Strategy #2 - Occasional Paper
The name of this strategy is called the occasional paper. An occasional paper is a brief written reflection. It is an assignment that is to be read aloud to the class on a volunteer basis. It is not a graded assignment so there is no fear of failure. Students are able to choose when they will complete the assignment and what they want to write about. This strategy provides students with writing and reading practice on a personal level. It is the most appropriately used by assigning a given number that must be completed by the end of a unit or a quarter. Other than that there is no hard due date. At the beginning or end of each class ask the students to volunteer to share their occasional papers. Once a student has shared their paper then you should open it up to the class for discussion. Teachers should use this strategy because it makes a connection between what the students experience outside of school and what they do in class. It also teaches students to listen and appreciate the differences between themselves and their classmates. This strategy could also open up discussions about different cultures as students share their own personal experiences. As a math teacher I would like to be able to use occasional papers to make a connection between the concepts that the students learn in class and the math they see in the real world. Students are always asking, “When will we ever use this?”. I would like for them to be able to find instances on their own and share it with the class. I think they would be surprised at how often math appears in their daily lives.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Strategy #1
Strategy #1 - Flip Book
The name of the strategy is called flip book. This strategy is helpful for the students throughout the entire year as they are learning vocabulary. As we learn new words in the unit I have them pull out their flip book so we can write down the word, the pronunciation, and an example. The students begin with a binder, a piece of card stock, and a pack of 3” by 5” lined index cards. The index cards will be taped down on the card stock in an alternating fashion going from left to right with one on top of the other. Only the top of the index cards should be taped down and about an inch of each card should be showing. The word is written on the index card in the 1” space that is showing. The definition and pronunciation are written on the front of the card and the example is written on the back of the card. I also have them color code the vocabulary terms to separate the terms in each unit. The flip book keeps all of their vocabulary words in one location for the entire year. It helps the students, especially English Language Learners, to organize the vocabulary terms and master the terminology. Not only are they learning the definitions but they have an example of each word to use as a reference. I let my English Language Learners use their flip book on their quizzes but not their tests.
Text #2
Text #2 - Factoring Rap Video
This video is a rap that was created by two high school math teachers and their students to help the students master the concept of factoring quadratic equations. It reminds them to find the greatest common factor first and then factor the equation based on the signs and term values. The video covers difference of squares and quadratic equations with a leading coefficient of one. I also really like how it reminds the students to check their work by using the FOIL method.
My students absolutely love this video! I play the video at the very beginning of the unit before I start instruction. And I will have the video playing every day after that as the students walk into my room. They always start by thinking that it is cheesy but by the end of the unit they are singing and dancing to it. This video provides the students with something to grasp onto besides their notes. It is simply another way to enforce the concept but it peaks the students’ interest at the same time. At the end of the unit I have the students create a video of themselves factoring a quadratic equation. They get to work in a group of 4 and they can create a music video or a skit, whichever they feel the most comfortable with. If they want to volunteer to show their video to the class then I will allow them to but otherwise I will be the only one seeing the videos because I know I usually have some pretty shy students. I really enjoy this assignment because it allows my students to showcase their musical and theatrical talents.
Schultz, & Winner. (2010, November 8). Teach Me How To Factor (WSHS Math Rap Song). Retrieved September 25, 2015.
Text #1
Text #1 - Stand and Deliver
A high school math teacher, Jaime Escalante, works in a rough part of Los Angeles that consists of mostly minorities and is in danger of being shut down for inadequate test scores. However Mr. Escalante is determined to prove to everyone that his dropout prone students can achieve anything with the right motivation and support. In fact he goes as far as to claim that he can get his once below grade level students to pass the AP Calculus exam. He pushes these students to come in before school starts, after school, on Saturdays, and even during the summer. The students learn to respect and love Mr. Escalante and they work hard to meet his expectations. He has so much faith in his students that they don’t want to disappoint him and they even gain self-confidence in the process. The time comes for them to take the AP Calculus exam and...SPOILER ALERT...they all pass! Unfortunately because of “test abnormalities” the students are accused of cheating. Mr. Escalante and the students refuse to let this be the end and they agree to retake the exam. They spend countless hours reviewing and...SPOILER ALERT...they all pass yet again!
**Now I obviously make the whole process sound a lot easier than it actually was. They struggle throughout the entire movie and almost give up on several occasions. They must persevere through several obstacles. It is truly an inspiring movie!**
After the students watch Stand and Deliver they will be given the percentages of high school dropouts based on race for a given year. They will work in a group of 4 to create a histogram with the data that they are given. Each group is given a different year and they must draw their histogram on a large piece of paper. I will put the histograms up around the room and the students will be required to walk around the room and write down comparisons and contrasts and at least 1 piece of information that they found interesting. We will then discuss what they wrote down as a class. Next I will give them the average test scores of 17 year olds for 12 different years based on their race. They will be required to create a box-and-whisker plot for each race’s set of data with a partner. All of the box-and-whisker plots will be drawn on the same piece of paper so they can compare the scores between all of the races. I will check that their box-and-whisker plots are correct and then individually they will have to write a minimum of a paragraph about what they can infer from the box-and-whisker plots. I will have them read their paragraphs at the beginning of class the next day so we can discuss their findings as a class.
Menendez, R. (Director). (1998). Stand and Deliver [Motion picture on DVD]. United States: Warner Home Video.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Occasional Paper
“I hate math.” “I was never good at math.” These are usually the responses that I get when people find out that I am a math teacher. What I truly find comical though is when I get told my math is wrong by people who do not know I am a math teacher. It has happened several times involving calculating tip and discounts. This always frustrates me because not only do I teach percentages as a 7th grade math teacher but it makes me feel like the public school system has failed in teaching the students how to do basic everyday math.
As a manager at Monkey Joe’s I have to close out birthday parties. Each birthday party has a host, basically their waitress, that can accept tips. Just a few months ago I was closing out a birthday party and asked the customer if he would like to leave a tip for his host, to which he responded that he would like to leave 20%. His bill was $150 so I told him that would be a tip of $30, bringing his total bill to $180. Normally our customers pay the bill and that is that. This customer however told me that I was wrong. I proceeded to orally explain to him that 20% of $150 would be $30 since 10% is $15. He still continued to tell me I was wrong. My boss is of course standing behind me trying not to laugh. I didn’t want to be rude but this customer just wasn’t getting it. I tore off a piece of receipt paper and wrote down the steps that I had done in my head as I walked him through each step...just like I would have one of my 7th graders.
Situations like this really have me worried about the future of our students. Several restaurants have even started to include the suggested tip amount at the bottom of their receipts. Is math really that difficult that so many people need help in calculating an appropriate tip that it now needs to be done for us? Our math text will usually try to grab the students’ interest by including problems involving potential interests and hobbies but they hardly ever involve situations where the students will actually use the math. Why do we not require a more real world applicable math class or at least a more real world applicable text?
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