I usually use the last six week of the school year in geometry to teach circles: Arc lengths, chords, secants, tangents, etc. Which I have outlined in the Geometry Planning Guide The following school year students begin Algebra 2 and promptly forget these properties of circles. They also start the new school year frustrated and … Continue reading Going full circle completing the square
End of school year survey
Updated end of school year survey! Shorter, so students provide better feedback.
Update 05/18/17:
Here is a link to my current end of year survey.
I want good feedback from my students, but I also want them to take it seriously & I think this survey in its current state is way too long for students to endure the entire thing. I’m considering it my question bank at this point & I plan to delete questions depending on the class. I searched for something like this to start with because I did not want to re invent the wheel, but I could not find one, so I am sharing mine so that hopefully other teachers can use it as a starting point for their own survey. (I cannot figure out how to make Google forms visible for you to create a copy without changing the original, so request access if you would like it to use as a staring point for…
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It’s the little things: How I improved student participation in number talks
I know, this is silly, but silliness lightens the mood and can improve student confidence and student teacher relationships. It seems to reduce math anxiety and increase collaboration. For a detailed description of number talks, read Making Number Talks Matter Also read Fawn Nguyen's site mathtalks.net Enter the Echo Microphone: I present a math … Continue reading It’s the little things: How I improved student participation in number talks
Colorado Mathematics Teacher Winter 2017
The CCTM Winter 2017 issue of the Colorado Mathematics Teacher is out and I wrote an article in it! To my surprise, I am also mentioned later for being a PAEMST awardee. I am honored to be included in a journal with articles from Joanie Funderburk, Matt Larson, Raymond Johnson and Wendy Ward Hoffer.
Rolling Cups: Modeling in Geometry
The Rolling Cups task from the Shell Center is a perfect geometry modeling project. I use some form of this task every year for the last three days of the first semester as a final project. This task incorporates constructions, similarity, functions and modeling while pre-assessing students readiness for next semester's content: solids and circles. … Continue reading Rolling Cups: Modeling in Geometry
Pencil sharpeners from Classroom Friendly Supplies
A few weeks ago, what I think is my 10th electric pencil sharpener stopped working. I decided I was done with electric pencil sharpeners and began a search to find a reliable, quiet, affordable pencil sharpener. I found this pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies, and I discovered that they would send me one in exchange for … Continue reading Pencil sharpeners from Classroom Friendly Supplies
What even IS good teaching?
This has been a weird school year. I have no idea what I am doing. Most of my class periods end with me thinking about what a mess it was and how it could have gone better. I am very unorganized. I feel like I've tricked others into thinking I have it together, when in … Continue reading What even IS good teaching?
