in the book and identified important parts of the quadratic (vertex, zeros, intercepts, etc.). You need to print one copy F/B and then a one-sided copy to make the booklet.

Finally, we talk about parabolas geometrically by discovering how to make a parabola from the focus and directrix. I stole this idea directly from Sarah Hagan at mathequalslove. I had technology issues that day, thus the completely ugly hack of her notes because I couldn't access box to download. Hopefully I will edit and type up mine at some point.

So that's my unit 2 in the notebook. I'm going to do a separate post on the activities I used for practice in class.

Link to all my documents for the unit (and some others from my Math II Quadratics - simplifying the quadratic formula, perfect square trinomials, etc.)

SBG Learning Targets: Math II and Math III

I know it can be helpful to see how others identify topics for standards based grading. I typed mine up tonight and thought I'd share.


 


Click here for the direct link

Unit 1: Parent Functions

The first unit in my Math III (sort of Algebra 2) Honors course is Parent Functions.

1st Day we do the usual type of things and I start off with my favorite problem ever. Hopefully blog post to come on that one.

Day 2 we start right in with content on parent functions. I start them doing the sort from Jonathan Claydon (@rawrdimus) found here printed 2/pg. I emphasize finding connections, using context clues, making a table, etc even though they haven't seen some of the functions before. Once there is consensus we glue it down on some construction paper:

HW that night is to do a sorting activity that goes on the right hand page found at the bottom of the page.

The next day we study transformations. I use the investigations from Jonathan again (great stuff!) found here. We come together to summarize and color-code our transformations with different functions. Once again I print the matching cards 2 per page and this is their HW that night. The next day we did some typical transformations worksheets because most of them were on a field trip. Warmup the first day back we do the half sheet on the right hand page to talk about writing equations. 

Next up we have a brief intro into notation. Here I am indebted to Sarah Hagan at mathequalslove.blogspot.com and use here notes on notation - although I handwrote the instructions in to save copying down time. Followed by some practice on notation on the right hand page. 

From that we move into domain and range. Basically you just need to read Sarah's post here and scroll to the domain and range part. I had great success with this method. We do the sheet on the left hand page together and then I send them off working on the cards. I cut them out and formatted so they would fit on 3 pages and students cut them out the night before.

The only other thing I added was I have a bunch of letter labels sitting around for activities that I hoard and never use - so I decided to use them for this. I've added the template at the bottom of the post. Basically it is from the Avery labels that print 30/pg. They have a problem number and D: and R: written. I like this because then they can 1) not have to flip back and forth to write their answers on the cards and 2) it makes it easier to check as a class. Once they've checked their answers they stick the label on the back and have domain and range flash cards =).

Here we go again with Sarah Hagan =). I was so excited to make this giant metafoldable of awesomeness by combining two of here foldables. I changed what the second one was for to suit my needs. Once we take the notes students glue it on the back of the first set of notes. The first foldable is found here and the second here. Of course it wouldn't be TypeAMathLand if there wasn't some hardcore Color with Purpose (CWP) abounding ;-)

Analogy I use:
Dolphin: Increasing/Decreasing/Constant is whether it is swimming up/down or straight. Positive/Negative is whether it is above the water or below. When students would get the two confused we would go back to the analogy. As cheesy as it is they had the most success with this the first time around I have seen.

After this rather long set of notes (I left off end behavior until the next class), they started some stations on identifying all the important parts of graphs that they finished the next day. If the scanner at school ever works I will load my copy. I basically cut up a traditional worksheet, enlarged the graph and put the same questions by each graph.

And that is my first unit

Link to my documents for the unit: click me =)

Goals for the Spring

Help Students Take Responsibility and Ownership of Their Learning
As with others in the MTBoS, I am trying to help shift my students towards a growth mindset. I really going to harp on the language they use regarding their learning and hopefully kill the phrase "I don't get it" from their vocabulary.

I have some great tracking methods for SBG, but I need to actually use them! I just continually feel the pressure of time and that is what gets cut but I believe students need to see their growth and how they are doing on topics over time.

I also want to start giving more of a schedule of assignments, topics we are covering, important dates, etc to my students. Once again I shy away from it because things change and writing it down makes it more permanent. But the truth is I am generally good at staying on track with pacing and don't often get far off. So why not give students an opportunity to start managing their time better?

Any other suggestions please leave in comments!

Work on Management
The bane of my teaching existence. I need to work on communicating my expectations for classroom behavior early on. Things I let slide this past semester were keeping my supplies orderly, no food/drink, etc. I want to do a lot of interactive activities which requires some good boundaries. I just struggle with implementation.

