Wednesday, February 29, 2012

We began with our assessment over Special Products and Factors (key, pdf).

We then reviewed a bit of Algebra and did some TCAP Review (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. I won't have the results posted until I get back next week, but you should hopefully know how you did. If you need to re-assess,  make an appointment for next week.
   
2. Remember that next week is TCAP so we have an altered schedule. Algebra will meet on Monday, Tuesday and Friday next week.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

We began with our assessment over Factoring ax^2 + bx + c (key, pdf).

We then reviewed special products and factors (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. I won't have the results posted until I get back next week, but you should hopefully know how you did. If you need to re-assess,  make an appointment for next week.
   
2. Prepare for your assessment over Special Products and Factors.

Monday, February 27, 2012

We began with this opener pdf).

We then reviewed special products and factors and factoring trinomials (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Prepare for your assessment tomorrow over factoring ax^2 + bx + c. Make sure you thoroughly understand the x-box method.
   
   
2. Continue practicing on Coolmath (links in Wednesday's lesson pdf and factoring difference of squares).
   
   
3. Complete the Special Products and Factors Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle.
   
   
4. Don't forget your reflection for parent/teacher conferences which is due to me by midnight tonight.

Friday, February 24, 2012

We began with our assessment over Multiplying Polynomials (key, pdf).

We then learned about Special Products and Factors (lesson, pdf).

Just a reminder that I won't be here next week, but Mrs. Blechschmidt will be.

Your homework is:

1. Check the portal for the results of your assessment, fill out your student checklist with your results, and make a plan for retake (if necessary), including making an appointment.
   
   
2. Complete the Factoring ax^2 + bx + c Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle. 
   
   
3. Don't forget your reflection for parent/teacher conferences which is due to me by midnight on Monday.
   
   
4. Do as many of the Coolmath practice problems as you want (links in Wednesday's lesson pdf). There are practice problems on adding and subtracting polynomials, multiplying polynomials, factoring using GCF, factoring by grouping, and factoring trinomials using x-box. You can add to that list factoring difference of squares.
   
   
5. Watch and complete the Special Products and Factors video, including submitting the self-check problems on the Moodle.
   
   

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

We began with this opener (pdf).

We then reviewed everything we've learned about polynomials up to this point (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Prepare for the Multiplying Polynomials Assessment tomorrow.
   
   
2. Do as many of the Coolmath practice problems as you want (links in the lesson pdf). There are practice problems on adding and subtracting polynomials, multiplying polynomials, factoring using GCF, factoring by grouping, and factoring trinomials using x-box.
   
   
3. No later than by midnight on Monday, complete your reflection for parent/teacher conferences. You can choose to do this in a variety of ways, but all involve word-processing it: You can create a google doc and share it with me; you can type it up in Microsoft Word and email it to me as an attachment; you can type it up and copy and paste it into the body of an email; you can write it as a blog post on your Algebra blog and then send me the URL; or you can come up with some other creative way.
   
   Write to the following prompt (but don't be limited by it - you can write about additional stuff as well if you feel it's important):
   
   Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up next week. I will not be available that night to meet with your parents. If your parents want a conference, they can schedule a face-to-face conference in the following weeks, or we could do a phone or skype conference if they'd prefer.
   
   Whether they want a conference or not, I'd like you to respond to the following questions (all in terms of second semester):
   
   What’s going well for you?
   
   What’s challenging for you?
   
   What could I do as your teacher that would help you be more successful?
   
   What could you do as a student that would help you be more successful?
   
   Is there anything your parents can do to help you be more successful?
   
   Is there anything else you think your parents should know about this class or about how you are doing in this class?
   
   Please be thoughtful and specific in your responses, and please don't wait until the last minute, as I want you to put some real thought into this. The more you put into it, the more valuable it will be for you, me and your parents. Thanks.

What If It Was Possible?

Teachers get this fairly often.

That's impossible Mr. Fisch. I can't do that.

Is it really impossible? Or does it just take a whole lot of work?

Watch.




So next time you feel yourself getting ready to say,

That's impossible.

Remember this video and ask yourself,

Is it really impossible? Or do I just have to work at it?

What kind of box have you put yourself in?

(via A Year of Reading)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

We began with our assessment over Adding and Subtracting Polynomials (key, pdf).

We then explored factoring trinomials using area models (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Check the portal for the results of your assessment, fill out your student checklist with your results, and make a plan for retake (if necessary), including making an appointment. 
   
2. Watch and complete the Factoring ax^2 + bx + c video, including submitting the self-check problems on the Moodle.
   
    
   
   
3. Complete the Multiplying Polynomials Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

We began with this opener (pdf).

We then learning about factoring by grouping (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Watch and complete the Factoring By Grouping video, including submitting the self-check problems on the Moodle.
2. More practice at Coolmath - do as many as you need to get comfortable with factoring by grouping.
   
3. Prepare for the Adding and Subtracting Polynomials Assessment on Tuesday. Please study.

Bonus Post for Valentines Day

Google this: (sqrt(cos(x))*cos(400*x)+sqrt (abs(x))-0.4)*(4-x*x)^0.1

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

We began with this opener (pdf).

We then reviewed multiplying polynomials and learned about divisibility rules and factoring using GCF (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Watch and complete the Factoring Polynomials Using GCF video, including submitting the self-check problems on the Moodle.
   
   
   
   
2. Complete the Adding and Subtracting Polynomials Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle.

Monday, February 13, 2012

We began with our assessment over Perimeter, Circumference and Area (key, pdf).

