Week three of school has come and gone. In our Algebra 1 classes we continued to work on solving multi-step equations, and Friday's test showed that most students are improving their skills in this area. Data from Friday's test gave us the knowledge we need to see which students could use some additional instruction and in what specific areas.
Meanwhile, we are moving to a new Standard where we focus on Dimensional Analysis and converting units (feet to meters, miles to inches, hours to seconds, etc.). We are still using the Gradual Release model in our instruction. During the week we had students come to the board and "teach the class" how to work a problem. We had an Algebra-Rally where students worked in teams to answer the most questions in the least amount of time. We worked on new vocabulary using the online site Quizlet and vocabulary puzzles. And we continued our Friday ticket raffle for each class, where student put the tickets they earned during the week (for positive behavior, excellent work, and class participation) into a "hat." Two girls and two boys from each class won prizes for their hard work during the week. This coming week, students will be given individual feedback on their current grade, and what can be done to improve the grade if needed.
0 Comments
Summary of Week 2: 8/19/19 to 8/23/19This week we rolled up our sleeves and got down to the business of solving one- and two-step equations. An example of a two-step equation would be paying for a taxi. Typically there is a base fee and then a fee of so much per mile. That might look like $2.00 plus $3.00 per mile. In our Algebra 1 class that would look like Cost = 2 + 3m. We continued to practice the underlying skills needed to solve these types of equations, such as combining like terms and using the distributive property correctly.
Students also spent time looking at the results of their Friday assessment and comparing their results to the prior week's test. Sixth Period was awarded the Star of the Week for highest average grade of all the Algebra 1+ classes. We are encouraging friendly competition between the class sections. This week, each period selected a specific wolf mascot to represent their class (6th period is the White Tundra Wolf). New material was added to our website this week, including some "how-to" math videos in both Spanish and English. Click on the Assignments tab and then on the Video Resources selection in that drop-down menu to see what's been added. Overall, the students have been well-behaved and show that they want to learn. Ms. Lowrance and I are working on contacting each parent to introduce ourselves. This week, students also learned that a positive attitude, improved skills and helping other students will earn them classroom tickets that they can use in our Friday prize drawing for useful (and sometimes not-so-useful) trinkets. The week in review:
Week one at Cordova High came and went and a lot of great stuff happened! Teachers started right off with instruction and students were (mostly) on time and ready to learn. Summer is nice, but so is seeing your friends and being a year older. In the Algebra 1 classes, Freshman were finally into the Big School and were learning to negotiate the hallways to their classes. In our math class, students went from learning the rules and procedures of Room 209 to learning the first moves in solving multi-step equations. On Monday the students paired up and interviewed each other to learn their names, interests and goals, and then shared what they learned with the whole class. Then the partners went on an in-class scavenger hunt to locate things like markers, tape and stapler, where our Rules and Procedures can be found, where student work will be put up, and where the daily learning Standard and Objective are posted. During the rest of the week we reviewed pre-Algebra skills like multiplying monomials (and learning what a monomial is!), the parts of the Real Number System, and the distributive property. We did a lot of different types of activities as we practiced. We visited the online site, Quizlet, where the week’s vocabulary words were listed and defined. We worked in pairs and small groups to practice distributive property problems. We did a “Real Number Walk” where students identified which parts of the Number System their numbers belonged in. Students took notes each day and learned what CFUs are (they are “Check for Understandings”). (Schools have a lot acronyms!) We practiced the teaching/learning style of “gradual release,” which begins with the teacher introducing an idea and demonstrating what the student is to do. I’ll make another post just about what “gradual release” is as an educational technique and why it’s used. One CFU technique we did this week involved Kahoot – an online quiz game kids love. We built the game specifically for the material we’d covered up until then and the students played to win! Throughout the week students earned tickets for extra-good work and math-practice games. On Friday we a random drawing of tickets and gave small prizes to 4 deserving students in each class. Prizes included a homework pass, a fidget toy, a small water bottle – things like that. We plan to hold a ticket drawing each Friday. The more tickets a student earns during the week, the more chances she or he has of winning something. Also on friday we took our first test using Mastery Connect, a program that allows teachers to quickly grade tests and learn what types of questions the whole class missed and what each individual student did well on (and not-so-well on). Information like that helps Ms. Lowrance and me to direct our teaching focus to what is most needed by each student. Coming Attractions: Next week will see us doing one- and two-step equations. We will set up a Remind phone app for Room 209’s classes. This way Ms. Lowrance and I can better communicate with students and parents. In Closing: This was a long post! I will probably never write one this long again, but it is the first week and I am still excited about how it all went. Ms. Lowrance and I hope that these posts will help us to foster a strong learning community between students, their parents and ourselves. Feel free to contact us anytime at the email and phone numbers listed on the CONTACT tab at the top of the webpage. And thank you for the opportunity to teach your child. |