Snowy Slope Practice

I am always looking for new ways to engage, especially if it's cheesy. And if you are too, here is an activity for you! A comprehensive slope review with a snowy cheesy twist, solve the riddle!

Students will solve the problems then look around the room/hall for the answer (I print on bright colored half sheets). They will then fill out the riddle on the back based on the word under the answer.

There is also an individual activity with all the wall sheets on one page as below:

As always, these are fully editable so you can use it for any concept or change it for specific needs.

And, I love fonts! I provide both Word and PDF but if you need to change and don't want to mess with formatting, I use the font KG Blank Space which you can get for FREE on dafont.com here!

Get ALL my resources for FREE here!

I included both versions of the activity for whole class and individual student.

As always, please let me know if you see any errors that need correcting!

Enjoy!

Lisa

Achoo... the Tissue Box Project!

Last year, a colleague shared a project she did at the beginning of the year using a tissue box and covering some basic math functions. I decided to turn it in to a cumulative project of basic algebraic functions and a little math trivia.

It includes a linear function, quadratic function and exponential function. I developed coordinate grids for each problem set so the students could see and compare the graph behavior.

I created 22 problem sets and will share them all with you (see the link below). 

After the initial instruction, I discovered that they really benefitted from a template so that they had all the information ready to design their box. I added this to the back of the rubric.

Many students cut the tables out to use on their box so you might want some extras!

Here is my sample:

Here are a couple of videos of the process with the students:

For virtual students, I adapted the project to a presentation. I allowed students to use Graphfree.com to create the graphs. I love Graphfree.com here is a short video on how the students can use it for the project or for you to check it out!

I had some wonderful submissions as well! And even used a student one for a sample (mine is the minimum though- his was way better). I'll include it in my resources. 

You could, of course, make them all a presentation but this year has been very sparse on hands on and they really need it sometimes. I wish you could see the painstaking way they spend so much time gluing their beads or chenille sticks on. It is magical. It does take it's toll on the teacher. Lot's of sanitizing and cleaning but the creative outlet for my students is worth every wipe and bend to pick up.

Lastly, let's talk fonts! I have a problem, I'm a font girl. I will redo entire activities with a different font that I like better! As a result, most things I create have different fonts. For this one, I used KG Payphone which you can get for free here on Dafont.com. I have provided both PDF and Word Documents so you might want to download if you don't want to mess with formatting!

Get all my project resources for FREE here!

As always, please let me know if you see any typos or mistakes! 

Enjoy!

Lisa

Linear Graphing is Among Us!

This year has been crazy and I will not take the time here to discuss all the changes and challenges. I just wanted to let you all know why I have not posted earlier. The time to create has been non-existent, the motivation and creativity, zapped... but this week I feel like I've got a flow and as a result, did some creating!

Working on linear equations, I decided my tried and true Zombie themed assignment was just not what I wanted to do this year as I wanted fewer problems and I also like to use our standardized test coordinate planes.

A result of this is.... 

Among Us Impostor Search!

This is based on a new computer/app that students are playing. I learned this from my son who has informed me of all the ins and outs. Basically, everyone is a character and you are trying to seek out and identify the 'Impostors'.  

The equations are a variety of forms but it is editable!

A short but sweet post. Hope you enjoy! And please let me know if you find any mistakes or areas that need correction. If you would be a copy of the key, please contact me from your school email at camfan54@att.net. I will only send keys to school teacher emails to help protect the integrity of the assignment. Thank you!

Get the resources for FREE here! 

 

A student drew this on their WS 🥰

Enjoy,

Lisa

Wheel of Equations Notes

I love gimmicks!  Interactive notebooks lend themselves to gimmicks and the Wheel of Equations are perfect!  This is a short post sharing my favorite note delivery template!

Yes, I hum as I rotate the wheel to the next problem.  And yes, I purposely chose problems far from each other on the wheel so the Wheel of Fortune theme could be fully completed in my glorious nerdy humming display.

I got this from a grant I participated in a few summers ago from Jennifer Clayton and Valerie Blackburn.  It was probably my favorite takeaway!  It also allowed for more problems on my one-page notes too so... extra practice!!

I first gave a top sheet of the 3 Questions and then had them connect the wheel directly to ther notebook.  This was to conserve paper.

I discovered that students are not very versed in brads/brass fasteners so I started doing it whole page which made it easier to use in the notebook.

The wheel perfectly fits in the blank space and the page perfectly fits in a spiral notebook!

I have them put the brad right through the middle!  These notes are always a hit and the students periodically play with the wheel.  It's also easy to refer back to these notes because they are so unique!

They, of course, could be adapted to any note or activity!

Get all the templates here for FREE!!

For any keys, please feel free to email me at camfan54@att.net from your school or professional account.  I've had students try and email for keys in the past but luckily their email said student! 

Enjoy!  And I'd love to hear feedback or any other things you create with it!

Lisa

Slope Graffiti

No holds barred!!  Fill the paper!! Tag it up!  It's Slope Graffiti!

