Making Jacob's Ladder with Chocolate Bars

I've had this toy for quite some time, which is called "Jacob's Ladder." I have probably had it for at least 20 years, but I dug it out of cabinet before school started this year, and it's just the sort of thing kids come and play with before class. It's very "touchy-feely" and counterintuitive as to how it works...put those two things together and BAM! Fun class project!

Jacob's ladder from Wikipedia:

One year, many years ago, a student asked if they could make one when I gave them a very open-ended project - and he did--just by looking at my toy. So this year, I decided to have it become part of my Honors Problem-Solving Seminar, though I think it would be a great thing to do for any class before a holiday break.

I thought it would be easier to Google for instructions, and lo and behold, my favorite things all mashed together came up: something you can eat, play with, and in some sense, involves math (or problem-solving!)  Here's the site I found:

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS! (This summer I hope to make up my own instructions and video)

http://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/jacobs-ladder-toy.html

Kit Kats were recommended, but they were super expensive, so I chose Ghirardelli chocolates because they were on sale at Target. However, I realized after that we had to tape back their extra edges.

The finished product!

What I would do differently next time:

--find chocolates that are more rectangular and inexpensive

--use the same color ribbon that is on the website because we kept getting confused as to which was which

--use thinner ribbons...those students who used thick ones did not come out as good.

AND--this is very important! Make sure you have extra chocolate for the kids to eat before hand, or else they will want to eat their candy! My students really enjoyed this activity, and they said they would make nice stocking stuffers for little kids.

My First Problem Set for My Problem-Solving Class

Year one of Honors Problem-Solving Seminar is in the books. It was an amazing year, and I learned A LOT. Now that I've taught it for two semesters, I've figured out (so far) what works and what doesn't. My students gave me a some really good feedback. I did not have a textbook, which was both good and bad. The good was that it was a very flexible class, and as things came up (i.e., in blog posts, Twitter, anything #MTBoS), I could stick it in whenever wherever. The bad was that there wasn't as much structure, and I think my other students would say (from Pre-Calculus and Algebra 2 Honors), I am a VERY structured teacher...so that was hard for me.

This summer, I am writing a textbook for the class. Today I wrote my first problem set, which I am sharing with you all. I would LOVE any feedback. Last year, I gave seven or eight problems on a problem set. I gave one problem set just about each week. Students would get them at the beginning of the week and they would be due at the beginning of the next. One thing they said I should do is keep it to six problems. They thought anything more was too much, especially when one or two problems are often really tough.

Last year, they wrote solutions in composition books, but this time, I would like it to be on the paper I give them so that it is more structured. If they need more paper, they can staple it to the page. The back of the page is for things they learn from other students when we go over the problems (so this should not be double-sided when copied). I should explain that we go over the solutions Exeter style, which is to say, each student picks a problem at the beginning of the class and writes the solution on the board. Then that student presents it, and anyone can chime in to explain a different solution or approach. It's awesome, and I learn more from them, perhaps, than they learn from me. There are so many times that they have found a more elegant solution than me!

Some of the problems are famous ones, but many are calendar problems from Mathematics Teacher. In each set, I try to include one geometry problem, one probability problem, one number theory problem, and then the rest are just interesting problems.

I added a reflection page at the end that I will likely change after each problem set. I think I will hand the Problem Sets out each week, separately from the text, so students can't go ahead (I have some students who would do that, I think), especially as some of it will coincide with the curriculum I will be teaching them. So, without further ado, here is the link via dropbox: Problem Set 1 and below is a picture of the first problem.

Relaxing, Renewing, Reflecting, and Writing this Summer!

High Five!! Today is my first official day of summer. Sort of. I have two meeting days Thursday and Friday, but until then, I'm off. My finals are graded, my grades are, in the word of a former student who said this phrase at the end of every class, "DUNZO." Whew. What a long, strange year it's been.

