0 Yarrrrrrr!

I just read through Dave Burgess' Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator for the second summer in a row.  As I filled my copy with even more underlining, highlighting, and margin notes, I ran across pages littered with post-it notes that were covered with lesson ideas that I wrote down last year as I read through the book.  Some of these lesson ideas came to fruition.  Others didn't.  Some still appeal to me.  Others don't.

For the most part, these are not fleshed out lessons.  They're either original or semi-original ideas I thought of while reading the book or lessons that I've read of others doing before that I was reminded of while reading.  Either way, I thought I would share them here on my blog.  First of all, I can search things that are written here on my blog.  It's hard to search post-it notes when you're looking for a lesson idea in a pinch!  Also - maybe somebody will fall in love with one of these ideas, carry it out in their classroom, and blog about it so we can all read about it!



Graph Aerobics for Families of Functions in Algebra 2 - Act out linear, quadratic, cubic, quartic, square root, absolute value functions with arms

Slope Aerobics - Act out positive slope, negative slope, zero slope, and undefined slope with your arms.  I actually did this this past year.  We turned it into a game of Slope Dude Says (like Simon Says).  I talked about this during my Global Math Department presentation, but I haven't blogged about it yet.  So much fun!

Go to the home ec kitchen for class.  Pull various food items out of the cabinets.  (If there is no food stored in the kitchen, bring food from home and pretend it was from the kitchen!)  Have students determine how many servings are in each container.  How many containers would they need to buy to feed the entire school?  Ratios and proportions in action!

Have class in the gym on the basketball court.  Have students make free throws.  Calculate their free throw percentage.  If repeated, you could extend this to calculate percent increase or decrease.  Use as an opportunity to review converting between fractions, decimals, and percents.

Go outside.  Divide students into groups of 5 or so.  Each group needs a hula hoop.  Lead students through the team-building activity where students stand with hands joined and pass a hula hoop around the circle.  In each group, students measure the amount of time it takes for the hula hoop to go around the circle once.  Then, each group uses ratios/proportions to calculate how much time it will take for the hula hoop to go around a circle composed of the entire class.  The group with the closest guess wins.

Algebra Vocabulary Charades - Could prove to be hilarious!

Introduce the idea of functions as a gang.  (Relations must pass the vertical line test to be part of the gang.)  Come up with some sort of hand signal to represent the function gang.  Project graphs/equations/tables/sets of data on the board.  Students must flash the function gang sign if they want to accept the relation as a function.  Students could take turns being the bouncer.  Other students draw a relation that is or is not a function to test the bouncer.

Have a wrapped present at the front of the classroom to introduce the idea of using the do/undo method for solving equations.

Graphing with Twizzlers - Actually did this lesson and blogged about it here!

Play pictionary with describing graphs - Have done this lesson, too!

Transform marriage of Q and U into a math lesson somehow.

Tape a graph to the back of each student.  Students must ask questions of other students and use that information to graph the line on their individual dry erase board.  Bring board to teacher to have checked.  Emphasize use of proper vocabulary in describing graphs!

Have students draw/design theme park attractions based on different families of functions.  Function World.  :)  Contest - what theme park would you rather attend?

Compare isolating the variable to a quarantine.  Have caution tape hung around classroom to build interest.  "Enter at your own risk."

Time travel to the time before calculators to learn why we rationalize the denominator.

Mystery of the Cooling Corpse - Set up room as a crime scene.  Taped outline on floor for corpse.  Crime scene tape on door.  Have school employees as suspects.

Secret password needed to enter classroom.  Vocabulary Word - post definition outside of door.

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Detail: Yarrrrrrr!

0 Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone

Yes, I know the end of yesterdays post was a tease.  Sorry about that!

I've got two announcements!