I want you to tell me everything you can about the equation assigned.  Everything!  The more the better.  There is really no right or wrong here.  It is just about recalling and applying their knowledge. I first did this in a grant I attended several summers ago and have made it a regular assignment in my Algebra 1 and Math Models Classes. 

In Math Models (a post Algebra 1 class), I do this on the third day of school!  It takes a bit of effort and many students to have a difficult time writing down anything about math.  Many can say it and remember it but actually putting it down takes practice that I focus on throughout the year.  In Algebra 1, I assign this after all necessary teaching and practice have been done on slope-intercept form.

I have 2 versions.  The first have the equations in slope-intercept form.  The next time we do it, 2nd semester in Algebra, it is in standard form.  I provide a graph template for them as well so they do not have to draw a graph free hand.  I allow one full class period.

I have a PPT with 4 different slides of equations.  On each one, I did put the parent function.  I display this throughout the class period.  they do work in groups so I have very relevant math vocabulary as their Group Names.  

I have had some beautiful and excellent projects over the years but unfortunately lost them to the floods so I cannot show you.  One of the few things I did not photograph!!  Ugh!!!  Generally, later on in the year, there is a lot more 'writing' on the posters but my students did an excellent job this year for the third day of school.  

There were a lot of laughs, some struggles, but in the end they all remembered the critical basic information!  Below are some selected pictures from this year.

I have been working for 3 years now to have students write more about math so you can definitely see a progression throughout the year when I ask them to do these type activities.  I also have a notebook/journal warm-up that goes along with this concept:

They are just instructed to tell me anything they can about it!  I also have a bunch of one page different equations they could do.  I will include all of them in the link below.  The font used is KG Girls on Fire and can be downloaded here for FREE!  I just love fonts!!!

Get all my resources for Slope Graffiti here for FREE!!

Thank You and Enjoy! 
Lisa

Headbands Are All the 'Math' Rage!

Where do I start with this little piece of genius I was taught a few summers back?!?!  There are no words for the educational value of these 6 strips of paper.  

Way back in the summer of 2016, my life was forever changed when I joined a grant through Texas Regional Collaboratives.  UTMB in Galveston had a Grant taught by Valerie Blackburn and Jennifer Clayton.  

So of course, I needed to create one for my class.  This little gem was shared and it has snowballed on our campus!  Yes, almost all levels of core math use it now. 

The first one was a little more intense than I realized and lasted way longer than I planned BUT the results were well worth it!  We spent 30 minutes in my Algebra 1 class doing the slope from tables one.  I was able to get a lot of formative assessment and in the end ALL students completed and worked diligently on 6 critical problems. 

This resulted in one of my favorite teaching moments of all time... 

Student: 'What's the point of this?'

Me: **thinking quickly of a witty response** 'When you put it on your head, you are learning by osmosis."  **secretly hoping they buy this**

Students:  'Oh my gosh, we are learning about that now in biology!! Cool!!'

Me: **thinking score cross-curricular vocabulary.**

I sent it to my principal laughing at the cross-curricular tie and it ended up going all though the district.  I even had teachers telling me students were wearing it in the cafeteria.  Later that year one student pulled it out and put it on during a test and when I asked him why, he said it made him feel smarter.  #teachermoment

Now let me share how to create your very first headband!  Any 6 problems will work and it is basically like a scavenger/mouse hunt.  You place the answer to a different problem on the left of the headband and a problem in the middle.  They solve the problem and connect/match it to the answer on a different piece forming a complete headband!

What I made a mistake of and was a reason the first time took so long was that you want to make all pieces connected like above.  The first time I had each piece with a space between and those precision cutters took forever!

AND DO NOT make them in order either... or then you have to redo and mix them all up... I've already been there, done that!

Each student recieves one copy of the headband to cut and construct.  I have a cut one projected on the board to show expectations. Sometimes I'll work one but most of the time I just demonstrate my expectations about connecting.  They solve the problem and look for the answer on another piece them solve that problem until they are back to the first piece.  Instant assessment for them which are my favorite kind of activities. 

I also have all mine designed to fit on 1 page.  Just as an FYI... these are great for those dark colored papers you might have that you can't really use for a WS.

AND don't worry, I've got templates for you as well as ALL my headbands shared below!

Another tip is to have students tape or staple them together so they can put them on right away.  And they will likely need to overlap and measure as they go.  I make them show work on the bands and just cover the answer or arrow.  One kiddo ended up making a belt instead so they can be pretty big. 

Here is what a couple of completed ones look like...

To store them, I just added a headband envelope in our notebook.

I'm not really sure how to say that I love these things!  I love seeing seniors wear them and post on their social media.  I even offer some credit for wearing them outside my class.  Anything to have kids talk about math!  

Some get creative with their'Headbands' too...

Get all resources here for FREE!!!  

I have them both in Word and PDF as always!  If you want my font, Janda Curly Girl, it is downloadable for free here!  It's one of my favorites!!

