Math Updates 2011-2012

02/01/12: (Day 96) Administered Exam #4 and then corrected it as a class.  Most students did very well and some did poorly.  Those that did poorly need to figure out a way to earn extra points to apply to the exam.  The best way to earn points is to rework the questions on the exam and get the correct answer.  Tomorrow I will give the students and new math assignment.

01/31/12: (Day 95) Reviewed concepts for the unit exam which will be given tomorrow.  I also held a math lab after school to help students get ready for the test.

01/30/12: (Day 94) Corrected homework, worked additional problems and answered questions.  We will review today and tomorrow for final exam on this unit which will be administered next Wednesday.

01/27/12: (Day 93) Reviewed multiplication and division of polynomials.  Homework #18 is posted and due at the beginning of class period on Monday for review.

01/26/12: (Day 92) Began homework problems which will be due tomorrow.  Homework #17 is posted with the following links which may or may not help… Exponent Rules 1, Simplifying Expressions with Exponents, Multiplying Polynomials 1, and Factoring with the Distributive Property.

01/25/12: (Day 91) Reviewed and practiced adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing polynomials with polynomial fractions.  Most all students are starting to “catch on” and even having fun.  I will post homework for these concepts tomorrow evening.  If you would like some review of these concepts please refer to www.khanacademy.com

01/24/12: (Day 90) Worked some more on factoring and introduced finding a LCD to add and subtract polynomial fractions.  We will work on this in class for the next few days before assigning homework on these concepts.

01/23/12: (Day 89) Reviewed concepts we’ve been working on and then introduced factoring of polynomials.  This is a difficult concept for some students and so we will spend a few more days on it.

01/20/12: (Day 88) Corrected homework and worked some additional problems relative to the new concepts.  No homework is assigned for the weekend… Enjoy your weekend!

01/19/12: (Day 87) Instructed students how to multiply and divide polynomials…  Most of them seem to be catching on fairly well.  We won’t spend much time on them… This is more of an introduction.  Homework #16 is posted and due tomorrow.

01/18/12: (Day 86) Corrected and reviewed the homework assignment.  Introduced students to polynomials and how to combine like terms, add and subtract.  There is no homework this evening.

01/17/12: (Day 85) I introduced students to laws of the exponents and worked a number of problems to help them understand these concepts.  They will need this skill set before we get into adding polynomials.  Homework #15 is posted and due tomorrow.

01/12/12: (Day 84) I changed the material on the exam because I felt that students knew the material well enough. After the exam Mrs. Shepard provided pizza, cake and games for students which they very much appreciated.  Have a great weekend and we will begin algebraic equations next Tuesday.

01/11/12: (Day 83) Reviewed how to find surface areas of polygons and volumes of solids for unit exam tomorrow.  I will provide a formula sheet so students do not have to memorize the formulas.

01/10/12: (Day 82) Debriefs were very well done by all today.  We had some visitors who were also very impressed with the debriefs… Great job class!  We will review for the final on this unit tomorrow and take the exam on Thursday.

01/09/12: (Day 81) Practiced briefs which will be due tomorrow.  A couple of the other teachers from WPA will be in to observe the student’s briefs which should be a good experience for students.

01/06/12: (Day 80) Finishing up work on math assignment with debriefs being moved to next Tuesday.  Reviewed homework with students and it seemed they all had a good understanding of the concepts.  Have a great weekend.

01/05/12: (Day 79) Students worked on math assignment.  Homework is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.  I am pleased with the effects of CCSS this year and the efforts of the students.

01/04/12: (Day 78) Math Assignment #15 is posted and will be due Friday to include the debrief.  Homework #14 is also posted and will also be due this Friday.  Taught/reviewed formulas for finding the surface area and volume of cylinders.

01/03/12: (Day 77) Welcome back students!  Most students did an outstanding  job building their pup-tents to specifications given in the math assignment that was due today.  Students also took Honors Math II assessment to help determine concepts they need review on before end-of-year CRT’s.

12/19/11: (Day 76) Posted Math Assignment #14 which will be due on the Tuesday we get back from Christmas vacation… And on that note I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

12/16/11: (Day 75) All teams are improving and have stepped up a level in their debriefs.  One team was just shy of perfect.  It is really exciting for me to watch and experience their improvements and progress.  Have a great weekend.

