Flyswatter Review Game for Forms of Linear Equations

A little over a week ago, my Algebra 1 students took their test over graphing linear equations.  This test covered finding slope, x and y intercepts, graphing linear equations, and converting between standard form, slope-intercept form, and point-slope form. 

The test scores were disappointing.  As long as equations were in slope-intercept form, my students did pretty well.  But, if they had to rearrange the equation in order to solve it, they would rather guess an answer than try to get y by itself.  We had spent days on both standard form and point-slope form.  We had created foldables for each.  And, they had seen lots and lots of practice problems.  They were even allowed to use their interactive notebooks on the test.

But, somewhere along the way, I had failed my students.  Looking back, I realize that my students had never really had to learn what form of an equation they were dealing with.  I would tell them that we were working with standard form that day or point-slope that day.  That would tell them what page in their notebook to reference.  On the test, however, all of the forms were jumbled up.  I had not given my students practice determining what form an equation was in.

I especially realized this when helping students with test corrections.  I learned how to do test corrections from my cooperating teacher at the middle school level during my student teaching.  He set up test corrections in such a way that students had to think through the problems they missed.  They had to actually discuss math.  Then, they have to express either their mistake or what they have learned in writing.  And, the results were priceless.  The group set-up for test corrections actually hasn't worked as well for me in my classroom since I have such small classes.  Usually, I love, love, love my small class sizes.  But, this is one activity where it is better to have twenty-five or thirty students in a room.

During test corrections, students would constantly be raising their hand and asking me to help them with a problem.  I heard "I don't know why I got this one wrong because I just guessed" way too many times.  First of all, the logic of that statement does not make sense to me.  You got it wrong because you guessed.  Anyway, my first question would almost always be "What form is this equation in?"  I heard way too many "I don't know" responses.  Eventually, I would be able to coax an answer from them, but it was a frustrating process for both of us.

When I look at a linear equation, I immediately try to classify it.  My students don't have this intuition.  The fact that we need to do this is something I should have taught them.  Next year, I will know this from experience and will do better!

While reviewing for the semester test, I decided to take some of the time and review the types of linear equations.  While browsing an antique store last weekend, I saw some flyswatters that had been decorated with fake flowers.  The sight of these flyswatters brought back fond memories of the flyswatter game that I used to play in middle school.

The flyswatters I used for the Flyswatter Game. 

I first learned to play the flyswatter game in fifth grade.  I had two really amazing fifth grade teachers.  We played lots of review games, made teepees out of tortillas, baked our own pizzas, and had more fun doing book reports than I thought was possible.  These were not ordinary book reports.  We made pop-up books to summarize the major events in a novel.  We built mobiles.  We filled brown grocery sacks with items that represented key characters and events in the book.  We gave how-to demonstrations to the class.  Anyway, I digress...

The premise of the flyswatter game is simple.  On a dry erase board or sheet of large paper, write out all of the vocab words for a lesson, chapter, unit, etc.  Form two teams.  One person from each team takes the flyswatter and stands on a line in front of the words.  (It's your decision whether students will start by facing the reader or the words.)  Read a definition.  (You could also project it on the screen.)  The first student to swat the answer with their flyswatter gets to stay in the game.  They will go to the end of their team's line.  The other student will be out.  (If both flyswatters land on the same answer, the one on the bottom wins.)  The game continues until only one team remains.

I wanted my students to have more practice determining what form a linear equation was in.  I also wanted to re-emphasize how to recognize the equations of horizontal and vertical lines.  My categories were: Standard Form, Point-Slope Form, Slope-Intercept Form, Horizontal Line, Vertical Line, and None of These.  I prepared a Smart Notebook file of 30 or so linear equations.  After each team sent up a member, I would project a new equation on the Smart Board.  Students would have to determine what form it was in and swat the correct answer.

Where the Swatting Occurred.  My dry erase board does not photograph well, apparently.

My students enjoyed the game.  I expected to have problems with my students trying to swat each other instead of the board, but they were rather well-behaved.  And, I expected my high school students to take the swatting process rather seriously.  But, it was like they were moving in slow-motion while selecting their answer.  They would gently lay the fly swatter on the board.  If they had been trying to actually kill a fly, the fly would have been long gone...  

I'll be honest.  The game didn't work out as well as I had hoped.  The problem wasn't with the game, though.  The problem was that I still had implicitly instructed my students how to determine what form a linear equation was in.  This led to many students just swatting random answers.  I still have so much to learn as a teacher!  
   

Hexaflexagon Love

All of the teachers in my school are supposed to do semester tests on set days.  Yesterday, we did semester tests in our odd-numbered hours.  Today, we tested in even-numbered hours.  Some of my students were a little confused by the odd/even distinction.  They mistakenly thought the day you tested on was determined whether there was an odd or even number of students enrolled in the class.  Once we got that cleared up, it went pretty smoothly.

