Free Math Posters from AMS

I have requested these posters from The American Mathematical Society the last two years. They are great for your classroom! Get your Free Posters here.

Also, I found some other great ones you can print yourself that are Mathematical Moments, and are very current. You can find those Free Math Posters Here.

There are also Podcasts/MP3 files and web articles to go with it.

Then I found this site. You have to print your own, but if your library has a large printer, these would be nice to have. These have problems on them.  Find the posters here.

Enjoy!!!

Polynomial Factoring Scavenger Hunt #Made4Math

Hi all! It has been a while since I have posted, but I created this awesome scavenger hunt and wanted to share.

I cannot take all of the credit. I got the idea from my math coach, Jason Bragg. He gave me the template and I used  this polynomial calculator to create my polynomials. There are a total of 9 polynomials. The first page are the zeros for the second page polynomial. The 3rd page are the zeros for the fourth page's polynomial, etc. I set the 1st page aside, took the 2nd and 3rd page and taped it up on a wall, so that the zeros were visable and the polynomial was flipped underneath. I continued this around the room in no particular order, and ended my last polynomial with my first page.

Here a student is holding flipped up to see the polynomial. The previous answer is on the other side.

Students were given the "Recording Sheet" and given a place to start. As they figured out their zeros, they moved on to the next problem. I work in 90 minute blocks, and we almost had time to finish all of the problems. I wasn't sure how this was going to go because I had never done a scavenger hunt, but the students soaked it up. We had a blast!!

Want the document? Here it is!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/126269154/Polynomial-Factoring-Scavenger-Hunt

I have included and answer key so that you are ready to go!

#Made4Math - Systems of Equations with 3 variables and 3 equations

It has been a long while since I have blogged. I started in the summer, when I had plenty of free time. I don't know how everyone finds time during the school year. I am posting today because I have the week off and I am planning.

When I was teaching Algebra 2 last year, we hit systems of equations, and I noticed how my students struggled. So when we got to 3 variables, 3 equations, I came up with a "cheat sheet," or a problem already solved, and we worked it together. The students found this very helpful, as they could digest the information without worrying about getting everything written down and not having time to process. This year I am taking it one step further.

Front page of booklet. Students will follow along with this problem.

These two problems will be worked together as a fill in.

I borrowed the booklet idea from @druinok, and I love using it!

Get booklet here.

Beautiful Dance Moves

I know, right? Well, the pic will explain:

When I started teaching, I found myself using my arms - and not for writing on the whiteboard. I started teaching Geometry, but found myself teaching solving equations with the embedded Algebra. I would make my arms look like a teeter totter (see saw) and talk about taking away from one side, what happens when if you don't take away from the other side? We reminisce about playing on one, and inevitably someone departing the teeter totter and us falling on our butts.

It wasn't until I started teaching Algebra 2 that I found myself using my arms to show end behavior. Positive even functions are "Dance" (2 arms up, fingers pointed), negative even functions are "Bernie" (like from Weekend at Bernies-it's a dance my students have taught me recently) and odd functions (positive and negative) are "Disco" (like John Travolta)

Interactive Notebooks - Week 1

I just finished my first week of school using interactive notebooks. I am on a block schedule, so I see students every other day except for one daily class (to split for lunches).

I feel like I am barely treading water. Everything is taking so much longer than normal. I am taking a cue from @mathequalslove and using the frayer model for vocab.

 

I have the vocab on the LHS, folded for students to use as a study guide. Our school is focusing on vocabulary, so I thought that this would integrate well with our focus. The students like how the model is folded, and that they can study with it.

I start with the "Bell Ringer" (warm up) and go right into vocab. The first day I did this, I gave them the sheet with the models, and students had to cut out the models. This took forever. After school, I found the paper cutter and cut about 100 sheets, and have since made 300 more copies (6 to a page). I still need to cut those. The 2nd day went better, time-wise. However, placement of the vocab was a nightmare. Did I tell them to put the vocab on the LHS? Some students heard it, and others didn't. So on the 2nd day, I made sure to emphasize where the vocab should go.

We didn't take notes the first day. I had them doing some classwork on dry-erase folders (Smart Pals). We went over the answers together. The second day, I used our interactive textbook feature, and had students write down specific problems. Again, confusion as to which problems to write down. I made sure to stress whish side I wanted them to write on (RHS for notes).

Here's my notebook, with just the problems written out. I didn't have a lot of room. I feel like I need a month to prepare exactly how I want my notebook to look, so I am ready to show them how theirs should look.

We did do a foldable as well for this day. We worked on the words of basic math operations. I printed this template and had students fold and cut, and then using color markers, write the words they knew for different operations. I told them that as we find more words, we will continue to add them to this foldable. I didn't have a LHS to put it on, as the vocab took up too much room, so I had them past it on the previous RHS.

 

 

We finally got to some practice after this. I did hear a student say how they liked how we were doing hands on stuff (and my blog's name earned it's wings).

My Favorite Friday - The Number Devil

I want to share a book my husband purchased for me back when I was getting my Math Ed degree. It's a quick read, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in math. The story is of a boy who hates math, and is plagued by nightime visits from The Number Devil. Each night, the boy learns something new about math.

 

 



The Number Devil Mathematical Adventure

 



 If you like @vihartvihart, you will enjoy this book.

 

 

 

 



Why I Blog

As part of a new blogger initiative by some people I have recently e-met on Twitter, I am posting to a prompt about blogging; Why I blog.

Here is my very first blog post.

I want to be a better teacher. I want to engage my students. I felt like I was not doing well enough in my classroom, and I was listening to teachers outside of my discipline talking about projects and presentations and wonderful things, and all I could think about was my boring math lessons. I tried to make it interesting. I noticed that when students had things in their hands, they were more interested in what was going on. I was also lucky, as I was teaching Geometry at the time, and I could have lots of manipulatives with shapes, solids, nets, etc.

Now I am teaching Algebra 2. I am trying to figure out how to incorporate more hands on math (hence the name of my blog). Everything I find on the internet is elementary math related. Very frustrating. At what point did we begin thinking that students can't benefit from manipulatives?

So this year, I want to work on my practice. I am starting the year using interactive notebooks. I am using foldables with them. I am adding in vocab, as one of 3 main focuses for my school is vocabulary. And I am looking for hands on ideas. Here is a sample shot from my Algebra 2 interactive notebook. (you may note that there have been edits on the paper-thank you for the pencil and eraser!)

The learning goal will be on the left with the vocab (frayer model foldable courtesy of @mathequalslove)

On the right, I will have notecards printed with the patters. Students will be able to look for the next figure in a pattern by using movement. What I have written will be for notes for students and absent students.

So, if you have any hands on math ideas, please share!