12/15/11: (Day 74)  Continued work on the math assignment.  Debriefs will be tomorrow along with the homework.

12/14/11: (Day 73) Homework #13 is assigned and will be due this Friday along with the debrief on the math assignment.  The homework covers finding the volume of various solids.

12/13/11: (Day 72) Continued work on math assignment.  Also reviewed concepts related to finding the volume of various solids such as a sphere, cone, and four-sided pyramid.

12/12/11: (Day 71) Posted Math Assignment #13 which will be due Friday.  It will be solved in groups.  New groups were assigned and are as follows:

Annalise           Lex          Paula          Luke          Jacob

Nathan             Corbin    Dalton       Stryder     Ethan
Wes                   Mike       Parker        Jonah       Aubrey
Michael            Adam                          Ben           Karsten

12/09/11: (Day 70) Administered Exam #3 on Number Systems.  After the exam was graded I worked all of the problems on the whiteboard for student’s review.  Monday we will begin Unit 4 which deals with finding the volume of prisms, cylinders, spheres and solids.

12/08/11: (Day 69) Reviewed coordinate planes, absolute values, opposite numbers, and exponents.  We also reviewed for the final exam on Unit 3 (Number Systems) which will be administered tomorrow.

12/07/11: (Day 68) Reviewed the following concepts today: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimal numbers.  Also, reviewed GCF and LCM.  Spent the rest of the time talking about the math assignment.  After some discussion I changed the math assignment to doubling a penny for 30 days to see how large the number would become.  This assignment is due tomorrow and will replace the original assignment.

12/06/11: (Day 67) Showed the class Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” TV classic.  We discussed different scientists and how they made discoveries that were suppressed by their cultures.  My point in showing this movie was to try and get students excited about science and engineering.  Most seemed interested and indicated that they liked watching these “kinds” of shows on the Science channel or Discovery channel.  We will continue working on our math problem tomorrow.

12/05/11: (Day 66) Posted Math Assignment #12.  This assignment will be due Thursday to include detailed notes of the problems solving process and solution to the problem.  This is an individual assignment.

12/02/11: (Day 65) Assigned various students to present their solutions to the math assignment.  There were basically two solutions to the problem which were represented.  We also corrected homework and worked a few similar problems on the whiteboard.  The next math assignment will be posted on Monday.

12/01/11: (Day 64) Continued work on math assignment and homework.  Introduced the next objective which is division.  This will be more of a review for this group in consideration of their current math skills and will not contain a math assignment but will require a homework assignment; Homework #12.

11/30/11: (Day 63) Math Assignment #11 is posted to include Homework #11.  Both of these assignments will be due this Friday.  We will be working individually on this assignment.

11/29/11: (Day 62) Signed interested students up for the “Math Matters” math competition which will be held this January.  Reviewed selected problems on yesterdays math benchmark test and played a math game.  We will begin a new unit tomorrow dealing with operations of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.

11/28/11: (Day 61) Students took the Math Benchmark II test which assesses their math skills based on the old math core. They need to know these concepts since 30% of the CRT will be on the old core–at least this year anyway.  Most all students scored 90% or better!

11/22/11: (Day 60) Students took  the exam for the unit on geometry…  First indications looked good.  Have a great Thanksgiving holiday and see you next Monday!

11/21/11: (Day 59) Reviewed concepts covered throughout the geometry unit to prepare students for tomorrows exam.  Students may review many of the concepts by watching this PowerPoint.

11/18/11: (Day 58) I was very pleased with the debriefs that the students presented today… They all improved over the last one and the “Slythering” group really exceeded expectations.  All but three student’s homework was acceptable and it was a great day in math class!

11/17/11: (Day 57) I have posted Homework #10 and it is due tomorrow.  Students practiced delivering their debriefs so as to present them in a more professional format.  I can’t wait until tomorrow to see how well they will do.

11/16/11: (Day 56) Continued work on math assignment.  Homework for this objective will be posted tomorrow and will be due Friday along with the debriefs.  Monday I will review the unit and Tuesday I will administer the unit exam.