The only problem I have with the whole arrangement is that I still have my odd periods for 3 more days and my even periods for 2 more days before the semester ends.  It's not enough time to start a new unit, but I'm not one to let my students do nothing.  They know this about me.  I passed out evaluation sheets for my students to fill out, and a lot of students answered "more free time" to the question "What changes do you want to see next semester?"  That's definitely not going to happen. 

Today, my classes that were finished with their semester tests, filled out the evaluation forms and explored the exciting world of hexaflexagons.

Hexaflexagon Love.

We started by watching this video by Vi Hart.  If you've never seen a hexaflexagon before, you have to watch this video!  Trust me, you will be amazed  



Then, I passed out blank trihexaflexagon templates from puzzles.com.  This website has two versions available.  One template is larger and includes only the template.  The other template is smaller, but it also includes the assembly instructions.  I printed off the second template for myself and the first, larger template for my students.

Now, if I was a geometry teacher, I would definitely use the information available in this tutorial to have my students use a ruler and compass to have students construct their own hexaflexagon templates.  How awesome of an introduction to geometric constructions would that be?!  

The directions on the second template are well-written, but my students are not the best at following directions.  I found it easier to show my students what to do using the document camera than having them try to follow written instructions.

I did have my students number their template as shown in the instructions.  This way, I could tell my students exactly what numbers should be showing at any point in the construction process.  If a student's numbers did not match mine, it was obvious, and we could work to fix the problem immediately.

I learned after my first class to make sure I told students to crease each fold BOTH ways.  Otherwise, my students had a lot of trouble making their hexaflexagons work since the creases were weak.

After cutting, folding, and gluing, my students were eager to flex their hexaflexagons.  After many one-on-one lessons with students to show them where to pinch and open, the room was abuzz with excitement.  Students used the rest of the class period to color their hexaflexagons.

I did this lesson three times today.  Two classes loved it.  The other couldn't have cared less about hexaflexagons.  They didn't want to color them or play with them or even make them.  I have no idea why...

Hey World!

Since my junior year of college, I have been blogging about teaching math.  However, I've kept it a secret.  Every once in a while, someone would tell me that I should start a blog.  I would sort of smile and nod, knowing that I was already blogging about it.  Over the past few weeks, I stepped out of my comfort zone and told two people about my blog.  It was a big step for me.  Today, spurred on by Dan Meyer's public service announcement, I am proudly writing my name on my blog.  I am proud of what this blog has become.  I love that it captures both the good and the frustrating since teaching truly is a mixture of both.  I believe that my blog is a reflection of my dedication to my students, my school, and this profession.  So, starting today, I am proudly proclaiming that these words belong to me. 

So, without further ado:

Hey World!

My name is Sarah Hagan, and I am a first-year high school math teacher.  I teach Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and College Algebra in a small, rural town in Oklahoma.  Adjusting to life in a town without a single stop light or even a Wal-Mart has been an interesting experience.  

First Day of Student Teaching

I am a proud graduate of The University of Tulsa.  There, I studied mathematics and secondary education.  The tools I was equipped with to work with students in an urban environment translate almost perfectly to the students I now teach in a rural environment. 

I work with some amazing students who teach me daily about what it truly means to persevere and overcome obstacles.  They put up with my crazy review games, silly youtube videos, obsession with foldables, and love of math.  (And, I don't think they realize I know this, but I know for a fact that the activities they complain about in class are the same activities that they brag to their friends about.)

I would love for you to join me on Pinterest or Twitter (@mathequalslove)!  

A Clock Makeover, Pencil Sharpener Discovery, and Ordered Pair Foldable

Well, today was the last Saturday School of the semester.   And, it was my most productive Saturday School yet.  When I agreed to supervise Saturday School, I was pretty excited that I would be getting paid to do work that I would normally be doing on Saturdays, anyway.  Well, that and supervising students who needed to make up absences.  Keeping teenagers busy who don't want to be there and don't have anything to work on is a full-time job, however. 

Today, while they were busy with word searches, books to read, essays to write, math questions to solve, and coloring sheets to keep them busy, I got caught up on all of my grading!

I even had time to transform my classroom clock.  This was inspired by a pin uploaded by Bethany Pearson.  When we get back from Christmas Break, my Algebra 1 students will be starting to study exponents and radicals.  I thought this would be a fun way to preview the topic of radicals.  It even sparked a great conversation in Saturday School.  One student said that it was easy to figure out what number it was because you just divided by two.  Some other students quickly jumped in the conversation to correct him.

  I'm so excited to see my students' reactions on Monday!

Radical Clock - I replaced each number with a sticky note whose square root will simplify to the correct number on the clock.  (Inspiration: Bethany Pearson)

Another exciting piece of news: my manual pencil sharpener is back in action!  A few weeks ago, the handle to my pencil sharpener went missing.  I assumed it had been stolen.  It wouldn't be the first time a student has stolen something from my classroom.  Earlier this year, I had a student steal a bell off of my desk.  When a student told me who stole it, I tracked down the student, and t\he gave it back to me.  But, a few days later, it disappeared again.  Months later, it has still not returned. 

