Here's a review of the March happenings in our Genius Hour sessions:
Benchmark Grade 7
Expressions and Equations
Square Roots and Cube Roots
Volume of Cones, Cylinders, and Spheres
Constructing Triangles
Solving Quadratic Equations
Circumference of a Circle
Probability
Interactive Parallel Lines
Benchmark Grade 8
Modeling Irrational Approximations
Be sure to check your Genius Hour calendars for April and May...these months are short due to Benchmark testing and Final Exams. Please submit your 3-5-1 Reflection Assignment by by Friday, April 11. Any additional questions and/or topic requests for our final sessions may be submitted at your earliest convenience.
4.01.2014
3.04.2014
February Happenings
Here's a review of the February happenings in our Genius Hour sessions:
Cross Sections
Scale Drawings
Probability
Formative and Summative Assessments (Solving Linear Systems Sample)
Angle Relationships
Similarity
Transformations Continued
Introducing Quadratic Functions
Quadratic Functions Continued
Be sure to check your Genius Hour calendars for March and April...these months are short due to Spring Break and Benchmark testing. Planning for our final scheduled sessions is being refined this month. Please submit questions and/or topic requests for April and May at your earliest convenience.
Cross Sections
Scale Drawings
Probability
Formative and Summative Assessments (Solving Linear Systems Sample)
Angle Relationships
Similarity
Transformations Continued
Introducing Quadratic Functions
Quadratic Functions Continued
Be sure to check your Genius Hour calendars for March and April...these months are short due to Spring Break and Benchmark testing. Planning for our final scheduled sessions is being refined this month. Please submit questions and/or topic requests for April and May at your earliest convenience.
3.03.2014
'Tis the Season!
No.
Not for snow and ice!
But for testing, of course.
And I would love to share my assessment mindset with you.
I will be the first to admit that state-mandated Benchmark testing was completely new to me just five years ago. During my ten years teaching at BHS, my assessment focus primarily consisted of the ACT and AP Calculus exam. Teaching junior high was my first experience with Benchmark testing and End-of-Course exams in the state of Arkansas. But my assessment mindset has remained the same.
My students' worth has absolutely nothing to do with my math class. Period. I love them for who they are...not what kind of math student they have become during our time together. I want my students to do well (by their definition of "well") simply because I know they are super smart and have learned so much this year. I tell them that. And I also tell them that I'm planning on them holding the top ___ (insert number of students I teach) spots on the spreadsheet of ranked math scores! I believe in them. And I never want them to doubt that fact. I get so excited about testing because my students have an opportunity to let their math knowledge shine. What about you? Not so much? That's okay...just remember...enthusiasm is contagious even if it is completely fake. Act the part!
I believe assessment scores reflect the progress made all year long. There's nothing new that I can teach in a Benchmark bootcamp to alter that reflection. We have communicated mathematically, both verbally and in writing, all year. That will show. We have persevered to grasp concepts rather than regurgitate process all year. That will show. And we have held each other accountable for putting forth the kind of effort that yields success ALL year. That will show! Now...I know...you must be curious...do I review for state-mandated tests?!? The answer is yes. My Benchmark or EOC Bootcamp efforts serve two purposes: (1) to provide knowledge of the testing routine, structure, and environment and (2) to build within my students a confidence of knowing they are beyond ready for the assessment.
To provide knowledge of the testing scenario, we review the schedule for testing...down to the specifics of which days are longer than others so we know to eat a bigger breakfast and bring a "happy" snack to keep us going. We look closely at the outline of the types of math questions that will be posed when and get a feel for the time allotted. We look at the five strands of math frameworks for all of the math questions. And we don't just look at this once. We look at the details 3-4 times over the course of a month until the students can tell me all about the routine of testing.