11/15/11: (Day 55) Worked on math assignment.  Solving the problem is easy for this one, but the answer will be somewhat more difficult.  I am trying to get students to concentrate on fine tuning their presentations for this debrief.

11/14/11: (Day 54) Posted Math Assignment #10 for the final objective of the geometry standard.  It will be due this Friday.  Homework for this objective will be given sometime this week.

11/11/11: (Day 53) All but two students did very well on the homework problems so I am feeling really good about that.  Two of the groups were exceptional and this is the second time this has happened for these groups.  Maybe its time to switch groups… I’ll give it some thought after the next math assignment.

11/10/11: (Day 52) Continued work in the assigned math problem.  Debriefs and homework will be due tomorrow.

11/09/11: (Day 51) This current math problem is proving to be a real challenge for students; particularly in the modeling and formulating the equation.  It will be interesting to see what they come up with.  Debriefs will be due Friday.  Homework #9 is now posted and will also be due Friday.

11/08/11: (Day 50) Continued work on math assignment.  Also reviewed inequalities and comparing numbers and fractions.  I will be administering Benchmark II math assessment after this unit on geometry.

11/07/11: (Day 49) Math Assignment #9 is posted and tentatively due next Friday.  This is a problem that will require graphing inequalities with ordered pairs and should be a very challenging problem for students to solve.

11/04/11: (Day 48) All teams did fairly well on their debriefs today and overall they are improving their problem solving process as individuals and as teams.  We also corrected homework and most all students did very well on it.  I am pleased with their progress this year thus far even though it has been challenging for them and myself as well.  As I teach math with the inquiry/discovery based approach I am convinced more than ever that it is a better way than direct instruction and independent practice.  My students are a great bunch of kids with a bright future ahead of them.

Monday we will start a new math assignment with accompanying homework.

11/03/11: (Day 47) Teams should be done with debriefs to present tomorrow.  Homework is also due tomorrow.  We will correct it at the beginning of class.

11/02/11: (Day 46) Worked on math assignment which will be due Friday.  Groups are starting to click and to work more efficiently.  Slithering presented their debrief today and did an outstanding job on their presentation!

11/01/11: (Day 45) Corrected and reviewed homework.  Three of four groups presented their debriefs.  Debriefs were just satisfactory… I expected more from students at this point.  I will spend some time tomorrow reviewing my expectations.  Math Assignment #8 is now posted for students to begin working on.  This will be done in class as individual assignment so that I can model what is expected more clearly.  Homework #8 is also posted and will be due Friday at the beginning of class.

10/28/11: (Day 44) Homework #7 is posted and due Tuesday at the beginning of class.  Continued work on math assignment which is now due Tuesday also.  Have a great three days off!

10/27/11: (Day 43) Continued work on math assignment.  Students are learning to better refine their debriefs and work more effectively as a team in the problem solving process.

10/26/11: (Day 42) Posted Math Assignment #7 for students to begin work on.  Debriefs will be due next Tuesday at the beginning of class.  Monday is a teacher training day and students will be out of school.

10/25/11: (Day 41) Corrected and reviewed math concepts students missed on the Math Benchmark I assessment.  Introduction to the next unit, geometry concepts, which we will begin tomorrow.

10/24/11: (Day 40) Reviewed Exam 1 with students.  Administered Math Benchmark I to determine what concepts students didn’t understand under the old State Math core.  I will review or teach the concepts they had problems on tomorrow.  If students didn’t finish this test in class with a score of 80% or better, they need to retake it at home this evening.

10/19/11: (Day 39) Administered the unit exam on rates and proportions.  I will have the results of the test posted in SIS by next Monday.  I will review the test with the students on Monday.

10/18/11: (Day 38) Reviewed ratio and proportion concepts for the exam tomorrow.  All debriefs from the remaining groups, which were not ready to present yesterday, need to be given by the end of the term to receive any credit.  Study for the exam tomorrow!

10/17/11: (Day 37) Only two groups were prepared to give their debriefs and they were excellent!  The “C.O.W.S.” have set the standard for notes and debriefs.  Tomorrow I will conduct a review for the exam on this unit and then I will administer the test on Wednesday.

