Totally Off Topic... How to make a 'real' headband!

So I know this is a math centered blog but today I'm going to do a little real life application on how to make a headband for woking out. Not to be confused with my favorite educational tool headbands. If looking for the classroom headband blog, you can click here! Today, as most days, I will go off topic and post my workout headband how to here so I can easily share with some awesome peeps that have asked for the info. Thank you for indulging me!

I am a sewer by Pinterest. Seriously, I just wanted to be able to make some of the cute stuff I saw on Pinterest. With a little Youtube and some patience from the wonderful sewing store in Joann Fabric, I have been able to enjoy sewing and make some unique costumes to entertain the students or adhere to lesson themes 😆

I do a lot of winging it and do not really measure. I finally did for those that asked as well as knowing how much material I needed as some stretchy licensed materials are quite expensive!

So to start, the math! I use 1/2 yard stretchy fabric. I cut rectangles in 9 inch by 19-21 inch squares. Really, I wing it and measure it around my head but since I know my head is on the ginormous side, I often make some smaller. They all fit so somedays it just depends how tight I want to wear the band during my walks! 

Make sure you cut with the stretch as some materials vary. You want to make sure the stretch goes lengthwise.

  

Fold the pieces printed signs in lengthwise.

I set the sewing machine to stretch medium and a zig zag stitch. I have a Husqvarna Sapphire 930 for reference and it sets the stitch length and width when I choose the material.

Turn the fabric right side out. 

I then fold about 1/2 inch in on one end and tuck the other end into it.

  

I then choose the standard straight stitch and change the material to stretch heavy since the area being sewn is so thick.

I then sew a straight stitch across the gathered part. I have learned that there is no way to get it flush but that's okay! I just wanted to be able to personalize my headbands and make them anytime I want for whatever I want!

The results are a headband approximately 18 inches by 4 inches. It varies based on sewing as stretchy material likes to move some and I am not a master sewer in any type of way!

Hope you enjoy! Look at all that math I applied in the 'real' world!

Lisa

The Smiley Emojis of Linear Systems

So... finals are approaching and so is the end of our Systems Unit. Frantic planning for next semester and engaging activities for the end of this one are flying through my mind and OneDrive. 

Thinking ahead to Polynomials, I searched the internet for some activities as I wanted something new for adding and subtracting. I like all activities to be instant feedback so wanted something along those lines. In the past I used this assignment from charlotte_james615 at TES.

It is perfect and she has a ton of versions but I just needed to change it up as I have quite a few repeaters. Enter this brilliant piece of Polynomial activity magic from Strength in Numbers on Teachers Pay Teachers. 

Honestly, it was just what I needed the week before finals. I quite enjoyed coloring the hearts with my Twistable Crayons! 

Enter Inspiration!!! As we are wrapping up Systems, I need a little more practice on finding the intersection in the calculator. Hmmm... what do students know that they could draw... enter Emojis! Emojis were picked by some of my students and below is a completed student one!

I decided I wanted several version since I was only asking them to complete 4 problems. I did 4 problems per page but all the answers are the same. Each page has 4 different answers though!

This was strictly to practice calculator skills but I have provided both word and PDF for you in case you want to change it. After my first grammar mistake ridden WS, I think I have it streamlined. Every answer will be used and each of the 3 pages has different emojis.

The students got pretty serious about their emojis! 

Loves seeing that A in 'STEAM' learning in full force. And the best part, it was exactly the practice they needed and brain break they needed all in one!

The font I used was KG Payphone and you can download it free here at dafont.com! As always, I am providing you the Word and PDF! 

Download the activity for free HERE!

For answer keys, please email camfan54@att.net from an official teacher school or professional account that I can verify. I have had a number of students and generic email accounts request keys. I don't want to ruin the integrity of an assignment for any of you. Thank you and hope you understand.

If you see any mistakes, please let me know as I already found a horrid grammatical error I didn't notice before they were printed for class. December teacher brain!

Enjoy!

Lisa

Generic Escape Room 2!

Got 8 problems?  Then you can ESCAPE with this generic escape room! And it is made for the whole class to do!

WiFi connection and bar code scanner are necessary as you need to be able to QR Code scan and access Google Docs as well as Google for trivia.

Last year, I shared a generic escape room template and how to easily set it up yourself.  I included the needed items as well.  See original post here.

This year, I wanted to change it up a bit since I have quite a few repeaters so I used the exact same concept but changed the 'Clues'. One clue is shown below.  Last time, I had science clues so mixed it up a little to bring in come other subjects. A little cross curricular action here!

I also discovered they needed a 'master' clue sheet to keep record on and created the following Class Clue Sheet.  There is also one in the original escape room folder.