Anyway...back to the pencil sharpener.  A student went to use it today, and he immediately started questioning me about why the pencil sharpener wouldn't work.  I told him that someone had stolen the handle, and he would have to use the electric pencil sharpener instead.  For some reason, he proceeded to take apart the manual pencil sharpener.  Inside the part of the sharpener that usually holds the pencil shavings, he found the missing handle.  Now, why in the world would someone feel the need to dismantle my pencil sharpener and hide part of it inside it?  Oh well, I'm just happy to have it back in service. 
Instead of designing a foldable for one of my future units, I created a foldable for a past unit.  I've had several visitors come to my blog after searching for an ordered pair foldable.  I hadn't made an ordered pair foldable, but seeing the search term inspired me to create this foldable.  I apologize that the pictures are not super-high quality.  

Outside of Ordered Pair Foldable

Inside the First Set of Doors on my Ordered Pair Foldable

Inside the Second Set of Doors on my Ordered Pair Foldable

I plead the fifth...

Sometimes I wonder how my students describe to others what we are learning in Algebra 1.  Yesterday, I ended up giving impromptu lessons over article adjectives and what it means to plead the fifth.  We do talk about math, I promise!

Student: "Why did you write 'crosses x-axis' when you said 'crosses the x-axis?'''
Me: "We don't always write out article adjectives when taking notes."
Student: "What's an article adjective?"

And, yesterday's quote of the day:

Student: "Are we your favorite class?"
Me: "I plead the fifth." 
Student: "So, fifth hour is your favorite class?" 

Conviction on Caring

I care about my students.  I care about how they do in my class.  I care about how they are doing in other classes.  I care about their futures. 

A few months ago, I ordered a copy of Inspiring Active Learning by Merrill Harmin.  It has become one of my most used resources for effective teaching strategies and inspiration.  My copy of the book is slowly being filled with highlighting, underlining, and notes in the margins. This book has opened my eyes to how students perceive my actions.  I wish this is what was taught in my teacher education program.   

Convicting Quotes on Caring

"High expectations are signs that you strongly care. When you give up on students or accept halfhearted work, you tell students that you do not care about their welfare all that much." 

Guilty.  Last week, I covered parallel and perpendicular lines with my Algebra 1 students.  We discussed what parallel and perpendicular lines looked like.  We discovered the relationships between their slopes.  We practiced identifying parallel and perpendicular lines by looking at their equations.  We used the slope formula to find the slopes of various lines in order to determine if they were parallel, perpendicular, or neither.  Two of the last problems on the worksheet asked students to determine if a given pair of lines was parallel, perpendicular, or neither.  However, they gave the students the lines in standard form instead of slope-intercept form.  My students are really struggling with converting lines in standard form to slope-intercept form.  I mean REALLY STRUGGLING.  The majority of my students came to me with little to no background in integer operations or inverse operations.  I have tried to fill as many gaps as possible, but some of my students are still struggling.  This makes rearranging equations frustrating for them and for me.  As I helped some students work through these challenging problems, other students were listening.  They weren't listening for the solution process, but for the final answer.  Oh, number 14 is parallel.  I knew this was going on, and I did nothing to stop it.  When I graded those worksheets, I felt terrible.  These students were getting a grade for work they didn't do.  I was rewarding them for cheating.  High expectations were not present that day in my classroom...  And, it's this sort of thing that makes me want to adopt standards based grading in my classroom.

"When we can radiate our best selves in the classroom each day, we naturally elicit the best response from students...This inspiring power is especially intertwined with our ability to be caring."

After reading this passage, I wrote the following in the margin: "Convicted. No more bad days. Ever."  I am human.  I have great days and not so great days.  I am guilty of getting frustrated with one of my class periods and letting that frustration carry over into later class periods.  This is not right.  My students deserve me at my best each and every day.  It shouldn't matter how I feel, what day of the week it is, or how my 3rd hour acted.  I don't have the answer for how to make this happen, but I'm taking the first step by reflecting on and making myself aware of the problem.  After several conversations with one of my students, I have started forcing myself to smile some days when I don't feel like it.  And, you know what?  Sometimes that simple act is all it takes to start changing my attitude and outlook on the rest of the day.             

Hands-On Circumference Activity

This year, I am the algebra teacher in my school.  I teach Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and College Algebra.  The only math class I don't teach is geometry.  Our other teacher teaches all of the geometry classes and two hours of Algebra 1.  Initially, I was glad to not be teaching geometry since I haven't had much experience with it other than taking geometry in high school.  However, as the year progresses and I find myself helping students with their geometry homework, I'm realizing just how fun of a class it would be to teach.  I look at their homework and start imagining all of the possibilities for foldables and hands-on activities.   

Last weekend, I spent some time looking through all the pictures I had taken during the past year.  I ran across some pictures I had taken to put in my online portfolio that I created during my job search.  This was one of those pictures. 

Hands-On Circumference Activity

For my methods of teaching class, we had to write a specified number of lesson plans.  Each lesson plan had to follow a strict format and include examples of what the completed activities or assignments should look like.  One of the lesson plans I wrote focused on applying the formulas for area and circumference of a circle. 