First off, I will be presenting at the Global Math Department this Tuesday, February 11th at 8:00 (CST).  I'll be speaking about teaching math through motion.  The presentation is inspired by a post I wrote about Rock, Paper, Scissors Math.  (Read the post here.)  And, I can't wait to share some creative (I think) ways to use this game to review and practice various mathematical concepts.  I'll also share other ideas I have to get your students moving in the math classroom.  If you plan on listening in, be sure to RSVP at the above link.  If you can't attend but would love to hear what I had to say, I will be sure to post a link to the recorded video after the event!  

Secondly, I submitted a proposal to present at Twitter Math Camp this summer, and it was accepted!  I'll be presenting on Saturday regarding Inspiring Mathematical Curiosity Through Hands-On Activities.  As TMC approaches, I will post more details about this!  I'm very excited about getting to meet all of my favorite bloggers in person!

I don't know if you realize this or not, but these are both kind of a BIG deal for me.  For those of you who have never met me in person, I haven't always been the most outgoing person.  I used to hate talking in front of large (or small) groups of people.  Giving my valedictorian speech was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done.  My sister recorded that speech, but I've never had the courage to watch it.  My voice faltered.  I was the antithesis of calm.  There were so many people listening, and I kind of let that get to me.

Yet, I decided to go into teaching.  I still remember my high school counselor questioning that decision.  She was convinced that there was no way I was going to be able to pick up a phone and call the parents of my students.  For some reason, I just assumed that my shyness would disappear when I stepped in front of my students.  That's not exactly the way it worked.  Somewhere along the way in college, I started coming out of my shell.  It was a slow and tough process.  I feel terrible for that group of students who had to witness my first attempts at teaching.  I had no clue what I was doing, and it showed.  But, the more I stood up in front of a classroom and taught, the more confidence I found.

I have a theory.  If you can stand up in front of a roomful of teenagers and teach them algebra, you can talk in front of anybody.  Last year, as a first year teacher, I was asked to lead a professional development session for the faculty of my high school on how to make learning more interactive and hands-on.  I was scared, but my presentation ended up going well.  A great conversation among our faculty was sparked, and many coworkers stopped me to tell me what a great job I had done with my presentation.  One of our other teachers is trying out interactive notebooks this year, and I'd like to think that maybe my presentation had a part in that.

This blog has given me a place to develop my voice.  When I started this blog, I had no clue that it would bring me here.  So often, I think that I should have nothing to share.  After all, this is only my second year of teaching.  But, that is destructive thinking.  I have so much to share.  It doesn't matter that so much of what I share is adapted from an idea that I stole from someone else.  My sharing leads to my growth.  It leads to my students' growth.  And, it leads to the growth of other educators.  In turn, their growth leads to the growth of their students.  It's a never-ending cycle that I am proud to be a part of.  So, I proudly steal the ideas of others, tweak them, mix in some of my own ideas, teach them, take pictures of them, reflect on them, and press the "Publish" button.  My blog is a result of that progress.

Finding my voice in blogging and in my classroom has led to other exciting opportunities.  For the past two summers, I have served as my church's Vacation Bible School (VBS) Director.  Last year, our theme was Kingdom Adventure.  On our Family Night, I stood in front of over a hundred people, dressed in a pink cape and shiny crown, and shared with parents and family members what we had been learning that week.  Just a few years ago, I was the volunteer that hated to even stand up and be recognized as a volunteer.  Now, I'm the one recognizing the other volunteers.

Though I have come so far, there are still the voices in my head that I'll never be brave enough/confident enough to do certain things.  For me, blogging is safe.  It comes naturally. It's time for me to stop hiding behind a blog post and do more.

A couple of months ago, Kate invited me to present at the Global Math Department.  I've attended the Global Math Department before, but I never saw myself as a presenter.  That's about to change!

Submitting a proposal to TMC is something I almost didn't do.  At the last minute, I did.  And, I'm so glad I made that decision.  Now, my attitude about this may be a little different come July!

I've also submitted a proposal to speak at my state math teacher conference.  I don't think I will hear about whether my proposal was accepted or not until the end of this month.

Exciting changes are ahead for me, and I invite you to join me if possible!

Detail: Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone