We dove into solving two-step linear equations with the 8th grade today. Period 2 took a pre-test on this material today. I am going to use these results to determine where I need to focus my instruction through the remainder of the unit. These pre-tests were marked, but will not end up in the grade-book. We further our discussion by looking at simplifying algebraic expressions tomorrow.
The 6th grade will be taking their final assessment on Order of Operations tomorrow. Today, we reviewed these steps again. In addition, we did a lesson on exponents. I am interested to see how the students do on this, because we seemed to know what we were doing during class.
The 7th grade looked at turning word phrases into algebraic expressions. We looked at words that we might read that would lead us to use any of the four main operations. We also introduced substituting values in for variables in algebraic expressions. We will do more work in this area tomorrow and introduce simplifying algebraic expressions as well.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
Chapter 2 Introductions
I returned tests from our Unit One Assessment from Friday. I spent a good portion of both classes explaining the process for a retest: Students must show their work on all corrections and hand-in to me. I will then go over their answers and provide feedback. If it appears the student is able to explain their errors, they can then retake the Unit One Assessment. The grade would be for a replacement grade.
I follow this process because I have found students rush to retake the assessment without really learning from their errors. Completing the corrections allows the students to ask for help prior to retaking the test.
We are starting Unit Two which involved solving various linear equations. We started to reviewing one-step linear equations from last year. I am hoping to build on this success tomorrow with a little more advance equations.
The Sixth Grade dove a little deeper into Order of Operations when we introduced exponents. We will cover this new topic over the next couple of days along with our basic introduction to variables and expressions. They will be able to retake their assessment as well as long as they follow the process described above.
Lastly, the Seventh Grade began our introduction into our Algebra Unit by talking about some basic vocabulary terms: variables, coefficients and expressions. We will continue tomorrow with simplifying some of these expressions through the Substitution Property. We will be solving linear equations soon. I really enjoy this work with algebra. Love having the students learn to do something they first thought was impossible.
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I follow this process because I have found students rush to retake the assessment without really learning from their errors. Completing the corrections allows the students to ask for help prior to retaking the test.
We are starting Unit Two which involved solving various linear equations. We started to reviewing one-step linear equations from last year. I am hoping to build on this success tomorrow with a little more advance equations.
The Sixth Grade dove a little deeper into Order of Operations when we introduced exponents. We will cover this new topic over the next couple of days along with our basic introduction to variables and expressions. They will be able to retake their assessment as well as long as they follow the process described above.
Lastly, the Seventh Grade began our introduction into our Algebra Unit by talking about some basic vocabulary terms: variables, coefficients and expressions. We will continue tomorrow with simplifying some of these expressions through the Substitution Property. We will be solving linear equations soon. I really enjoy this work with algebra. Love having the students learn to do something they first thought was impossible.
Friday, October 3, 2014
TGIF (10/3)
Students do not mind taking risks if they know that the environment both encourages the risk taking and provides ample opportunities to improve our learning. After reviewing the assessments taken today, we still have a lot of work to do in several areas:
1. In 8th grade, finding the length of a leg when we know the other leg and the hypotenuse.
2. In 6th grade, lining the decimals up when we add or subtract.
3. In 7th grade, we need more work on dividing with decimals.
Even though I am planning to move into Chapter 2 next week, we will still be spiraling back to make sure we secure up these areas. I consider each of these to important to just breeze through. I will be able to provide better numbers next week after analyzing the results a little better Monday. I still have several students in a couple of classes that did not finish.
Have a great weekend.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Review Day 10/2
The students worked through review problems today for all three grades. We spent time going over answers and reviewing any problems they had incorrect. We also spent time in groups to give the students a chance to collaborate further on topics they knew they had difficulty with before the test tomorrow. I am working hard at giving the students chances to control their own learning.
I also gave several 8th graders some Enrichment work on adding and subtracting radicals. This is 9th grade Algebra work, but I had several that showed an interest in trying the next level. I enjoy providing my students with this opportunity to see how what we are learning now will make next year's work easier. I am anxious to see how they did.
I was happy with the way the 7th grade bounced back to show they understood the concepts that will be on tomorrow's test. During their group work, I was able to circulate enough to hear each student discussing the problems. Through those informal observations, I was able to determine that a large majority of the classes understood the material to have the exam tomorrow.