The idea behind the lesson was that students would use materials to verify the formula for circumference of a circle.  I would gather circular objects for my students to use to trace circles.  After tracing around a circle, they would estimate the center of each circle and draw the radius.  Using a ruler, students would measure the radius and use the formula to find circumference.

After arriving at an answer, students would use a ruler and scissors to cut off a piece of yarn the length of their circumference.  They would then lay the yarn around the circumference of the circle to verify their answer.  If the piece of yarn was too long or short, the students would need to verify their measurements and find their mistake.

I think this would be a great way to show students that the circumference formula is more than just a jumble of letters.  I haven't used this in my own classroom, though.   

Daily Conversations

Today has been a day full of parallel and perpendicular lines, a student council meeting at lunch, practice ACT questions, after school math tutoring, and lots of crazy conversations.  Enjoy.  

Student: "Can I go to talk to the principal?"
Me: "No."
Student: "Why not?"
Me: "He's not here today."
Student: "Why?  Where's he at?"
Me: "He's at a workshop."
Another student: "Is he at Santa's workshop?"

"How can vegetarians eat sandwiches?"    

Student: "Do you want to look at this?" (This student has just handed me a blue folder that is completely full of his math assignments from last year.)
Me: "Sure." 
Student: "So, what do you think?  Can I get some extra points for it?"
Me: "What?"
Student: "I was hoping that you would give me thirty extra points for it."
Me: "This is from last year.  It's not for this class.  I'm sorry, but I can't give you any extra credit for having last year's assignments."
Student: "I was hoping that if I kept it that I would get some extra points for it.  That's okay.  I'll take it to [the other math teacher.]  He'll give me some extra points for it."
Me: "But, he's not your teacher.  How will he give you extra points?" 
Student: "That doesn't matter.  He can still give me extra points." 

"Guys, it's three days until Hanukkah.  I know this because I asked for a dreidl for Christmas."

"Wouldn't it be convenient if deer always crossed at the deer crossing signs?"  (Said after my students had watched this video earlier in the day.)  

Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Foldable

Today, I introduced the concepts of parallel and perpendicular lines to my Algebra 1 classes.

Quote of the Day: "I'm going to name my kid 'Perpendicular.'"

I had my students complete this foldable for our interactive notebooks.  

Outside of Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Foldable

I'm not the biggest fan of what I had my students write inside the foldable.  It was a little wordy, and I will tell you that the amount of writing decreased with each class period that I taught this.  I put this together at the last minute, and it shows.  Next time I cover this topic, I will revisit this and revise.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!  

Inside of Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Foldable

3 Door Foldable Template to fit in Composition Notebook:

The Little Things

Well, the student from the other day who told me that I looked like I hated my life commented again on my appearance today.  When I greeted him before lunch today, he noted that I was actually smiling today.  During my interview for this job, the superintendent told me not to smile until Christmas.  I'm glad I didn't follow his advice because I truly believe that my students need to see me smile.  My students need to see that I want to be doing this job, that I want to be where I am at the moment.

Today's post is about some of the little things I've been doing help bring a smile back to my face.

As part of my birthday gift, my sister gave me a magnetic Christmas tree, complete with ornaments.  I originally assumed that it was to hang on my refrigerator, but she suggested that I put it up in my classroom.  Most students don't even notice it.  But, I love it.  Of course, some students like to rearrange it and place the packages on top of the tree...

My Classroom Christmas Tree

I've also been making a concerted effort to add memories to my memory jar.  I ran across this idea on Pinterest this summer, and I decided I needed to make one for my own classroom.  When I asked my mom for a jar that would work, she gave me a Mr. Peanut jar.

It sets by my desk, and whenever a students says something funny, profound, or somewhere in between, I write it down on a post-it note, fold it up, and put it in the jar.  This jar is full of the things that make me love my job.  But these are the exact same things that are often forgotten or overlooked when reflecting back on my day.  My mind tends to focus its attention on that thing that didn't go so well instead of the myriad of other daily events.

I think my plan is to read these at the end of my first year of teaching.  I can't wait to read back over all of these memories and relive my first year of teaching.

I used to journal a lot, but I just haven't had the time of late.  Basically, if it doesn't get written here or jotted down on a post-it note and stuck in my jar, it doesn't get written down.

My Memory Jar

Point-Slope Form Foldable

Today, my Algebra 1 students learned about point-slope form.  This is the third and final form of a linear equation we will cover.  At first, my students were apprehensive about the new formula, but they quickly warmed up to it.  Today, we focused on writing equations in point-slope form and finding the slope and coordinates of the point from the equation. 

Tomorrow, we will review this and create the following foldable.  Then, I hope to spend the rest of tomorrow's class period reviewing once again how to rearrange equations to slope-intercept form.  My students are really struggling with rearranging equations.  I have a few who get it, but the rest seem to always divide when they are supposed to add or subtract and vice versa.  We've talked about following the order of operations backwards.  We've taken notes over it several times under different scenarios.  But, nothing seems to make the process click for my students. 