For any keys, please feel free to email me at camfan54@att.net from your school or professional account.  I've had students try and email for keys in the past but luckily their email said student! 

Enjoy the rage!!
Lisa

Exponential vs. Linear Growth Project

Would you rather have $10000 a day or start with a quarter and have it double every day?  

This is the essence of this project for students.  I have done it in both Algebra 1 and Math Models.  I have the 4 most common coin denominations, penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.  Students are first supposed to pick a scenario and tell me why.  They then do the math!

I set it up for 21 days as we use TI-84 graphing calculators and I wanted them to be able to view the tables without dealing with Scientific Notation.  One of our state standards is to compare and identify exponential and linear functions which this project accomplishes.  

On the back of the sheet is a detailed Rubric as well.

We have used this as an activity and a major grade.  The rubric is required for the major grade in our school so you might not need it.

I also make them present the project in front of the class.  Here is my teacher rubric for the presentations.

This year, all students were complete with their math and graphs, ready to start their poster on the 2nd day.  I will have them present the 3rd day.

I also provided them a graph template and gave each group 2, one for each scenario.  This seemed to help as well make a more clean presentation.  

The right hand scenario is based on a Fermi question and they get that amount on the 21st day, therefore you do not add the prior day amount on either scenario.  It's really just to have them apply exponential and linear functions and compare.

This did come at the end of my Exponential Function Unit and they have already done regression in the calculator.

Both years, the students seemed to enjoy this and usually fed into the logic of it by choosing the first scenario.  You, of course, could edit and change the amounts to reflect what you want them to achieve. 

Download all resources here for FREE in Word and PDF.  In the Word version, I used my favorite font, Janda Curlygirl!  You can download it for free here.

Hope you and your students enjoy!

Thanks,
Lisa

Desk Hop or Scooting Linear Equations

So standardized math tests in Texas have become reading tests.  I love teaching math and I am comfortable with being the class they all hate and hearing whines of 'I hate math' ring through the room.  I think it's all part of being a high school math teacher and I fully embrace the attitude and let the kids know.  I tell them I understand their plight and their dismal attitude as they walk in my class.  I tell them it's ok to hate me but...

I'm going to teach you math.  I'm going to help you pass that test you need to graduate.  You can hate me but you are going to do it.

For years we have been teaching kids to solve problems.  Equations of all kinds and difficulties but then I slowly came to realize, that they are not just solving equations... they have to read a passage and interpret the information before they can solve.  For the past few years I've worked hard to have kids read and write more in math.

Problem solved right?

Not exactly, it's an ongoing work.  This year I have a different set of kids and see the same difficulties that I always have.  I can't just teach them to solve it.  I can't just focus on the test anymore because these kiddos need more.  They need a reason to solve it.  They need to know what it is.  They need to put the phones down and stop SnapChatting through my notes!!!!! ;-)

These kids are older and need to be able to use the math in the real world.

They need to be able to read and interpret math and use their language skills and math skills in tandem to make sense of it all.

So what does x equal?  More importantly, what does it mean? What exactly is the slope?  Why does this equation have a +3200 instead of a -3200?

Last year I received the Desk Hop/Scoot activity for linear functions created by a friend and mentor, Valerie Clem Blackburn.  This activity encompasses all the things needed to interpret, write and solve linear functions.  I think it is great as a major grade too and does take some time but is well worth it.  You may download it here.  The first 2 pages are the questions which you only need one copy of, the last 2 are the student WS and you will need one for each student front and back.

Print the problems one sided on colored card stock.  I then laminate and cut each problem separately.  I tape them to the corner of 20 desks or seating areas in the class.

The little orange squares are the Desk Hop Problems.

 

(The yellow ones are mini formula charts that are on there all year.)

They are small and this means kids will need to 'desk hop' or 'scoot' to each problem!  They can't just sit down and read from around the room or solve on the student worksheet.  Sometimes they even have to mingle with other classmates face-to-face with no puppy filters, flashing peace signs, flower crown filters or hashtags!!  Scary huh?

The students are given a student sheet and hop or scoot to each desk as needed.  When first given to me, we were given a set time for each problem of 2 minutes and the teacher or timer prompted us to hop/scoot.  With my kiddos, I discovered to let them move at their own pace but have an end of work time counter on the board to let them see how much time they had left.  I use the kooky classroom timers where we eagerly anticipate which dinosaur or robot will finish first!  I get them online here for FREE!  

I have done this with grades 9-12 and they all needed more than a 52 minute class period to finish.  I did some brief notes at the beginning which you can get here.  These notes were just for review and not initial instruction.

I love that it has them interpret the m and b in context of real scenarios instead of just tell me what it is.  This really challenges them and I feel it is tremendously helpful.  I love it so much that I did another version to use again which you will find here.  I know we still have quadratics and exponentials and radicals to trudge through but you always need practice on the basics!  

For any keys, please feel free to email me at camfan54@att.net from your school or professional account.  I've had students try and email for keys in the past but luckily their email said student! 

Thanks!

Lisa