On a side note, we were introduced to Google Classroom Tuesday during our teacher common time. I am really excited about the possibilities this technology will bring to my classroom. I can not believe Google offers this for free. If you have not checked this out, you need to do so. You create classes that have "codes" the students enter to join the class. You then have the option of sending videos, documents or attachments to each student individually. I think I may be even closer to flipping my classroom in the near future.
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I also gave several 8th graders some Enrichment work on adding and subtracting radicals. This is 9th grade Algebra work, but I had several that showed an interest in trying the next level. I enjoy providing my students with this opportunity to see how what we are learning now will make next year's work easier. I am anxious to see how they did.
I was happy with the way the 7th grade bounced back to show they understood the concepts that will be on tomorrow's test. During their group work, I was able to circulate enough to hear each student discussing the problems. Through those informal observations, I was able to determine that a large majority of the classes understood the material to have the exam tomorrow.
On a side note, we were introduced to Google Classroom Tuesday during our teacher common time. I am really excited about the possibilities this technology will bring to my classroom. I can not believe Google offers this for free. If you have not checked this out, you need to do so. You create classes that have "codes" the students enter to join the class. You then have the option of sending videos, documents or attachments to each student individually. I think I may be even closer to flipping my classroom in the near future.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
A Tale of Two Cities (10/1)
The 8th Grade did another great job working their way through the Unit Review for Pythagorean Theorem and Number Sense with Radicals. I am happy with their progress through using the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between two points on a coordinate plane. I enjoyed walking around the room hearing the groups talk math. I have learned that my group after lunch needs that discussion to further their learning. So, I am making that a point to include that group discussion time in every class. The tough part is going to be getting me to stop talking early enough. I am excited to see how they do on their end of unit assessment on Friday.
We are wrapping up our discussion on Decimal Computation in 6th Grade. We did a little more work on dividing decimals and completed our review for chapter 1. We will do a quick formative assessment tomorrow in class to determine if we are ready for our end of unit exam Friday. I am happy with the progress we have shown, but may still look into timed multiplication drills for some of our students. I think we would be better if we were a little more solid with our math facts.
We stalled a little today in 7th grade. We are having a tough time remembering the steps when working with fractions. We are still getting confused on when we need to find a common denominator (addition and subtraction) and when we do not (multiplication and division). Unless they do a great job convincing me tomorrow, that end of unit test planned for Friday will be rescheduled. I can not proceed with an exam that I know only 1/3 of the class is handling the material. Not a good situation for anyone. I will need to brainstorm some ideas to get them some extra practice.
Again, I was happy with the group work for all of the classes. For the most part, the conversations are centered around what we are working on. If not, they are quickly redirected. Also, I like that time to be able to meet up with the ones I know are struggling to reinforce some skill. However, I make sure I meet up with the students that show evidence of mastery already and provide them with a little more advanced work. Working hard to meet everyone at their level...
We are wrapping up our discussion on Decimal Computation in 6th Grade. We did a little more work on dividing decimals and completed our review for chapter 1. We will do a quick formative assessment tomorrow in class to determine if we are ready for our end of unit exam Friday. I am happy with the progress we have shown, but may still look into timed multiplication drills for some of our students. I think we would be better if we were a little more solid with our math facts.
We stalled a little today in 7th grade. We are having a tough time remembering the steps when working with fractions. We are still getting confused on when we need to find a common denominator (addition and subtraction) and when we do not (multiplication and division). Unless they do a great job convincing me tomorrow, that end of unit test planned for Friday will be rescheduled. I can not proceed with an exam that I know only 1/3 of the class is handling the material. Not a good situation for anyone. I will need to brainstorm some ideas to get them some extra practice.
Again, I was happy with the group work for all of the classes. For the most part, the conversations are centered around what we are working on. If not, they are quickly redirected. Also, I like that time to be able to meet up with the ones I know are struggling to reinforce some skill. However, I make sure I meet up with the students that show evidence of mastery already and provide them with a little more advanced work. Working hard to meet everyone at their level...
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
9/30: Summary and Reflections
Today with our 8th graders, we further explored the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem and the Distance Formula. I am very happy that the students do seem to be getting these rather advanced topics. I am happy that the students feel safe and comfortable to ask questions, but I need to balance that with an ability to try problems on their own. This a skill that will be ongoing throughout the year. I do think we are going to do well on our Unit 1 Test Friday.