Point Slope Form of a Linear Equation Foldable

Inside Flap of Point-Slope Foldable

Inside Flap of Point-Slope Foldable

A Realization...

As a first year teacher, it is easy for me to feel overwhelmed.  I look at my students, and I see how much of an education they have been cheated out of without their even realizing it.  I see the extra obstacles that will lie in their paths toward success if I can't help each and every one of them pass their EOI test in April.  I hear their heartbreaking stories from other teachers.  There are days that I feel like I am not making a difference.

The EOI test is in April.  For most of these students, graduation is a few years off.  But, these students are in my classroom TODAY.  I need to learn to focus on them and what the current day holds.  Lately, I've been focusing more on the things I can't control than the ones I can.  Then, I allow my frustration change my attitude and my outlook.

I hadn't really been aware of this shift in my thinking and my focus until last week when a student told me something I will remember for a long while.  Every day, this student puts his bag in my room before lunch since he has my class after lunch.  And, every day I tell him hi and/or ask how he is.

Last week, I don't remember if I actually said "Hi" or not.  But, he told me that I looked sad.  When I questioned him about it, he told me this: "You used to always look so happy when I came in the room, but lately you look like you hate your life."

I don't hate my life.  And, I certainly don't hate my job.  I love that I get to spend my days teaching my students about math and life.  But, I hate that I can't change how my students choose to view themselves.  I hate that I can't change my students' past experiences with math or school in general.  I hate that I don't know how to bring about change in this school.  And, I hate that the process of change is such a slow one.   

I know exactly where my frustration lies, but my students don't.  I need to focus on doing my job to the best of my ability and hope that others choose to follow me.

I e-mailed my the middle school teacher that I student taught with last week, and he wrote me back some words of wisdom.  They resonated with me so much that I made them my desktop background.

   
My goal for this next week (and the rest of my career) is to focus on my students.  There will always be things I cannot control.  I must try to bring about the change I believe in, but I cannot allow my success or lack thereof in that arena to define my attitude. 

Standard Form of a Linear Equation

Last week, my Algebra 1 students worked with linear equations in both slope intercept form and standard form.  We practiced graphing equations in standard form by converting to slope intercept form and by graphing intercepts.  At first, my students did not like graphing intercepts.  However, after several problems, that became their method of choice.

Here are pictures of our Interactive Notebook entries over Standard Form.

On the right, I created a mini-booklet of sorts to help students organize their notes on standard form.  I wanted students to know exactly where to look for the steps in solving and where to find a completed example.

Here is a picture of our completed "book" after being glued in our composition notebooks.

Standard Form of a Linear Equation Notes Booklet (Outside)

On the inside of the booklet, we solved the same problem using both methods.

Standard Form of a Linear Equation Notes Booklet (Inside)

This note-taking template (or book or foldable or whatever you want to call it) is available as a PDF for your use.  Print it double-sided and have students glue the blank side into their notebooks.  I would suggest writing on it before gluing it in your notebook!  

On our left hand page, I created a cut and paste activity for my students to complete.  I chose a equation in standard form that I wanted them to practice converting to slope intercept form.  I printed each element in the original equation, new equation, and solving process in a square.  Students were supposed to cut out the pieces, form the equation projected on the Smart Board, and use the remaining pieces to convert the equation to slope intercept form.

I had several goals in doing this.  I knew some of my students would benefit from actually manipulating the pieces of the equation.  Students knew that they were supposed to use all of the pieces.  When students had leftover pieces, it led to some great conversations about common mistakes.  For example, some of my students hadn't been dividing EVERYTHING by the coefficient of y when getting y by itself.

The activity was actually really frustrating for me, though.  I had assumed we would be able to complete it the same day that we completed the above notes and practice problems.  However, we were running out of time, and I chose to give my students their sheet of practice problems in lieu of the cut and paste activity.  The next day, we did the cut and paste activity.  I thought this would take five or ten minutes.  I was wrong.  Very wrong.  We spent almost half a class period working on this.  The 20 pieces were time-consuming to cut out and even more time-consuming to glue in their notebooks.

Convert from Standard Form to Slope Intercept Form Cut and Paste Activity

I have uploaded the pieces for the cut and paste activity if you would like to use them.

In retrospect, this would have made a better stations activity than interactive notebook entry.  I think next time I teach this I will make up 5 or 6 equations, cut them out in pieces and put them in envelopes.  Students will circulate through the stations and manipulate the equations to convert them to the correct form.  This will focus my students on the solving process instead of the cutting and gluing.

And, this is what I love about blogging.  I considered not even sharing this activity since I found it to be ineffective in my classroom.  But, through this process of writing and reflecting, I have learned from my experience.

It may not have been the most effective use of time in my classroom, but it was not a waste of time.  The experience has made me a better teacher.  No, that is not true.  Reflecting on the experience has made me a better teacher.  Every lesson, every activity will not be a home run.  But, if I take the time to reflect on them and learn from them, I am doing my students the best service possible. 

I'll close this post with a picture of our completed notebook entry.