We then explored multiplying polynomials by looking at area models (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Check the portal for the results of your assessment, fill out your student checklist with your results, and make a plan for retake (if necessary), including making an appointment. 
   
   
2. Watch and complete the Multiplying Polynomials video, including submitting the self-check problems on the Moodle.
   
   
   
3. If you want, do a few practice problems with Multiplying Polynomials on Coolmath. Do as many (or as few) as you think you need to to master Multiplying Polynomials.

Seriously. The Next Six Weeks Can Be Tough

The next six weeks can be pretty rough for students, both due to our schedule and due to the content in your various classes.

First, let's look at the schedule for Algebra for the next six weeks:

• This week we meet for 2.5 days (PLC day on Wednesday, furlough day on Friday).
  
• Next week we meet for 3 days (Presidents' Day on Monday).
  
• The next week after that we meet for 3 days (Parent-Teacher Conferences Thursday night, no school on Friday).
  
• The next week we only meet three days, and two of those are shortened classes (due to TCAP, we meet Monday and Tuesday afternoons for a shortened class and Friday regular time).
  
• Then the fifth week we finally have a full week (four days of Algebra.)
• The sixth week is a full week, but we have a shortened class on Friday for the Arapaho Assembly, and it's the week before Spring Break which means lots of stuff will be due in many of your classes.

With all of those disruptions to our schedule, it can be very hard to stay on track (and that's assuming you don't get sick/miss class for any reason).

Second, the content. In Algebra we'll be learning about polynomials, including factoring, which is a topic that is typically tricky for many students. We'll also be taking our midterm. In your other classes teachers will also likely be trying to finish up units before Spring Break.

When you put these together it often turns into a very rough six weeks for students, particularly for freshmen who haven't been through it before (in high school, anyway). You really, really, really need to focus and stay on top of things over the next six weeks. If you do, you'll be able to enjoy Spring Break and come back refreshed and ready to learn for the remainder of the school year. If you don't, you'll end up very stressed, your grades are likely to go down (as will your enjoyment of Spring Break), and most importantly your learning will suffer.

So make a plan for how you are going to stay focused and on top of things. Be sure to come in for help when you need it (not just my class, but all of your classes), or if you just need to talk. And help each other out; remember, Warriors always take care of one another (and themselves). This is an excellent time to put that into practice.

Everyday Leadership

If you have about 6 minutes, I think you might find this video worth your while. I think he shares a great message about the impact you can have on others' lives - often without even realizing it.





So what do you think, do you want to try to be an everyday leader? Can you create a lollipop moment today?

Friday, February 10, 2012

We began with our assessment over Polygon Angle Sums (key, pdf).

We then learned about Adding and Subtracting Polynomials (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Check the portal for the results of your assessment, fill out your student checklist with your results, and make a plan for retake (if necessary), including making an appointment.
   
   
2. Complete the Perimeter, Circumference and Area Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle.  Please note our assessment will be on Monday.
   
   
3. Prepare for the Perimeter, Circumference and Area assessment on Monday.
   
   
4. Finish the review worksheet I gave you on Wednesday (if you haven't already).
   
   
5. Watch and complete the Adding and Subtracting Polynomials video, including submitting the self-check problems on the Moodle.
   



6. If you want, do a few practice problems with Adding and Subtracting Polynomials on Coolmath. Do as many (or as few) as you think you need to to master Adding and Subtracting Polynomials.

Scale of the Universe

I ran across this tonight and thought some of you might enjoy it. It's a slightly different take similar to the Powers of 10 videos we looked at when learning about exponents. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

We began with our assessment over Polygons (key, pdf).

We then learned about Perimeter, Circumference and Area (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Check the portal for the results of your assessment, fill out your student checklist with your results, and make a plan for retake (if necessary), including making an appointment.
   
   
2. Prepare for the Polygon Angle Sums Assessment on Friday.
   
   
3. Finish the Perimeter, Circumference and Area worksheet you worked on in class.
   
   
4. Work on the Review Worksheet I handed out. I would recommend finishing it before Friday, but definitely by Monday.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

We began with this opener (pdf).

We then learned about Polygon Angle Sums (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Prepare for the Polygons assessment tomorrow.
   
   
2. Complete the Angle Sums Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle.  

Monday, February 6, 2012

We began with this opener (pdf).

We then learned about Special Quadrilaterals (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Complete the Polygons Online Pre-Assessment on the Moodle.  

SpongeBob's House is a Mathematical Impossibility

Vi Hart points out that SpongeBob's Pineapple Under the Sea is just not mathematically realistic:




SpongeBob's animator responds.

More on Fibonacci and plants, more on the Fibonacci sequence.

Friday, February 3, 2012 Snow Day Assignment

Yes, seriously.

Happy snow day. Please enjoy the unscheduled extra day off, but before Monday please do problems 4 - 7 on p. 3 of Wednesday's lesson (pdf) on triangles (we already did 1-3 together in class). Look back at your notes, or at pages 1 and 2 of the lesson, or use the Internet to help you figure it out. You can even email, call, text or skype me as well.

Note: This isn't on the Moodle, nor do you need to email it to me, please just work out the problems in your notebook.

See you on Monday. Have a very good, very safe, weekend.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

We began with our assessment over Data Graphs (key, pdf).

We then learned about Triangles (lesson, pdf).

Your homework is:

1. Check the portal for the results of your assessment, fill out your student checklist with your results, and make a plan for retake (if necessary), including making an appointment.
   
   
2. Review your notes over Polygons and Triangles.