I am thrilled that a good number of students submitted corrections from our first quiz today. This will allow them to retake the quiz once I look through their work and provide feedback. The group work today was productive because I was able to meet with the students who did not do well on the formative assessment yesterday and explain to them where their errors were. The one on one time is crucial. I am working hard to make that a staple in every class period.
Our 6th graders are doing a great job with Order of Operations. We still need to remember our rules for multiplying and dividing, but we are getting there. Our decimal test Friday should go well as long as we remember that we need to line up the decimals when we add and subtract.
The 7th grade is winding down their Unit on Number Sense with some work on multiplying fractions and decimals. We are also still working on adding and subtracting after reviewing the formative assessment we completed on this topic. I would like to move that average from the current 75% to over a 90%. I am going to make a point of meeting with the ones still struggling with this either in small group or individually to provide feedback.
We will be tackling dividing fractions and decimals tomorrow. I would like to wind down this Unit Friday, but will push back the assessment if I do not have evidence that the students are ready.
I am thrilled that a good number of students submitted corrections from our first quiz today. This will allow them to retake the quiz once I look through their work and provide feedback. The group work today was productive because I was able to meet with the students who did not do well on the formative assessment yesterday and explain to them where their errors were. The one on one time is crucial. I am working hard to make that a staple in every class period.
Our 6th graders are doing a great job with Order of Operations. We still need to remember our rules for multiplying and dividing, but we are getting there. Our decimal test Friday should go well as long as we remember that we need to line up the decimals when we add and subtract.
The 7th grade is winding down their Unit on Number Sense with some work on multiplying fractions and decimals. We are also still working on adding and subtracting after reviewing the formative assessment we completed on this topic. I would like to move that average from the current 75% to over a 90%. I am going to make a point of meeting with the ones still struggling with this either in small group or individually to provide feedback.
We will be tackling dividing fractions and decimals tomorrow. I would like to wind down this Unit Friday, but will push back the assessment if I do not have evidence that the students are ready.
Monday, September 29, 2014
9/29/2014 Summary/Refelction
Today in 8th grade we introduced two new concepts: The Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem and Using the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between two points on a coordinate plane. The classes seemed to do very well with both concepts. I will need to use the assignment in a couple of days to see how well they actually did understand both concepts.
In addition, we reviewed Using Pythagorean Theorem. The Formative Assessment I used showed that the classes are solid (95% get it when asked to find c), but only 70% get it when they have to find one of the legs. Therefore, we will need to do a few more example problems tomorrow before our end of chapter test Friday. Lastly, I handed back their quizzes from Friday on Estimating Irrational Square Roots and Classifying Rational/Irrational Numbers. Students can retake either part of that quiz once they meet with me to go over their corrections.
The 6th graders are finishing up their chapter on Decimal Operations by working on Order of Operations. We have been working on this the past couple of school days. Our pre-test data showed an average of a 35%. After giving the students a formative assessment this morning, that average jumped to a 75%. We are still going to have to work on consistently doing our parentheses work before multiplying or dividing, but we are getting there.
The 7th grade is finishing up their unit on Number Sense by remembering how to Add and Subtract fractions and decimals. I handed back their quizzed from Friday on Integers. The students can retake any part of that quiz for a higher grade once they meet with me to go over their errors. Both classes showed a lower average (65%) on subtracting integers than adding and multiplying/dividing (85% and 95% respectively).
In addition, we reviewed Using Pythagorean Theorem. The Formative Assessment I used showed that the classes are solid (95% get it when asked to find c), but only 70% get it when they have to find one of the legs. Therefore, we will need to do a few more example problems tomorrow before our end of chapter test Friday. Lastly, I handed back their quizzes from Friday on Estimating Irrational Square Roots and Classifying Rational/Irrational Numbers. Students can retake either part of that quiz once they meet with me to go over their corrections.
The 6th graders are finishing up their chapter on Decimal Operations by working on Order of Operations. We have been working on this the past couple of school days. Our pre-test data showed an average of a 35%. After giving the students a formative assessment this morning, that average jumped to a 75%. We are still going to have to work on consistently doing our parentheses work before multiplying or dividing, but we are getting there.
The 7th grade is finishing up their unit on Number Sense by remembering how to Add and Subtract fractions and decimals. I handed back their quizzed from Friday on Integers. The students can retake any part of that quiz for a higher grade once they meet with me to go over their errors. Both classes showed a lower average (65%) on subtracting integers than adding and multiplying/dividing (85% and 95% respectively).
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