Standard Form of a Linear Equation Interactive Notebook Entry

Randomness

1.  I am so thankful for having had Thanksgiving Break.  I really needed the time to step away from school for a few days and recharge my batteries.  (And, I just realized that I still know the Spanish term for "recharge my batteries."  Is that weird?  I haven't had a Spanish class since Fall of 2009.)  But, I was really bothered by how much my students seemed to have forgotten over Thanksgiving Break.  Before Thanksgiving Break, we had spent about a week on graphing lines in slope intercept form as well as horizontal and vertical lines.  However, after Thanksgiving Break, it was like my students had forgot to do things as simple as graph a point on the coordinate plane.  They were inventing all of these new and creative (and incorrect!) ways to graph points.  I'm worried, now, though, about how much information they will have retained when they come back from Christmas Break which is much longer.

2.  Dan Meyer knows that I exist.

3.  When other teachers start questioning you about your relationship status, it is not a good sign.  I can't believe what rumors students feel the need to start.  I guess there is nothing more exciting to talk about in this small town...

4.  "You're not my favorite teacher, but you are my best teacher."  And, I'm totally okay with not winning the first title.  My students know by now that I don't believe in free days.  We don't watch movies.  We do math daily--even if it's only a two day week due to Thanksgiving!              

Interactive Notebook Entry: Graphing Using Slope-Intercept Form

Here are pictures of the entries in my Algebra 1 INB of graphing in slope-intercept form.  Links to download templates are at the end of the post!

Slope Intercept Foldable (y=mx+b) and Brief Notes over Rearranging Equations

Outside view of y=mx+b Foldable

Inside View of y=mx+b foldable.  The x and y flaps define y as the dependent variable and x as the independent variable.

Frayer Model over Y-Intercept

Notes over graphing using slope-intercept form.  This page is kinda blah. 

Reminders of which way to rise/run to get a positive or negative slope.  Some of my students found this really confusing.  Need to fix in the future! 

View of Left and Right Page in INB.

 I blogged more about the y=mx + b foldable here.

y=mx+b Foldable Template




Printable Positive and Negative Signs for Rise over Run Reminders

HOY VUX Foldable (with Template!)

HOY VUX Foldable for Graphing Vertical and Horizontal Lines

During my student teaching experience,  my eighth graders really struggled with graphing horizontal and vertical lines.  I was not presenting this material to them for the first time but reviewing it with them before the state test.  I tried to get the students to see the relationship between what axis the graph crossed and how the equation started.  This worked for some, but others continued to struggle.  We listed points that were on each line with the hope that they would see the pattern.  I was still never really satisfied with my presentation of the concept.

Now that I am teaching high school Algebra 1, the graphs and equations of horizontal and vertical lines are still tested on our state end of instruction exam.  I think I ran across the HOY VUX mnemonic for the first time this summer on Pinterest.  I initially dismissed it because I just didn't get it.  I didn't get what it supposed to sound like or be like.  I felt like I was probably missing something pretty obvious, but it just seemed kinda strange.

Since graphing equations is the main part of our Algebra 1 EOI exam, I have been trying my hardest to make sure I give my students the strongest graphing foundation possible.  Yes, I want my students to pass their EOI test in April.  And, yes, you could say I am teaching to the test.  In the state of Oklahoma, if my students do not pass their Algebra 1 EOI Exam, they cannot receive a high school diploma.  They are given the chance to retake the exam or pass an alternate test if they do not pass the test.  My students already have enough obstacles between them and graduation.  I want to know that I have done everything possible to ensure that they go into that test prepared for the types of questions it will ask.

Okay, this blog post hasn't gone exactly where I had anticipated it going.  Back to HOY VUX.    

A peek under the flaps of the HOY VUX Foldable.

About a week and a half ago, I read about HOY VUX on another blog.  That blogger mentioned that HOY VUX was supposed to be a nonsense word.  All of a sudden, it made sense why I hadn't been able to figure out what it meant.

On the Monday before Thanksgiving Break, I introduced my students to HOY VUX.  We discussed what each letter stood for.  They had already learned from Slope Dude that horizontal lines have zero slope and vertical lines have undefined slope.  

I did have to explain the difference between horizontal and vertical to some of my students.  I tried the explanation of horizontal is like the horizon, but that held little meaning for my students.  Finally, one student decided that vertical sounded a lot like vertebrae, and your vertebrae goes up and down. 

With just a minute or two of explanation, my students were ready to start graphing and applying HOY VUX.      

Inside of HOY VUX Foldable

Tuesday, the day before Thanksgiving Break, we created a foldable over HOY VUX to put in our interactive notebooks.  Under each flap, we wrote reminders of what each letter stood for.  We used the X and Y flaps to describe both what the graph and equation look like.  I think this is very important.   

Graphing Practice on the Left Hand Page of the Interactive Notebook

On the left page of our interactive notebook, we practiced graphing horizontal and vertical lines.  I made sure that we graphed both x=0 and y=0 since I found that my students were most likely to confuse these. 

View of both pages of INB entry over Graphing Horizontal and Vertical Lines using HOY VUX.