To build confidence, we look at sample multiple choice and open-response questions. Now the routine of review varies based on the course and/or students. I generally start with a broad overview and then target practice to the specific needs of individual students. Some years the broad overview has been a pretest of sorts, while other years I have used several quick informal assessments (see sample in the Benchmark Grade 7 post and Benchmark Grade 8 post). The practice has varied from problem sets to games used during MATHercise to coordinating Gizmos from Explore Learning. Know your students and choose a method that will build the most confidence. And then fist-bump your way through testing week because you and your students have rocked the math ALL year!
Happy testing to YOU!
Not for snow and ice!
And I would love to share my assessment mindset with you.
I will be the first to admit that state-mandated Benchmark testing was completely new to me just five years ago. During my ten years teaching at BHS, my assessment focus primarily consisted of the ACT and AP Calculus exam. Teaching junior high was my first experience with Benchmark testing and End-of-Course exams in the state of Arkansas. But my assessment mindset has remained the same.
My students' worth has absolutely nothing to do with my math class. Period. I love them for who they are...not what kind of math student they have become during our time together. I want my students to do well (by their definition of "well") simply because I know they are super smart and have learned so much this year. I tell them that. And I also tell them that I'm planning on them holding the top ___ (insert number of students I teach) spots on the spreadsheet of ranked math scores! I believe in them. And I never want them to doubt that fact. I get so excited about testing because my students have an opportunity to let their math knowledge shine. What about you? Not so much? That's okay...just remember...enthusiasm is contagious even if it is completely fake. Act the part!
I believe assessment scores reflect the progress made all year long. There's nothing new that I can teach in a Benchmark bootcamp to alter that reflection. We have communicated mathematically, both verbally and in writing, all year. That will show. We have persevered to grasp concepts rather than regurgitate process all year. That will show. And we have held each other accountable for putting forth the kind of effort that yields success ALL year. That will show! Now...I know...you must be curious...do I review for state-mandated tests?!? The answer is yes. My Benchmark or EOC Bootcamp efforts serve two purposes: (1) to provide knowledge of the testing routine, structure, and environment and (2) to build within my students a confidence of knowing they are beyond ready for the assessment.
To provide knowledge of the testing scenario, we review the schedule for testing...down to the specifics of which days are longer than others so we know to eat a bigger breakfast and bring a "happy" snack to keep us going. We look closely at the outline of the types of math questions that will be posed when and get a feel for the time allotted. We look at the five strands of math frameworks for all of the math questions. And we don't just look at this once. We look at the details 3-4 times over the course of a month until the students can tell me all about the routine of testing.
To build confidence, we look at sample multiple choice and open-response questions. Now the routine of review varies based on the course and/or students. I generally start with a broad overview and then target practice to the specific needs of individual students. Some years the broad overview has been a pretest of sorts, while other years I have used several quick informal assessments (see sample in the Benchmark Grade 7 post and Benchmark Grade 8 post). The practice has varied from problem sets to games used during MATHercise to coordinating Gizmos from Explore Learning. Know your students and choose a method that will build the most confidence. And then fist-bump your way through testing week because you and your students have rocked the math ALL year!
Happy testing to YOU!
2.01.2014
The Game Winning Shot
My Twitter feed has been flooded by Bentonville fans sharing the awesome results in Tiger basketball this week.
Two games in one week with game winning shots from Malik Monk in the final seconds. Here's one of several videos on YouTube:
When I spied the team swarming Malik, my first thought was "that kid must love his team" because there were several points scored by his teammates that enabled the final shot to have game winning potential. Malik Monk didn't win the games alone. And teachers don't win in the classroom alone either. It's your expertise, inquiry, ongoing feedback, and drive to serve students well that fuels the results within each team. Let's continue to bring that to the table for each Genius Hour session.
Here's a review of the January happenings in our Genius Hour sessions:
Looking forward to game winning collaborations in February!