I'm also planning on incorporating MissCalcul8's "Two Nice Things" where students must say two nice things about someone whenever they say anything negative. I am also looking for something to do with foul language. School policy is to write up but I would rather do something "in house".

Please offer advice - especially on the management piece!

Hello again (Reflections on Fall Semester)

Goodness, I guess it has been a while. Now, to start off I am coming to the conclusion of a crazy semester of three different all new preps on block schedule. The good news? The semester ends next week and I have survived! Next semester I am teaching two Math II's and one Math III Honors.

I feel like after two and a half years I am finally realizing and embracing who I am as a teacher. I have always been one to want to do things right and be perfect but I am realizing that there is not one right way to be a teacher and no book or specific advice that will be bestowed upon me that I need to conform to. All of us are on our journey of growing as educators and we all need to embrace what we can contribute and learn from each other.  It is unrealistic and even undesirable to have each of our classrooms look the same.

Anyway, I am loving my job. It is crazy, frustrating and some days I want to bang my head on a wall or rip my hair out...especially if I have to try to explain triangle congruence one more time. But it is also so deeply rewarding. I've been learning to cherish the sweet moments, the moments where students are honest and vulnerable about how they feel about you and their class. Those moments when students say I'm the most organized teacher they've had even if I have personally felt totally disorganized. When they say I give a lot of work, but it is because they know I care. When they ask if I'm teaching their next math class, because they want to have me again. When they email they appreciate my videos and the things I do to help them above and beyond what I have to.

At the end of the day I am starting to see the difference I am making and that the days of frustration (and sometimes tears) are worth helping some students not hate math, others grow to like or love math and overall connecting with students to let them know I care.

One thing I've learned this semester is that being vulnerable matters. I have truly been myself this semester -embracing as I wanted to this summer - my totally nerdy, enthusiastic, math obsessed, tea-loving, organization-crazed self...and students have responded. My classroom environment is more positive and I feel like even those students who are often hard to reach have had more moments of vulnerability with me.

Last Saturday I led a review session for exams. I had about a third of one my classes attend which I thought was great for being on a weekend. We started wrapping up and my students were begging for me to actually sing for them (not just the quadratic formula to "Pop Goes the Weasel"). At the end I relented and did "On My Own" from Les Miserables. It was a great experience. Apparently I am now booked to sing for their weddings in several years ;-). They were so excited for me (and couldn't understand why I wasn't on American Idol...oh youth's naivete). As they were leaving chatting excitedly about it one of my students yelled back "We love you Mrs. Hester!!!" and that was a moment I will always treasure.

I'm in a reflective mood so this might result in a flurry of reflective posts. Enjoy =)

TMC14 - General Reflection

Now that I have mostly recovered from the complete awesomeness that was TMC14 I thought I would do a couple posts about my experience. 

First of all, I was honestly slightly terrified about going. I thought I would be the only relative "newbie" and would feel like a total outsider. Instead, from the time I arrived it was like being welcomed in to this fabulous, quirky family. 

I came away with a few major things: 

1) There are people like me! This was something I heard over and over and repeatedly reminded me of the quote:" Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself.." CS Lewis. To be surrounded by other people just as passionate about math and teach was, to say the least, incredible. After feeling like the "weird" one at various meetings and schools, it was so sweet to be with people who understood that part of me and didn't have to feel ashamed for my passions...Which leads to my second revelation...

2) I should stop apologizing for who I am. I would like to thank Edmund Harris for a stimulating discussion over lunch one day. I was talking about how I feel like I really hold back my passion for math/teaching, especially among my lower students who are probably the ones who need to see that the most. He reflected that I shouldn't be ashamed. In fact (please imagine a fabulous British accent here)..."if you were a literature professor - teacher - you wouldn't apologize about going home and reading Dickens or Austen - even if it wasn't for your curriculum". Seriously! This was such a light bulb moment for me. It is ok, no it is great, that I am passionate and love what I do - I don't need to hide that or try to pass it off as being weird. 

3) I have something unique to contribute. There have been a lot of talks about inadequacy after and during the conference. I think for me I realized that there were things about my personality/teaching that people were curious about and I could share. Maybe it is my rough start with teaching my first year and feeling like my ideas weren't supported locally, but now I see that there is a great group of teachers who want to learn from each other and I can be part of that. 

4) I have new friends. Now these blogs I follow aren't blogs, they are people with names and faces and great personalities. There is such a difference now reading the same blogs knowing the lovely people behind it!


And as I watch Les Mis right now...let's say "Another story must begin"

Here's to a fabulous new school year, dear friends!