I wish I could say HOY VUX was the solution to all of my horizontal and vertical graphing needs.  It works like a charm for almost all of my students.  However, I have a handful of students who refuse to use it.  While everyone else is graphing away, they will raise their hands for help.  I will try to prompt them and ask if we would use HOY or VUX.  And, they always tell me that they don't do it that way.  They do it their own way.  Which would be fine with me.  I don't tell my students that there is only one right way.  If they come up with a method that works better for them, they are more than welcome to use it.  I often have them share it with the class.  But, the problem is these two students didn't have their own way.  They just didn't want to use my way.  So, their solution was to just ask for help each time.  I don't know how to deal with this.  Is this my fault?  Or is it theirs?  

Here is a copy of the blank template I gave students to make their HOY VUX Foldable on.

More Than Just a Math Teacher

I went to college to learn how to teach math.  However, as my first semester of teaching starts to draw to a close, I realize that I am more than just a math teacher.  In the past few months, I have...


...had weekly and even daily conversations with my students about what it means to be a vegetarian.  My students are still amazed by the fact that I don't eat meat.  We discuss the differences between vegetarianism and veganism.  Our conversations often go like this: "Ms. H, you're a vegetarian, right?"  Yes.  "So, does that mean you can't eat potato chips?"  I can eat potato chips.  Why would you think that?  "Well, I thought they might add something to them."  

...taught a student how to make flashcards to study for their history test.  I forget that study skills are something that must be taught.   

...given spelling lessons.  "Ms. H, are you sure you spelled algebra right on the board?"  Yes.

...showed one of my students how to count change so he could determine if he had enough money to purchase something from the vending machine.

...taught two students how to tell time from an analog clock during Saturday School.  The short hand points to the hour.  Whichever number the short hand has most recently passed is the current hour.  The long hand points to the minutes.  Take the numbers around the outside of the clock and multiply them by five to find the minutes they represent.  

...broadened my students' vocabulary.  Today, we learned what the word "impede" means.  Last week, it was "hodgepodge."

...encouraged my students to take the ACT.  I encourage my seniors to start applying to colleges.  I didn't realize that this would be so hard.  I can encourage them, but I can't force them to actually take the next step.  

...discussed with my students the fact that the three dots preceding this phrase form an ellipsis.  This led to further discussion on what the three dots actually mean.   


I love teaching high school.  And, I love teaching math.  I remember debating what age group to teach when I was in high school.  Then, I was afraid that I would get tired of teaching the same math lesson over and over.  Let me tell you, I may think that I will be teaching the same math lesson four times each day, but each and every lesson turns out differently.  What one class grasps right away requires extra explanation in the next.  Jokes are made.  Life is discussed.  Math problems are solved.

I don't think I could ever get bored with this job.  Daily, it is a new adventure. 

Slope Practice

Do you want to give your students lots of practice finding the slope between two points?  Do you want to spark the interests of your students about what you will be learning that day?  More than that, do you want to spark the interests of every single person who walks into your room?

Inspired by Mimi's post about practicing exponent rules, I decided to change things up last week while teaching my students how to find the slope between two points.  We did our interactive notebook entry and lots of practice on our dry erase boards.  Instead of giving my students a worksheet, I took the 16 problems from the worksheet and wrote them on index cards.  I spent a few minutes taping them around the room.

Let me tell you, these index cards were the first thing everybody noticed when they walked into my classroom.  I had question after question about what the cards were for.  I had the students find a problem to solve, write their answer on their dry erase board, and hold it up for me to check.  I could have written the answer on the back of the card, but I really wanted to get a sense of which students were getting the hang of the procedure and which still needed more practice.

The students got instant feedback on their work.  I got instant feedback on their level of understanding.  The students got to get up and move around.  Each student worked at their own pace.  Some finished all sixteen problems.  Others only got through two or three.  But, for the most part, each student was working for the entire time.

Some of my upper level classes were jealous because they didn't get to play a game like my Algebra 1 students did.  I found it interesting that placing the problems around the room instead of on a worksheet turns practice into a game.  Student after student asked me about the cards, what they meant, and why they were up around my room.

I would definitely do this activity again!   

Algebra 1 Interactive Notebook Entries over Functions, Relations, and Slope

Here are my latest interactive notebook entries over functions, relations, and slope from my Algebra 1 classes.  If you haven't noticed, I love the Frayer Model for vocabulary.  It has become one of my go-to entries for the interactive notebook.  I started out the year with miniature Frayer Models.  Not anymore. I like to take up the entire page.  My favorite part is the example and non-example boxes.  The more Frayer Models we complete, the more my students want to create their own examples and non-examples.  Their thought processes are slowly changing.  They are starting to process the material and make it their own before I prompt them to.

