Intro to Parabolas with Algebra 1b

You know how sometimes, you have a BASIC idea for a lesson and when you teach it, it totally exceeds your expectations?!  Yeah, that was me today.  My students walked out of here knowing more about parabolas than I've seen students know after a week of drilling the facts.  The coolest part is, we haven't even TALKED about "quadratics"!  We've been working on "factoring trinomials" by grouping and honestly, they've struggled.  But that's a topic for another post...

I just think it is awesome that I hadn't even mentioned the word "quadratic" until today and they totally picked it up and ran with it, along with lots of other info.

So, here's what we did...

1) I asked the students to take out a piece of paper.  I told them that in the upcoming chapter, we'd be exploring parabolas and that we would begin by watching some carefully selected intro-videos about parabolas.  ( I chose these 4 out of a SEA of really boring, horrible videos so be careful what you show or this could derail really quickly)

2)  I asked them to watch the videos and write down 5 things that they learned or noticed about parabolas. I was a little nervous that 5 might be too many, but it totally wasn't and I think it kept them interested because they couldn't just get 3 and then zone out.

3) At the end of each video, I asked some questions that came into my mind as the video was playing - things I wanted them to notice.  If they hadn't noticed what I was asking about, my plan was to replay the video.  To my surprise, a student asked me to replay it before I even had a chance to tell them that's what we were going to do!!  Ha ha!  They were engaged...love it.




Here are the videos I showed (in order):

Our BRIEF lesson
after a video on
what a focus is and
how it helps us

Great quirky intro with no talking - just music and images

Kinda slow, but good info.  Guy talking over images - ends with a video about a bridge that collapsed in the wind because of faulty engineering.  This showed that parabolas really are important...not JUST cool.  Also points out the idea of the focus point and the role it plays in engineering.


Mario Brothers - shows the stretch/shrink and y-intercept concepts

High school students' music video project - these are not my students, but I totally wish they were!  Great focus on open up vs. open down parabolas and the fact that parabolas are everywhere.  Students asked if they could do this project for a test grade.  I thought that was a bit much, but told them that if they did it by the end of the unit, it would be worth some serious extra credit on their test.  They were stoked about that.  (And again, students ASKING for work - that shows engagement, in my humble opinion)

4)  When we were done, I had each student share a fact that they had and they couldn't repeat someone else's fact.

5) I then drew a quick sketch of some basic parabolas and asked the students what the important features were.  They named every single part that I wanted them to see without any guidance from me!  They added these basic diagrams to their notes and I asked them to color code them (since I hadn't).

These things might not seem like much to you, but remember, these are "low-level" Algebra 1 students.  They've never seen this before, but they picked it right up.  It'll be so nice to move forward, teaching how to SOLVE a quadratic without having a 3-day existential conversation about zeros - what they are and why we care about them.  This group already knows what they are and they were the ones who told me they'd be important so at least half of my motivational speech is taken care of already!

I also like that we haven't talked about SOLVING a quadratic yet.  Honestly, it was because we ran out of time and needed to test before the end of the grading quarter so we just tested factoring only, but it is totally working out!  We'll do "solving" a quadratic within it's proper context now!  That'll be so much better than teaching how to solve and THEN explaining why...*sigh*

Today, life in Algebra 1b is good.

Two Sides of this Shiny Coin...

I had a parent email tonight that was a bit discouraging. Her son is very disorganized and is just a typical middle school boy. I love the kid, but his student skills need work. So she was very frustrated that I was making them go online for homework. She gave me a piece of her mind about how difficult it was and told me that she fully expected me to give him time in class to watch the video and take his notes.

I responded that of course he would be able to use class time to do the homework, but I also took a few moments to correct her misunderstandings of what was expected. I also informed her that he would miss out on the extra practice that the rest of the class would get.

You see, the class before, he hadn't done his homework either. I let him a watch it in class, but the rest of the class played a practice game based on a popular tv show. He kept looking longingly at the groups as they were cheering each other on and clarifying simple mistakes that their teammates were making. And my heart hurt for him because THIS is the real learning that can take place with a flipped classroom. It's the practice above and beyond what I could have fit into the class period without flipping and the students teaching and learning from each other! And he wanted to take part, but had sabotaged himself...