10/14/11: (Day 36) Corrected and reviewed the homework assignment.  Students then finished up their PowerPoint presentations to debrief next Monday.  Have a great weekend!

10/13/11: (Day 35) Homework #6 assigned and due tomorrow and debriefs for Math Assignment #6 will be due Monday.  This will conclude the unit for proportions and ratios.  We will review this unit Tuesday and take the exam on Wednesday.

10/12/11: (Day 34) Debriefs will be due this Friday.  Students finished up their models of the current problem and began work on the algebraic equation/analysis which will be due tomorrow.

10/11/11: (Day 33) Continued work on math assignment.  Students should have their individual model finished and be ready to share it with their group tomorrow at the beginning of class.

10/10/11: (Day 32) Posted Math Assignment #6.  I will model how the problem solving process should be conducted in groups so I cannot determine at this time when this assignment will be due.

10/07/11: (Day 31) Students took the math “Dibels” test to benchmark their progress for the year. This test will also help me to identify what basic concepts they may need some additional work on for the CRT’s.  Monday I will post the final math assignment in ratios and proportions.

10/06/11: (Day 30) Debriefs didn’t go too well today primarily because of group dynamics.  So I will prepare some lessons on working effectively in groups and teach these lessons to the class next week by integrating them into our new math assignment.

10/05/11: (Day 29) Continued to work on the math assignment which is due tomorrow.  I am looking forward to the debriefs in that students have been working hard on this problem and from what I have seen their attention to detail is improving.

10/04/11: (Day 28) I moved the due date for the math assignment to Thursday because many students are struggling with the model for this problem.  I also noticed a problem with “Thinking Blocks” in that it only allows up to 40 blocks which is not sufficient to model this problem.  Hopefully students realize this too and switch to “Word.”

10/03/11: (Day 27) Worked on the math assignment which well be due Wednesday.  Students are progressing very well under the problem solving format and seem to enjoying it more too!

09/30/11: (Day 26) Posted Math Assignment #5… Debriefs will be next due next Wednesday.  This should be a really fun assignment for students to work on.  Thanks to those parents who came to “Math Night” last Wednesday… If you have any questions please feel free to email.  Have a great weekend and go Cougars!

09/29/11: (Day 25) Discussed homework problem and solution as well as its purpose.  The main purpose of this exercise was to use the problem solving process to defend the answer acquired.  Also introduced students to “Thinking Blocks” website and how to use it to assist them in modeling their math problems.  A new math assignment will be posted tomorrow.

09/28/11: (Day 24) Worked on ratio related problems and skills sets.  Homework #5 is posted and is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.  Do not spend more than 35 minutes on the homework.

09/27/11: (Day 23) Math Assignment #4 is posted and due at the end of class period.  This is an individual assignment and does not involve a debrief but will be turned in to Mrs. Shepard for review.  Homework #4 is posted and is due tomorrow.  This will count as extra credit and must be turned in at the beginning of class.

Parent/Teacher conferences are tonight and tomorrow night from 4-7 p.m. and I highly encourage you to attend.

09/26/11: (Day 22) Worked relevant word problems with the entire class.  Some students are still struggling with the modeling element of the problems solving process… So we concentrated on that skill set.

09/23/11: (Day 21) Reviewed homework and worked on elements of the problem solving process.  Will start on a new math assignment next Tuesday.

09/22/11: (Day 20) Debriefs didn’t go very well today in that most of the groups were not prepared.  Notes were not very well done even though I showed students what notes should look like after the last debriefs.  I will do a mock session with four students to show everyone what is expected for the next debrief.  Homework #3 is assigned and due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

09/21/11: (Day 19) Finished up work on Math Assignment #3… Debriefs are due tomorrow.  I will post a new homework assignment tomorrow which will be due Friday.  I encourage parents to attend “Math Night” tonight.  I will not attend this evening but will be there for the presentation next week.

09/20/11: (Day 18) Corrected Homework #2 problems and turned in. Students worked on assigned math problem. I reaffirmed my mandate that students should not spend more than 30 to 40 minutes on homework unless they want to. If there are any questions, please email me or comment below.

09/19/11: (Day 17) Worked problems for Quiz #1-Answers on whiteboard.  Posted Math Assignment #3 for students to begin work on.  Debriefs will be due Thursday.  Homework #2 is also posted and will be due tomorrow.