For example, recently we completed a Frayer Model over the y-intercept.  In the example box, I instructed my students to draw a linear graph and mark the y-intercept using a colored pencil.  Before I could give them instructions for the non-example box, I had students giving suggestions left and right.  Some wanted to mark the x-intercept.  Others wanted to mark a point that was not even on the line.  Still another said we could mark any point that was not the y-intercept.  At the beginning of the year, my students didn't even know what a non-example was.  Now, they are creating their own.  I am accomplishing something.  My students are accomplishing something.  It's so easy for me to focus on all the areas in which I need to improve that I lose sight of the fact that I am making a difference.

Anyway, here are a few photos.  I've added a few new pages since taking these photographs.  That's just testimony to how busy life as a first-year teacher is.   

Finding Slope from Two Points
Interactive Notebook Entry

Finding Slope From a Graph
Interactive Notebook Entry

Slope Frayer Model

Four Types of Slope INB Entry
Students had the choice to illustrate the journey of Slope Dude, draw Mr. Slope Guy, or create their own way of illustrating the four types of slope.  This entry is proof of why I am not an art teacher. 

These strategies are from Inspiring Active Learning.  I ordered it in October, and it has already become one of my most referenced teaching books.  It is full of teaching strategies for everything.  I can't wait for Christmas Break or this summer when I hope to have time to actually sit down and read it from cover-to-cover.  So far, I have just scanned through various chapters to find ideas to inspire more reflection and active learning in my classroom.  I had my students do an in-class journal entry and a learning log. 

Vertical Line Test
Interactive Notebook Entry

Function / Not a Function Sort
After doing this activity with my Algebra 2 students, I knew I definitely wanted to do it with my Algebra 1 students.  This activity was taken from Math Tales From The Spring.

Relation Frayer Model

Function Frayer Model

What's the likelihood?

Two days ago, I finally made time in my crazy schedule for a much needed haircut.  I hadn't had a haircut since this summer.  I don't think I knew going into teaching how difficult it would be to find a balance between my work life and my personal life.  When you get to school before seven and often don't leave until six or seven, how are you supposed to fit haircuts and doctor appointments and grocery shopping into your life?  It's even harder now that I am teaching Saturday School on Saturday mornings... 

Finally, I decided I would just leave work one day at a decent hour (which for me is 5pm) and go and just get it done.  As I was telling the hairstylist what I wanted, we started chatting about life.  I told her that I was a high school math teacher.  And, I was most surprised when she said that math was her favorite subject in high school.  I'm so used to hearing people tell me stories about how math was their worst subject or they never understood it.  I also often hear stories about the one teacher who ruined math for them.  I'm pretty sure people regularly question my sanity for choosing to teach math.  Anyway, she told me that she had taken Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Math Analysis, and Pre-Calculus in high school.  And, if she had had more time, she would have loved to take even higher math classes. 

So, while we are discussing math, the other hairstylist walks by and overhears part of our conversation.  Upon hearing the word math, she starts telling us both that she loves math and that it was her favorite subject in school.  What is the likelihood that I would pick the hair salon where all the math-lovers work?

The whole experience just makes me wonder - what would my job be like if more people loved math?  What would it be like if more parents loved math?  What would it be like if more teachers loved math?  Actually, it wouldn't even have to be "love."  I could definitely settle for a greater "respect" of mathematics.  

New y=mx+b Foldable

Yesterday, I finally introduced my Algebra 1 students to y = mx + b.  I have had several students who have been really anxious to get to this part of the chapter.  These are students who are taking Algebra 1 for the second time or have moved in from another school district.  Most of my students, however, have never seen this before in their lives.

Last Saturday, as I was "teaching" Saturday School, I came up with the idea for this foldable.  I say "teaching" because all I really did was help one student with EOI practice questions and teach two other students how to do KenKen puzzles.  (And, if you haven't signed up for the KenKen teachers program, you totally should.  They will e-mail you a ton of new puzzles each week!  I like to use these for early finishers or that class that finishes ten minutes faster than all of your other classes.  It is great mental math practice which is something my students definitely need.  And, it's building their critical thinking skills.  All the students I have done them with so far have loved them.  I've found that if I show my kids this three minute video, they can complete these puzzles with little assistance.  I always start them off on 3 X 3 puzzles, and they will let you know when they are ready to go up to a larger puzzle!)   

I want to say that this foldable is original.  But, I so rarely come up with something that is completely my own.  So if it's not original and you came up with this, please let me know so I can link back to a source.

Slope Intercept Foldable
y = mx + b
y equals mx plus b
Outside of Foldable

Inside of tabs reminding students what the m and b stand for in Slope Intercept Form.
y=mx+b Foldable

Slope Intercept Foldable with all Tabs Open
This is the actual color of paper I used.  I don't know why it didn't come through in all my pictures. 

I used this lesson as an opportunity to circle back once again to independent and dependent variables. 

Most of my students are still struggling with converting equations into Slope Intercept Form.  So, we'll be working more on that today.

Here's a pdf of my foldable template.  It's not the most elegant template, but it worked.   This is sized to fit in our notebook sideways with extra room to write several sentences worth of notes.  If you are not doing interactive notebooks, I would suggest making it slightly larger so you will have more space to write inside.

I still need to take a picture of it inside our notebook with the notes to share.