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| Photo Credit: David Beach |
Two games in one week with game winning shots from Malik Monk in the final seconds. Here's one of several videos on YouTube:
When I spied the team swarming Malik, my first thought was "that kid must love his team" because there were several points scored by his teammates that enabled the final shot to have game winning potential. Malik Monk didn't win the games alone. And teachers don't win in the classroom alone either. It's your expertise, inquiry, ongoing feedback, and drive to serve students well that fuels the results within each team. Let's continue to bring that to the table for each Genius Hour session.
Here's a review of the January happenings in our Genius Hour sessions:
Building Vocabulary
The Distributive Property (posted on MATH-7 and MATH-8)
Properties of Inequalities
Reasonable Solutions
Solving Systems of Equations
Scientific Notation
Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences
Looking forward to game winning collaborations in February!
12.03.2013
Vocabulary Development Resources
Students depend on a base of vocabulary to comprehend increasingly difficult content. And students must maintain a solid foundation of content vocabulary to communicate mathematically with others. Vocabulary is only learned through multiple exposures. Here are my top three resources for vocabulary development in the math classroom...
The MATH-7 team will investigate vocabulary building in their next Genius Hour on January 20.
Stay tuned for more details...
#1
Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering (2010) have completed extensive research regarding a six-step process for learning and acquiring new vocabulary terms in their book, Building Academic Vocabulary: Teacher's Manual.
- The teacher provides a description of the term.
- Students restate the explanation in their own words.
- Students draw a non-linguistic representation for the term.
- Students participate in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the term.
- Students discuss the term with one another in small groups.
- Students play with the vocabulary term in games
#2
Ben Taylor incorporates cooperative learning and Kagan structures in his book, Vocabulary: Making It Memorable, to expose students to academic vocabulary in a variety of settings.
#3
The Granite School District in Salt Lake City, Utah maintains a wealth of vocabulary building ideas for all grade levels and subject areas.
The MATH-7 team will investigate vocabulary building in their next Genius Hour on January 20.
Stay tuned for more details...
11.12.2013
Leaving a Legacy
Every child deserves a champion...an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.
-Rita Pierson
Hop over to the TLAP tab to watch an 8-minute TED Talk of Rita Pierson on Relationships in the schoolhouse.
11.11.2013
Recent Updates
The Genius Hour and MATH-8 tabs have been updated with last week's progress with MATH-8 Classroom Practices and Modeling Functions. Be sure to browse the following updates to additional pages on the blog:
Hop over to the CCSS tab and scroll to the bottom to download grade level math focus summaries.
Select the iPad Apps tab to review the Buzz Math app that contains middle school math practice.
Scroll down on the right sidebar of this homepage to stay updated on Twitter. This log includes each post labeled with the #fjhsmath hashtag.
ETA (11.13.13):
And now as you browse the blog the Common Core State Standards are easily accessible. Look to the right of the right sidebar for the gray "Common Core App" tab. Click on the gray tab to open and close the Mastery Connect app. If you are browsing from a tablet, you will be prompted to download the app for viewing. Caution: This app is absolutely amazing; however, the side notes included in the original document are not included in this application. (For example, Algebra 1 teachers could read HSF-IF.C.7b and think they have a lot of functions to add to their curriculum when really several listed functions are reserved for Algebra 2.)
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| Achieve the Core on CCSS |
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| Buzz Math iPad App |
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| #fjhsmath Twitter Update |
ETA (11.13.13):
And now as you browse the blog the Common Core State Standards are easily accessible. Look to the right of the right sidebar for the gray "Common Core App" tab. Click on the gray tab to open and close the Mastery Connect app. If you are browsing from a tablet, you will be prompted to download the app for viewing. Caution: This app is absolutely amazing; however, the side notes included in the original document are not included in this application. (For example, Algebra 1 teachers could read HSF-IF.C.7b and think they have a lot of functions to add to their curriculum when really several listed functions are reserved for Algebra 2.)
10.23.2013
Putting all my eggs in one basket?!?