09/16/11: (Day 16) Administered Quiz #1 and corrected it.  Students need to rework the problems they missed until they get them correct.  They will then receive one-half credit for those problems.  I will assign and post Math Assignment #3 next Monday.  Have a great weekend and go Cougars!

09/15/11: (Day 15) Today I reviewed addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions, to include variables, with the students.  I will give Quiz #1 tomorrow during math on the concepts which we covered yesterday and today… Will review afterwards.

09/14/11: (Day 14) Reviewed what note taking in solving a math assignment problem entails, how to construct a debrief, and how to deliver a debrief.  We decided to use the scientific method format for note taking and debriefs.  Also reviewed how homework should be turned in and what it should look like. Reviewed cross multiplication of fractions and how two ratios set equal to each other are proportions. Will review basic math concepts Thursday and Friday.

09/13/11: (Day 13) Called on five students to present their debriefs. All debriefs were fairly well done and presentation skills are improving. We are going to take a break for the next few days to reflect on what we have learned so far with the problem solving process and how we can improve on it. I will post the new math assignment next Monday.

09/12/11: (Day 12) Collected homework and discussed some of the vocabulary words for Unit 1 which are: factors, multiple, rate table, unit rate, ratio, rate, constant rate, unit price, coordinate plane, ordered pairs, coordinates, speed, distance, time, equivalent, ratios, proportion, greatest common factor, scale.  Each student is assigned a word to research and then teach to the class.  Tomorrow we will hear five debriefs on Math Assignment #2.  All other students will need to hand-in their notes on the problem using the problem solving process.

09/09/11: (Day 11) Corrected homework problems from last night… Homework #1 will be due and handed in Monday. Worked on Math Assignment #2 which we will finish up next Monday and debrief Tuesday.

09/08/11: (Day 10) Posted Math Assignment #2 for students to begin work on.  This will be an individual assignment, although they will work in groups to help each other.  Homework #1 is also posted be due tomorrow and turned in Monday. While the students were working on their new math problem, I debriefed each group on the rubric I will use to grade them in the future on the problem solving process.

09/07/11: (Day 9) Reps from each group presented their debriefs to the class and I was very impressed with them overall.  Mrs. Shepard sat in on the debriefs and students conveyed to her their enthusiasm for the problem solving process we are using to learn math.  There is no homework for this evening… Good job guys!

09/06/11: (Day 8) Students finished preparing their debriefs which are due tomorrow.  They have worked hard to employ the problem solving process in completing the assignment.  I am really looking forward to tomorrow… We should learn a lot and have a lot of fun doing it!

09/02/11: (Day 7) Students worked on assigned problem and will finish it up on Tuesday.  They will give their debriefs on Wednesday and I will model a debrief to give them a better idea of what I am looking for.  Have a great Labor Day weekend!

09/01/11: (Day 6) Assigned math vocabulary words to students to research and present to class on Friday.  Organized students into groups and posted Math Assignment #1 for students to begin work on.  We may take a little longer on this assignment, than planned, since it is our first official one of the year.

08/31/11: (Day 5) Continued work on problems involving ratio and critiquing the students debriefings.  Will start and post first official assignment tomorrow.

08/30/11: (Day 4) Worked on a story problem involving ratios and critiqued students on their debrief to the class.  A debrief is a student presenting to the class their problem solving process with an example of a model and mathematical equation.  Their peers then ask questions and give constructive criticism to help improve the debrief in the future.  Again, we will work on this for a couple of days.

08/29/11: (Day 3) Discussed various strategies for solving assigned problems and what the problem solving process looks like under the new common core.  We will work on this concept for a couple of days or until I feel comfortable that students know what I expect of them.

Most students did very well on the inventory test… this should be a great year for math!

08/26/11: (Day 2) Administered the 6th Grade Inventory Test – Form A.

08/25/11: (Day 1) Introduced students to the format of the new common core math standards (CCSS)… Parents can read about it here.  Also discussed policies, procedures, and classroom rules.

Tomorrow I will give the students a math inventory test to determine what required concepts they don’t know so that I will be sure to cover them in greater depth throughout the year.