I wish I could explain this to mom in a way that would help her see that this rough transition is worth the trouble. I know it's new and learning a new system can be frustrating, but the payoff would be that this boy would love his math class and would be excited to see what we do next and would be successful! *sigh*

 

In other news, I was encouraged as I was reading over the summary responses for my two flipped classes. Overall, they are understanding the concepts well and are getting better at articulating the concepts with their writing. There are a couple who are struggling and they know they are struggling. They asked great questions in their summary and tomorrow, I will pull them aside for a small group lesson to clarify a couple of things. I feel empowered to really meet my students where they are. Not just in lip service, but in actual responsive planning and teaching. It's just more evidence for myself of why I'm doing this and why I believe it's an amazing way to structure a math class.

 

So...whether you are encouraged or challenged, I'll say to you as I say to myself...keep calm and flip on.

A

 

2014-15 Reflection #1: Flipping Out...

So...I'm a 2.5 weeks into the school year and my flipped classes are taking their first tests today while I reflect.  This year is my first foray into the world of flipping and I'm totally in love.  For those who aren't familiar with the flipped classroom, it's a method of teaching where the students watch a video lecture and take notes at home and the majority of their practice and application is done at school with the support of the teacher and their peers.  After doing tons of research over the summer, I asked Crystal Kirch if I could use her format and she graciously agreed.  You can find all of her info here.  I've loved the structure and foundation that it's provided me to get started since I'd never done anything like this before.  I'll be tweaking it to fit my personal style as I go and realize what works for me and what doesn't.

Things I'm crazy about:

- Quizlet.  The students LOVE racing each other and practice over and over and over.  It's been fun to watch them ENJOY their math practice.

- Having the MAP problems numbered continuously makes it easy to "grade" their homework for completion.  Ch 1a had 200 points - 1 for each problem (190) and then 2 pts per concept for notes.  They had to really leave a lot blank to lower their grade.  A couple of them did get a B or a C on this for their weekly homework grade, but I still felt that it was appropriate for them.  Most got As, even if their packet wasn't perfect.  I like that it's a grade for how much they practiced, which is exactly what a homework grade should be.

- Every. Single. Student. Passed the first test!  I'm so stoked about this.  I want them to be confident and really feel in their soul that they CAN do this stuff so starting out with such a great overall performance is exciting.  The class average grade for the first test was 79.9% which I think is really great.  WAY better than my tests from last year which were a bit all over the place.

- A couple of students had a hard time getting started with the homework.  Checking it each day (on a checklist, not for a grade) helped me to know who needed a phone call to home, but I didn't hold them accountable until test day.  I had a few students who really worked hard to get caught up after faltering initially.  I was very proud of them and I think they were quite proud of themselves which is even better.

- My tests last year took FOREVER.  This year, they were done with the test in 30-ish minutes!  This means I can either give them a test on a regular (non-block) day, or I can give them longer tests with more questions which means their grade will be even more accurate.  I love that I have options.

Things I'm not crazy about:

- I'm not really sure where to put their summary and HOT question grades in.  I'm thinking I can check these 2 things each day and then give them as a participation grade since that's largely what our work the next day in class is built around.  What are your thoughts?

-  Alg 1b seems to be struggling a bit more with the material than 1a.  I wonder if it's tough for them to change from what we did last year for Chapters 1-6.  They are much more consistent with the homework and are prepared and ready for class, but their discussions aren't as deep as 1a for some reason.  Maybe they're afraid of taking risks?  This is such a different way of thinking about math for them.  They are a great group and really want to do what I ask and make me proud so having open-ended conversations about concepts is throwing them for a loop a bit.  Hopefully this will improve over time.

- I wish that the starting out had been smoother.  We did a lot of WSQ-ing in class and then we gradually transitioned to where they were supposed to do it at home, but the number of students who'd done it was inconsistent so there were a few days where it was clunky in class trying to get everyone working in a way that was appropriate for what they'd done the night before.  I DID love that everyone was ALWAYS working - never any down time.  Some were WSQ-ing in class, some where discussing HOT questions, some were practicing with Quizlet.  I think this was just a result of me not knowing what to expect.  Next year, I'll have a poster or something where the students can see what they should be working on based on where they are in the process. 