After years of opening egg cartons to inspect the contents before placing the item in my shopping cart, I found my first cracked egg today.
Years. And my husband teased me every single time he observed my habit. Once he asked me why I insisted on opening the eggs. To which I honestly replied, "My mother always checked her eggs!" I had no other reason. I had never observed a cracked egg in my mother's shopping years. Or mine...until today. And you can be certain I'm not going to stop inspecting egg cartons now!
Do I teach this way? Do I prepare beyond the observable characteristics or needs of my students? Do I teach concepts even when my students don't ask the "why" behind each math lesson? Or do I put all of my instructional eggs in one basket? Do I teach process really well and trust that honed skills will see my students through to the next level?
And may I be so bold as to ask one more critical question? Do I focus on concept teaching for my advanced students while dwelling in the land of process teaching for my regular students? Just because my advanced students respond better/faster/nicer doesn't mean my regular students need it any less.
Join me for Genius Hour as we reflect and collaborate via a habits of mind analysis tool so we don't wait for a cracked egg to prompt us into action!
 |
| Photo Credit to The Krazy Coupon Lady |
Years. And my husband teased me every single time he observed my habit. Once he asked me why I insisted on opening the eggs. To which I honestly replied, "My mother always checked her eggs!" I had no other reason. I had never observed a cracked egg in my mother's shopping years. Or mine...until today. And you can be certain I'm not going to stop inspecting egg cartons now!
Do I teach this way? Do I prepare beyond the observable characteristics or needs of my students? Do I teach concepts even when my students don't ask the "why" behind each math lesson? Or do I put all of my instructional eggs in one basket? Do I teach process really well and trust that honed skills will see my students through to the next level?
And may I be so bold as to ask one more critical question? Do I focus on concept teaching for my advanced students while dwelling in the land of process teaching for my regular students? Just because my advanced students respond better/faster/nicer doesn't mean my regular students need it any less.
Join me for Genius Hour as we reflect and collaborate via a habits of mind analysis tool so we don't wait for a cracked egg to prompt us into action!
9.29.2013
Genius Hour Bye Week
The week of September 30 is a bye week for Genius Hour. Please spend a few minutes this week reflecting on your classroom structure and the strategies and methods you use for teaching and learning.
Please hop over to the Genius Hour page for more details regarding your list to submit by October 4 in preparation for our next sessions scheduled for the week of October 7...
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| Photo credit to Cragin Spring |
Please hop over to the Genius Hour page for more details regarding your list to submit by October 4 in preparation for our next sessions scheduled for the week of October 7...
9.16.2013
Process vs. Concept Teaching
In the post CCSS Call for Rigor, we contemplated the necessity of implementing concept teaching that reveals the process in order to meet the standards.
Is it really necessary? Or can we build mathematicians who think mathematically by focusing only on process? Will the following attributes occur as a result of process teaching?
Is it really necessary? Or can we build mathematicians who think mathematically by focusing only on process? Will the following attributes occur as a result of process teaching?
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
- Model with mathematics.
- Use appropriate tools strategically.
- Attend to precision.
- Look for and make use of structure.
- Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Hop over to the MATH-7 content page or MATH-8 content page for an example that compares process teaching and concept teaching.
9.09.2013
CCSS Call for Rigor
The bottom line truly is that states, districts, and even individual schools can work tirelessly to create a plan of implementation for CCSS...they can even mandate said plan...but the teachers are the ones who implement the plan to make the shift to new standards benefit our students. Together we're building better students!
Fewer. Clearer. Higher.
That is the mantra adopted by the writers of Common Core to emphasize the difference between the new "national" standards and the old state standards. Fewer implies that the standards maintain a focus as opposed to the curriculum that did a little bit of everything each year. Clearer implies that the Common Core standards are quite specific and contain a natural progression. Higher implies that the days of "a mile wide and an inch deep" standards are replaced with a call for rigor. To reflect on the idea of rigor, please read and respond to the following post from June 2012:
What are your thoughts on process vs. concept teaching? How do your students respond to each? Does that change your lesson plan? Does that change student learning tomorrow? Next month? Next year?