As last time, each group gets a clue and I adjust based on the number of groups. I make sure I do small lock clue then large lock clue so they have to wait until all groups finish to open both locks.

I found this super cute detective border at pageborders.org if you want to find something to theme around. The unique font I used was KG Broken Vessels Sketch and you can download from dafont.com for free here! 

These clues will remain in place as long as I have this Google account so you may have your kids use them.  REMEMBER.... if you copy them it will change all the QR Codes so you will need to recreate everything (I think!)

Everything you need to escape any assignment AGAIN can be found here for FREE!!  

Enjoy!
Lisa

Harry Potter Graphing

Wizardingly quick post for my Harry Potter themed graphing activity. Just this year I discovered the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and am now imposing it on all my students. I love having a theme in assignments and Quidditch made a great goal for this needed skill.

My geometry team specifically needs the graphing skill of a point and slope but not in the formula. I like to make assignments that are also formative assessment where students know right away if they are doing it correctly. All the lines intersect and bludger or the snitch!

Get the worksheet here for free! I have it in both Word and PDF. If you are interested in the font, it is free on dafont.com!

Hopefully this will be the first of other Wizarding graphing activities!

Enjoy!

Lisa

Pygmy Puff Project

For the past 2 years, I have done a Pumpkin Project for linear equations that is incredible! One of the most amazing resources I ever purchased was the Algebra 1 Curriculum from Algebra Accents on Teachers Pay Teachers!  She also sales a lot of very useful bundles and individual activities.  The Linear Equations 3D Pumpkin Garland is worth every single penny!  I highly recommend it!

As I planned this year, I realized the number of repeaters I have means I needed to do something different.  Always, and I mean ALWAYS inspired by Algebra Accents, I decided to create a project with similar construction but based on the needs of my students.

Something round-ish... something that could be done at any time... most importantly, something that I could use a lot of colors of paper on because we are out of orange!

And this year, I discovered the magic of Harry Potter!

And we have a Pygmy Puff Project!

I have included 4 different types of linear function graphing with 5 pages each. That is over 600 possible versions!

The types of equations include:
     -Slope-Intercept Form
     -Point-Slope Form
     -Standard Form
     -Graphing from a Point and a Slope

These are the ones that my students needed for their future math class so I designed it with input from my colleagues.  The Harry potter theme was all my nerdiness.

I put 2 problems on each page for 5 different pages you could use for each type of problem.  As always, ALL are EDITABLE! 

I also saved in PDF in case you like the font and cannot download. The font was called Harry P and is FREE on dafont.com! 

I've included a picture collage of the physical construction as well as the feet and face template. Get all my resources for Free here! 

I will add more pictures and reflection as my students complete it but wanted to share in case you could use it.  

As always, please let me know if you have any feedback!

Enjoy!
Lisa

What's Your Mission... Patch?

Last February, I attended NASA's Space Exploration Educators Conference (SEEC) at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  One word, WOW!  What an incredible experience.  I attended every minute of learning and really got caught up in the magic and amazement of space exploration.  Now, I live around the corner, could probably walk to NASA so to say, I took it for granted would be an understatement.  I knew it was there but now I realize what a gift it is.

That is Walter posing in my pictures of the legendary Gene Kranz and the Shuttle Mock-up.  He attended many a session with me throughout the weekend.

I had never heard of SEEC until this year and hope to never miss another one.  Starting with this post, I will be sharing several lessons that were inspired by SEEC that my friend Valerie Blackburn and I developed for our Summer Camp that we made Space themed after attending SEEC!  It really had us wrapped up in the moment and still using the knowledge 4 months later to help foster learning and creativity in students!

This blog entry is to share the Design Your Own Mission Patch activity we developed from a great presentation by Brian Ewenson.  Below is the patch that Walter and I created to represent me as a teacher!

Valerie and I wanted to embrace the A in STEAM learning and allow for not only creativity but some personal ownership and self of each team member.  We were blown away.  Every 'Mission' (table group) really embraced the activity and theme.  Below were our patches and Mission Worksheets.

 

 

 

These were fabulous.  The WS template (pictured below) was to allow freedom to pick things that represented them, rather it be video games or pizza!  We wanted them to own their Mission

There is a great lesson template online from New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science LodeStar Astronomy Center that can be found here.  Me being me, or course, I had to make it harder on myself.  I needed like 10 Patch options so every option was available to the students.

We also had a handout developed from all our research and gave one to each group so they knew the history and inspiration that goes in to a Mission Patch design.  The above lesson from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science LodeStar Astronomy Center has some great information.

You may get our badge templates and rubric here for FREE!

I want to use this in my math class next year.  I think it would be a great way to set a math goal and have the students tell me about them selves.  It can be used beyond Space learning!  I love how our students embraced the activity and taught us about themselves!

Enjoy,
Lisa