First Week Lessons

Tomorrow is the first day of school! I am teaching Honors Problem-Solving Seminar (see this for the first unit of the textbook I created, problem set 1, problem set 2, and the blog post by my students from last year.), Pre-Calculus AB (our newly named accelerated Pre-Calc, for kids moving on to AP Calculus AB next year), and Algebra 2 Honors. I have four classes, and we are lucky enough to have a Math Lab staffed one period a day by a math teacher. So that's my 5th period in a 7-period block schedule.

I was going to blog AFTER I got my thoughts together about what I am doing this week (we see all students Wednesday for 30 minutes, and then we see our first set of blocks on Thursday and our second set on Friday), but I realize I need this blog to gather my thoughts together RIGHT NOW. :)

Wednesday:

I have am using Apple TV in lieu of a SmartBoard, so I am using an iPad with Notability as a teaching tool. It's a little confusing using a laptop for writing lessons and an iPad for presenting, but I am getting the hang of it. We are a 1-1 school with laptops, so students do not have iPads. 

I loved Mathy Cathy's blog about her first day, and think her use of Tackk is incredible. Since I am just getting familiar with Notability, I decided to use that but make something similar. I love the website https://www.canva.com/ and made this to display for students coming in:

Next, I am going to show students part of their homework, which is Who I Am...who can I give credit to for this? Mathy Cathy is also is doing this, so I felt good that I was doing the same. I knew my students would be confused about the self-portrait, so I like her addition in blue, but don't print that one out for the students!

Next, I am going to go over my syllabus. I know I've blogged about them before, but I can't remember where. I also am not sure who to give credit to here, so let me know if this was your idea! The "live" version has links to their text help and classroom google.

I know it's a lot of stuff to cover in 30 minutes! I am not going over the entire syllabus in one day. 

We gave summer packets in the math department this year for the first time, so then I plan on showing students the second part of their homework, which is to fill out this google form on the questions they did not understand the most. I can look at the pie chart before class and see what I really need to go over in class. I already have one response and class didn't even start yet! I love Honors!

I am going to show them my extra help times so there is no question--I also have this posted on both of my doors.

And finally, the task--for 10 minutes I am going to do to the Growth Mindset Paper Folding Activity from Tim Bowman. 

It seems really cool and I'm excited to do it. You prepare a sheet of paper cut and folded in such a way that it looks easy to create, but it actually is not. You tell students they can walk around and look at it, but can't touch it and you give them paper and scissors and tell them they must recreate it, but they only get one shot. At the same time, you walk around and write down the things they are saying, like, "I can't do this!" "This is impossible!" etc. You write what they are saying on stickies or on the board and then eventually stop them and ask them how they felt. 

Tom writes, "I then refer back to the language used during the activity and how the language we tell ourselves quickly becomes our own best friend or worst enemy. If students can start to reflect on the language they use about themselves at a (sic) young and choose a better path it is a fair bet their lives will be productive and fulfilling."

I know I will be short on time, so I will probably follow up with it in my classes the next day. 

Thursday/Friday (blocks so only meet class once):

In Problem-Solving, I first need to share how cool my workbook cover is, in the shape of our crest and designed by a student who graduated last year.

I am going to start with the "National Math Salute," which I saw at FAU Math Day last year, 

and its reveal...

I think they will love this because it seems so easy but it's almost impossible :)

Then we will do the topics on my first unit: 1-5-4-2-3 card game and Angela Duckworth's talk on grit that I posted about here. They will also get their first problem set assignment, due back in a week.

In Pre-Calculus, based on the questions that they check marked, I will go over whatever topics they need, and will have them go up to the board to practice problems. This is all we will do because we have only a 60-minute special schedule today, and they have a quiz on their summer packet Monday, and I know I may need to go over the activity and/or finish the syllabus.

In Algebra 2 Honors, I will do the same thing as in Pre-Calculus, but we have 30 more minutes. So I am going to do the 1-100 numbers activity from Sara V. I have seen this a lot, most recently from Sarah Carter, and because she said we have to do it, I'm gonna do it :)

So that's it for the week...whew! It seems like a lot, but I'm going to give it a try. Better to be overprepared than underprepared :)

Hope you all have a great week!