Fewer. Clearer. Higher.
That is the mantra adopted by the writers of Common Core to emphasize the difference between the new "national" standards and the old state standards. Fewer implies that the standards maintain a focus as opposed to the curriculum that did a little bit of everything each year. Clearer implies that the Common Core standards are quite specific and contain a natural progression. Higher implies that the days of "a mile wide and an inch deep" standards are replaced with a call for rigor. To reflect on the idea of rigor, please read and respond to the following post from June 2012:
If you've been in any discussion regarding CCSS, then I'm certain you have heard the standards described as rigorous. These standards require our students to have a deep understanding of the content. And if you have studied your grade level standards, then you know that is a true statement. For example, no longer will Algebra 1 students mindlessly use the quadratic formula to solve a quadratic equation. Instead they will first derive the quadratic formula by completing the square...which will enable them to know why this crazy formula with three variables truly does find the solution(s) for the variable x located in a quadratic equation.
Perhaps the community of educators has a misconception that rigor is equivalent to enrichment. Why might we be confused? Simply because enrichment is something we already do...it is familiar. However, enrichment extends procedural understanding...can the student move further with the concept? While rigor calls the student to a deeper conceptual understanding...does the student know the depth of the concept? Enrichment adds to the end of your lesson plan and requires additional time. Rigor changes your entire approach to the lesson but does not require additional time. I spy that CCSS have tackled process vs. concept teaching. In an effort to meet the standards we must implement concept teaching that reveals the process.
What are your thoughts on process vs. concept teaching? How do your students respond to each? Does that change your lesson plan? Does that change student learning tomorrow? Next month? Next year?
9.05.2013
Genius Hour Coming Soon!
Given the shift of instructional practices in the Common Core math classroom, FJHS math teachers have been gifted with time to investigate the genius that will build better math students. And the first Genius Hour sessions will begin the week of September 16.
Hop over to the Genius Hour page to view the upcoming Calendar of Events and to submit two questions for our opening session.
8.15.2013
Teach Like a Pirate! Book Review
As Dave Burgess explains in his latest book, his suggestion to teach like a pirate has nothing to do with the formal definition of pirate and everything to do with the spirit of a pirate.
Here are a few characteristics of pirates that we need in educational leaders:
Click on the following links for details on each letter of the PIRATE philosophy:
P is for PASSION
I is for IMMERSION
R is for RAPPORT
A is for ASK & ANALYZE
T is for TRANSFORMATION
E is for ENTHUSIASM
Here are a few characteristics of pirates that we need in educational leaders:
- daring and adventurous
- willing to voyage in uncharted territories with no guarantee of success
- seek creativity
- risk takers
- embrace diverse crew members
- pursue treasure even through rough and constantly changing waters
Click on the following links for details on each letter of the PIRATE philosophy:
P is for PASSION
I is for IMMERSION
R is for RAPPORT
A is for ASK & ANALYZE
T is for TRANSFORMATION
E is for ENTHUSIASM
8.14.2013
Update from Mastery Connect
I'm excited to share the recent update to my favorite Common Core Standards app from Mastery Connect.
The Accelerated MATH-7 standards have been updated to align with the appropriate standards outlined in the CCSSM Appendix A. Be sure you have Version 2.1.2 for the latest updates.
And here's the newest addition to the iPad Apps tab...
I would love to use this app as a way for my students to organize their Frayer models for content vocabulary. To view vocabulary samples, click on your subject tab above for follow the links below.
