Top Blog Posts of the Year (You need to read these!)

This will probably be my last post for 2012, so Happy New Year... I am teaching Stats and Discrete Math next semester so my posts will be a little different, I still have my Algebra II Support class so, I plan on posting things I do for them as well. Anyways, here are the best articles I read on the blogs this year in 2012


1. Best PD Ever, If you missed Twitter Math camp like me, Lisa Henry has a recap of everything they did  and news from it, start here you are sure to find an idea or two or three.


2. It's going so right, something MUST be wrong. She isn't posting as much as she use to but when she does, they are great. Are you teaching quadratics or want to spice it up for next year start here with Hedge.


3. Regression Instructions on Nspire and 84 I used Kate Nowak's Regression instructions for my kids in Stats Class, ended up being the easiest thing I taught them all year!


4. Calculator Shortcuts! - I didn't know this and I bet you don't either! Do you use a TI-84 in class? You want to know this!

5. Post It Note Answer Key This is how you stop your kids from asking is this the right answer but, where did I go wrong, a much more important question.

6. #Made4math: Exit slip update - Anyone who knows me knows I am huge on Formative assessments and Fouss came up with a way that helps the students feel at ease when doing them.

7. Bulletin Boards - Part 2 - How useful is your bulletin board? Learn from Shelli on how to make it more useful.

8. #made4math Monday! More Kagan, Triangle Center Foldable, Einthoven’s Triangle - Did I mention that Pam is just as big on formative assessments as I am?

9. Stolen Pedagogy -  As Megan says if you aren't using what you learn on these blogs to make yourself a better teacher then what is the purpose?

10. The Best Formative Assessment Tool Ever! - Or so some dumb teacher thinks :)

See you guys next year..

Math Teachers At Play #57

Welcome to the 57th Edition of Math Teachers at Play the Blog Carnival!

 The number 57 has often been used in entertainment. As in Agent 57 from the Hit TV Show Danger Mouse.. Bruce Springsteen once sung about 57 channels (and nothing ' on), and I can't forget one of my favorite movies Passenger 57 staring Wesley Snipes.





Below are this month's entries:

Mathematics Teaching

Jason Dyer tells us why this TED-Ed video on Log Functions isn't what it should be TED-Ed gone awry!

 If Long Division is a problem for your kids or students, Julie has the answer to making it easy in this post. Long Division Made Easy

Sue VanHattem is back to help fix some basic misconceptions about Anti-Dervatives and the Area under the Curve in Calculus. Calculus Anti-Derivatives and Area
 
 Pat Ballew is here to tell us about how to use prior knowledge to enhance and build new knowledge, using what we know about midpoints to help us with Centroids.  Average Points

 Christa Fairbrother picks up on the best way to engage students..CANDY M&M's and Math, but she even gives us a bonus on how a function box can help with addition, subtraction, multiplication..  Engagement using a function box

 Guillermo Bautista talks about the importance of getting your kids to understand the meaning correspondence in math.

Kimberly Moore uses her daughter's love for Paper Dolls to help explain the Concept of Division. 

Content Mathematics

 Colleen Young is back with Christmas Activities for you to use in the Classroom. Christmas Time

 Sue VanHattem brings to us Holiday Logic Puzzles that we all love! Holiday Logic Puzzles

Denise gives us a way to keep up with homeschooling during the holiday season using a Mathematical Advent Calendar. 





Great Advice and Insight

Can you create Mathematical Stars? Malke shows us how she got her daughter further into mathematical stars including the use of ornaments. Mathematical Star Ornaments

Terrance Banks gives all school teachers the best way to give a formative assessment that your students are sure to love and easy for you to use. Sticky Notes.




Technology
Colleen Young gives us Desmos an online graphing calculator is superb. FREE and very easy to use. Desmos Calculator

Cindy uses Number Rack to ask Kindergartners what makes five, learn how this app with help your students grow. Make Five with Number Rack

This concludes the 57th edition of the Math Teachers at Play. You may submit your entries for the 58th edition here. 

Made 4 Monday: What I have done the past few weeks..

Ok, I have been MIA the past 3 weeks. We have one full week left and finals start Friday, Half days next week Monday-Wednesday. Then Christmas Vacation! YES!

But here are some activities I have used in the class the past few weeks.

Our current Algebra II unit is Rational Exponents, so I have done a few activities for this unit.

1st, is a transformation matching activity for square and cube root graphs.

The students have to match the graph, equation, and the transformation description. Transformations are a huge part of our old Integrated curriculum here in Georgia.  (Currently being phased out with Common Core)

Rational Exponent Transformation Cards

2nd, is a Tarsia activity puzzle.. Students have to cut out the pieces and put them together in a puzzle that forms a Standard Parquet (It's 12 pieces). The questions are on simplifying rational exponents. I guess I will need to do a post on Tarsia for those who don't have it or have used it.

Here is the pdf file for you to print and have your students match up Rational Exponent Tarsia PDF
Those of you that have downloaded and use Tarsia here is the Tarsia file Tarsia File

And finally here is a different version of Tic Tac Toe review game that I love.

The Rules:

                1)  Choose any row or column and complete the problems on your own paper or on the back of this sheet.  Work independently!

                2)  Once you are convinced that your answers are perfect, record them in the squares, and take them to the teacher to play the game.

                3)  If you are correct, your square gets a circle.  If you are wrong, the square gets an X and you are blocked!

                4)  If you are blocked, you must start over with another row or column.

                5)  Keep playing until you “win”!

Here it is it covers the full unit! Tic Tac Toe Review

ENJOY!!!!