Ideas for next year:

This will be a running list of things I want to remember as I go along...

- "What should I be doing?" poster for the first few weeks.  As students learn what to do with this method, there will be hurdles and excuses in the beginning.  No matter what happened the night before, I want them to feel confident coming in to class that they can begin working right away even if I can't hold their hand to get them started.


So there you have it.  There are more things rattling around in my brain...more reflections to come.  Please, whether you are an experienced flipper or not, let me know what your thoughts are.  Questions, comments, ideas are so totally welcomed.  

Day Two

I love teaching.  I do.  There is no other job as fun and diverse as mine.  Today was another awesome day.  I'm just as exhausted and overwhelmed as I was yesterday, but I'd rather be overwhelmed by a challenge than bored without one.  So here are my thoughts for the day:

The plan: Frog-in-a-well brainteaser for bell-work, graphing Multiple Intelligence and Learning Styles results, discussion about learning strategies and activities that are specific to the different intelligences and styles in our class.

I'm really enjoying doing the learning styles and multiple intelligence stuff so far.  I'm learning a lot about my students that a math pre-test just wouldn't tell me.  I teach the lowest math classes at each level so every class I have is full of the kids who really struggle with math.  Knowing how they think and how they learn is going to be a cornerstone of our success this year.  Without this info, I'd just do what I'm comfortable with and just hope that they get it...and most probably wouldn't. 

For example, my LOWEST intelligence is bodily-kinesthetic.  I'm just not a mover.  Don't get me wrong, I like to dance and I like to run, but moving isn't part of my learning life.  I'm perfectly happy to sit still and read, take great color-coded notes, and present whatever I've learned.  

So, that being said, am I terrified that my last class period is eight 9th graders who are ALL kinesthetic?  Absolutely.  In 2 days, these kids have moved more and talked more and, quite honestly, failed more than any of my other classes.  People talk about kids who "break the mold"...these kids are coming to me with the powder of the demolished mold stuffed into a Ziploc bag stashed in the bottom of their backpacks.

They feel like failures.  They say "I can't" and "it's too hard" about things like adding and drawing which tells me that it's not that they get overwhelmed by a difficult challenge, they just feel it.  In their bones.  Failure.  So they don't even think about trying.

My job this year with them is to grab their attention, restore their belief in themselves, and stuff them full of as much Algebra as I can, using games and movement and...I don't even know what else because it's not my thing...before our time runs out.

My new favorite verse?

   I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

  Wait for the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the Lord.

I will wait for the Lord to lead.  And I will be strong and I will try to have courage, because I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord in this land of kids who think they are "dead in the water" when it comes to math.  I know they're not.  They're alive.  This is the land of the living.  I just know it.

Not what I expected

That's how I'd describe my first day back to classroom teaching.  What I THOUGHT would happen couldn't have been further from what actually happened.  I was so afraid of the first classes of the day.  With higher numbers and older students, I thought for sure they'd eat me alive.  My later classes in the day would be a cake walk, I thought.  Nice small numbers and they're 8th and 9th graders!  What could go wrong in there?

For now, Math Analysis, my biggest and oldest class of the day is my favorite.  They are fun and excited, but respectful and hard working.  They worked together like champs and seemed to be excited by their success today.  As they played 31derful, an amazing game idea I got from HERE, I heard one girl say to her group "I like games like this - they make me think!" (...and her team wasn't even "winning").

Oddly, enough, my Algebra 1a and 1b classes were the toughest of the day.  One is right before lunch and one is right after so they were tired at that point and totally not interested in a "fun" group game, even if all they had to do was add.  Questions I asked to keep things moving along were met with big-eyed stares and shrugged shoulders.  Their groups were awkward and uncomfortable to say the least.  There was 1 in almost every group who totally dominated - and not in a good way - and as a group, they kept trying to give up (again, even though they were only adding).

My hope is that it was just first day weirdness that will settle down.  I want to get into the curriculum quicker than I originally planned, but with block periods on Wednesday and Thursday, I just don't see how I can get the ISN set up and ready to go so I'll just have to be patient.  Maybe I'll plan a math review for Friday just to whet their appetites.

All in all, today was an awesome day.  I enjoyed every class, even if they weren't what I expected.  I have a handful of kids who will keep me on my toes, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it.