The ABC’s of Algebra:Alignment, Buy-in, and Classroom

Activities

PRESENTED BY

Leslie A. Texas

November 16, 2007

Keeping in Touch

• E-mail address:

texasconsulting@bellsouth.net

• Phone:502-253-1844 (office)502-777-5312 (cell)

Session Objectives

Participate in a variety of classroom activities that model best practice

Determine how to design assignments that are engaging and require students to develop higher order thinking skills

Southern Regional Educational Board

Identifying Gaps and Overlaps

Questions to address:

– Which readiness indicators are not being addressed (gaps)?

– Which readiness indicators are addressed by multiple grade levels (overlaps)?

Engaging Activity

Traffic Jam

Questions:

What process skills were required in the activity?

What content knowledge was required?

Cooperative Learning Activity

• Match your puzzle-piece with other similar pieces to form a problem to solve.

• As a learning group team, select a strategy to solve the problem.

• Solve the problem as a team then submit a solution to the class. Your team must be able to justify the solution!!!

Find a path through the maze of numbers, starting at “Enter” and ending at “Exit.” The value of the path is determined by multiplying each number along the path. You may move up, down, or right but not diagonally. You can only cross a number once. Try to find a path through the maze that results in 13,090. List the letters in order for each box you cross to reach the exit. An example, 7 x 13 x 2 would be DAB.

DGHEF (prime factorization of

13,090 or 2 · 5 · 7 · 11 · 17 )

13 A 2 B 3 C

7 D 11 E 5 FEnter

Exit

15 I17 H2 G

Problem #5Problem #5

Which set of factors of the number 420 has the least possible sum? Which set of factors of the number 420 has the greatest possible sum? Be sure that the two sets of factors both have a product of 420.

Answers: 19 and 421

Problem #9Problem #9

Place one set of parentheses on the left side of the equals sign to make the equation true.

32 + 4 2 x 8 – 5 + 12 4 =41

32 + 4 2 x (8 – 5) + 12 4 = 41

Problem #11Problem #11

Find the greatest whole number that meets all of the following conditions:

> It is greater than 100. > It is less than 200. > It is 20 greater when rounded

to the nearest 100 than when rounded to the nearest 10.

Answer: 184

Problem #12Problem #12

Robin uses a rule to create the input/output table shown. If Robin uses her rule with an input of 56, what will be her output?

Answer: 171

y = 3x + 3

Problem #13Problem #13

INPUT OUTPUT

- 2 - 3 1 6 3 12 7 24

17 54 56 ???? 89 270

A Menu of Fun Math Problems

Source: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle

School (NCTM)

February 2007 Issue

Possible Uses

• Pre-Assessment Exercise• Introduce classroom procedures

(cooperative learning, word problems, no “I don’t know’s accepted)

• Hook for new unit• Review• Exit Slip

Engaging Activity

Are you a Solution?

Literacy Strategies and Assessment Practices

Improving Student Vocabulary

Write a math vocabulary word on one side of the index card.

Improving Student Vocabulary- Word

Illustrations

On the other side, illustrate the concept (meaning) of your word…using NO numbers or letters.

What Math Words are Illustrated Below?

Frayer Model

Essential Characteristics

Non-Essential Characteristics

Examples Non-ExamplesConcept

Frayer ModelEssential Characteristics•Is a four sided figure•Four sides have equal length•Opposite angles are equal•Perimeter is 2(l + w)•Area is b x b

Non-Essential Characteristics•Angles may or may not be right•Length of sides can vary•Diagonals may or may not be equal in length

Examples Non-ExamplesRHOMBUS

SquareParallelogram

with 4 equal sides

Triangle

Trapezoid

Rectangle

Frayer Model

R-A-F-T

RAFT Examples for Math

Role Audience Format TopicZero Whole Numbers Campaign Speech The importance of

the number 0

Percent Student Tip Sheet Mental ways to calculate percents

Prime Number Rational Numbers Instructions Rules for divisibility

Parts of a Graph TV Show Audience Script How to read a graph

Exponent Jury Instructions to the jury

Laws of exponents

Acute Triangle Obtuse Triangle Letter Explaining their differences

Square Root Whole Number Love Letter Explain Relationship

Repeating Decimal

Set of Rational Numbers Petition Prove you belong to the set

Choose one item from each column