Rather than focus on the craziness of our school year, I've decided to focus on this summer. Here is a list, more for me to get down on paper, of things I plan to do this summer.
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1. Celebrate my son graduating from high school and help to get him ready to go to college. We are driving up to Preview Day tonight, and he will meet his roommate. He's my "one and done," and this is an exciting time. I am so proud of him, and can't wait to see what awaits him next! His graduation present is a trip to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Because this kid loves challenges. I love this boy!

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2. Write a textbook for my Problem-Solving class. This is definitely going to take up a bulk of my time this summer. I will likely dedicate a few hours a day. My plan is to make a chapter of problem sets. My students recommended six problems a week; I normally gave eight. Maybe I will settle for seven. Then I have to break up what I do into chapters. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking a unit on Figurate numbers, probably one on just "problem-solving" itself, solving the Rubik's Cube, cryptography, probability, and I will probably have "famous problems" strewn throughout as warm-ups. And there has to be a miscellaneous chapter because there is a lot more to include, even though this is a semester class! I am hoping to have a recent graduate design the cover.
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3. Go to the library to get books. I used to feel that I had to finish every single book I read. I would get so bored with some books that I would just stop reading because I couldn't get through the book. One day I just said to myself, it's OK if you don't finish what you started. Wow. Revelation. Freedom. But now, I buy books on Amazon and don't finish them...what a waste. So I am going to get them from the library this summer. My friend just posted on facebook that if you want a book that is on a waitlist, see if it's available in large print. I like that idea, especially since I am just starting to need reading glasses (sigh.) I just finished The Widow...a page turner for those who liked Gone Girl, but creepy. I am going to get Yaa Gyasi's novel Homegoing next. It's about slavery in Ghana and America over a 300 year period.

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4. Continue my workout regimen. After spring break, I started with a trainer who trained a former student of mine. She lost 55 lbs! I decided to bite the bullet and spend the pricey amount to see him three times a week. And I'm glad I did. Putting in that amount of money ahead of time, for me, meant that I could not cheat. I knew I'd let myself down if I did, but more, how could I tell my husband that I just blew all that money on nothing? Well, after 10 weeks, I'm 13 pounds down, and could not feel better. Basically, it's a workout that consists of lifting very heavy weights three times a week plus cardio. I have always been an active person who works out a lot, but I was doing the wrong workouts...too much cardio, not enough weight training. He also put me on a diet where I eat 5 meals a day and hardly any carbs and no sugar. After the first month, so many people told me I looked younger...I know it's because of the effect of the sugar on my skin. I feel great, and my husband bought me these Beats yesterday, and I can't wait to use them at the gym today. So I am weaning myself off of training three times a week and will go myself. However, my trainer suggested I continue to work out once a week with him to maintain. At first, I did not want to spend the money. But I decided I'm worth it. And if it means I have to tutor one more time a week to make up for it, so be it. Email me if you want to hear more about the diet and exercise plan I am on. 

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5. Plan my trip to Israel! I am going with a group called JWRP, which stands for Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, and is for mom's in their 40's with children under the age of 18. I met the 10 other women I'm going with, and I can't wait. It is my first time going to Israel, and has been a dream of mine to go since I was a little girl. Women going with other women--it sounds so amazing. We will be there with 400 other women coming from around the world at that time. I will be going in late July, and I am told it will be a life-changing experience.

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6. Get ready for PD. This summer, I am pumped to go to Twitter Math Camp again (can't wait!) and also we have a summer institute at my school. The last day of our summer institute is called "Ignite, Innovate, Inspire," and volunteers from our faculty will be presenting on best practices, mostly involving technology. I will be presenting on how to create a PLN using blogs and Twitter (surprise, surprise) as well as on visible random grouping, which I blogged about here, and Zaption, which I blogged about here. My student designed a cute logo (below), which we made into computer stickers and also got made on cups for participants. 

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7. Organize, organize, organize. I do this every summer, and it feels good to put things back in their proper places after shoving them in shelves over the year in a made rush of cleaning. The book, The Happiness Project, has a chapter about cleaning that I love. That's as far as I got in that book...I have to finish reading that one!

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I hope you all have a restful, renewing summer where you can relax, reflect, travel, and spend time with loved ones!