MATH-7 Vocabulary Sample
MATH-8 Vocabulary Sample
Algebra 1 Vocabulary Sample
Geometry Vocabulary Sample
8.10.2013
First Days of School
New school supplies...purchased around a color theme of course. Shopping with my girls for first day of school outfits. A freshly waxed classroom floor. The spirit of the halls on locker day. These are a few of my favorite things! What do you adore about the start of school?!?
It's definitely that time of year! And the first days of school set the tone for the entire year. So how do you plan to build a safe and collaborative environment for your students? How will you build teacher to student rapport? Student to student rapport? And what activities will you use on the first day to jump start these efforts?
There are lots of great ideas floating around Twitter. I've retweeted several finds with the hashtag #fjhsmath for your convenience. Login to Twitter, select the discover tab, and type #fjhsmath in the search box. One tweet links to Sarah at her Everybody is a Genius blog. She describes a first day activity called "31derful" that she has used for years. The objective is to build a 5x5 arrangement of 25 cards in which each row and each column has a sum of exactly 31. The activity can be played with a standard deck of playing cards. If your students are unfamiliar with playing cards or you are worried they will be distracted by the point-value assignments, you can download the following set of cards to use as an alternative.
Begin the activity by asking teams to use the Kagan structure RoundRobin to discuss potential plans/strategies to complete the objective. Teams should select an initial strategy to try and then take turns playing card(s) according to their team plan. Only a few teams (or perhaps no team) will finish this task. However, the activity prompts a great reflective discussion on problem solving, perseverance, and teamwork.
And remember...
A teacher has only one opportunity
It's definitely that time of year! And the first days of school set the tone for the entire year. So how do you plan to build a safe and collaborative environment for your students? How will you build teacher to student rapport? Student to student rapport? And what activities will you use on the first day to jump start these efforts?
There are lots of great ideas floating around Twitter. I've retweeted several finds with the hashtag #fjhsmath for your convenience. Login to Twitter, select the discover tab, and type #fjhsmath in the search box. One tweet links to Sarah at her Everybody is a Genius blog. She describes a first day activity called "31derful" that she has used for years. The objective is to build a 5x5 arrangement of 25 cards in which each row and each column has a sum of exactly 31. The activity can be played with a standard deck of playing cards. If your students are unfamiliar with playing cards or you are worried they will be distracted by the point-value assignments, you can download the following set of cards to use as an alternative.
Begin the activity by asking teams to use the Kagan structure RoundRobin to discuss potential plans/strategies to complete the objective. Teams should select an initial strategy to try and then take turns playing card(s) according to their team plan. Only a few teams (or perhaps no team) will finish this task. However, the activity prompts a great reflective discussion on problem solving, perseverance, and teamwork.
And remember...
A teacher has only one opportunity
to make a positive FIRST impression.
Make it count!
8.06.2013
CCSS Filter Adjustment
Implementing the Common Core State Standards has proven to be a work in progress. Perhaps even a little deceiving...
During the transition to teaching standards in a different progression, our students enter the classroom each year looking a little different than the year before. Students will arrive with some knowledge we haven't experienced before; while other knowledge we're accustomed to building upon will be absent...by design.
In the midst of planning lessons for the new school year, proceed with caution. Be sure you have updated your knowledge filter to accommodate your new students.
See the Thinking Transformations post for a sample shift and ideas for standards 8.G.A.1, 8.G.A.2, and 8.G.A.3 in MATH-8.
In the midst of planning lessons for the new school year, proceed with caution. Be sure you have updated your knowledge filter to accommodate your new students.
See the Thinking Transformations post for a sample shift and ideas for standards 8.G.A.1, 8.G.A.2, and 8.G.A.3 in MATH-8.
7.24.2013
Welcome!
The first day of school at the fabulous Fulbright Junior High is just around the corner. Congratulations on being an integral piece to all of the "firsts" that Fulbright has in store this year!
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And one adventure at the top of the list is collaborating to build better math students. Take a few moments to follow the tabs and become familiar with this site. Please check in by leaving a comment below to share your favorite summer adventure.
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