Non-Standard Operations Notes for INB

Last yr was the outset yr that non-standard operations made an appearance inward Oklahoma's math standards. That was besides the yr that I mistakenly sentiment that I would merely throw non-standard operations into the same science every bit evaluating expressions. After all, they are pretty much the same thing, right? Though I may stimulate got sentiment thus as well as nonetheless recollect so, my kiddos did non agree.

This year, having learned from final year's experience, I made non-standard operations their ain separate science that forthwith followed the science of evaluating expressions.

Here's what our notes ended upwards looking like:

I decided that earlier nosotros could verbalize over non-standard operations as well as all their weirdness, nosotros needed to refresh our retention of what the touchstone operations were first. My students eagerly filled inward the important of each of the symbols.

Then, nosotros moved along our merry agency to non-standard operations. Class, what does it hateful when nosotros stimulate got a portion sign inward our problem? My students were total of ideas. Some sentiment it meant nosotros should carve upwards yesteryear 100 or displace the decimal. Others insisted that it had no house whatever inward a math problem. Therefore, nosotros shouldn't produce the problem. Sorry guys. No such luck.

I started to enquire about leading questions. What variable is inward front end of the portion sign? A. Good. What discover is inward front end of the portion sign? 5. Great. So, what discover produce yous recollect nosotros should plug inward for a? 5. Awesome!

This is when I allow them inward on the trick. Non-Standard Operations problems are actually the same type of work nosotros stimulate got been doing (evaluating expressions.) They are merely written using a cloak-and-dagger code.

I proceeded to say them almost the days earlier non-standard operations were inward the Oklahoma standards. My students would come upwards dorsum from taking the ACT over the weekend. When I asked them how the examination went, they would speedily say me that in that location was a weird symbol on the examination that I had never taught them! Whenever I would write a made-up enquiry on the board as well as move it out for them, my students would survive thus frustrated that they had missed a enquiry that was slowly but had entirely looked complicated.

Here's an representative from an former Preparing for the ACT PDF (59F).

Image Source: Preparing for the ACT Booklet

Though my students were wary to tackle these problems, nosotros proceeded. After dandy the code for the outset few problems as well as figuring out that the weird symbol is merely in that location every bit a clue for which discover to plug inward for which variable, my students were shortly on a roll.

Then, nosotros hitting the within of the foldable.

There was confusion. There was panic. Things were NOT good. You see, of a precipitous in that location were to a greater extent than numbers than variables. Whatever should nosotros do? When I grew tired of the looks of confusion coming from my students, I asked them what nosotros would produce outset if this was an social club of operations problem. Parentheses! Okay then, let's produce the parentheses. But, what almost the 2? Is the 2 inward the parentheses? No. Then, let's non worry almost the 2. Let's produce what's inward the parentheses first. But, there's a 2 inward front. What produce nosotros produce alongside the 2? Just trust me. Let's produce the parentheses. Then, we'll verbalize almost what to produce alongside the 2.

They weren't happy almost it, but they were eventually persuaded to displace on as well as displace the parentheses.

After solving the work inward parentheses, nosotros replaced the parentheses alongside the value nosotros had merely arrived at to notice our novel work to solve. Some students were confused almost whether -71 would survive our j or k inward the inward a higher house problem. I had to remind them to await at where the parentheses were inward relation to j/k to figure out what -71 would be. This was something I had to remind my kids of throughout this skill.

After slogging through that outset problem, nosotros started to option upwards about speed.

Then, panic ensued in 1 lawsuit again. Until, of course, mortal suggested that this was merely a 3 measuring problem. We'd produce each gear upwards of parentheses as well as thus accept our values as well as produce the work 1 final time. There were groans as well as complaints, but nosotros moved forward. The biggest electrical charge was that in that location wasn't plenty infinite inward the box to write all 3 steps.

I was super proud of my students when they asked if they could produce the final work all yesteryear themselves!

Overall, I'm much happier alongside how our notes for non-standard operations turned out this year. Next year, I produce desire to edit a few of the questions. I gave them a quiz enquiry that had a addition sign betwixt ii sets of parentheses instead of the non-standard operation, as well as every unmarried tiddler treated it every bit the non-standard functioning instead of adding their ii answers. So, I'd similar to modify things upwards a chip adjacent yr thus kids don't acquire into such a routine that they produce things without thinking!

After completing the notes, my students were nonetheless pretty shaky as well as needed lots of practice. We achieved that through an Add Em Up activity that I blogged almost hither as well as a sorting activeness that I volition weblog almost soon!

You tin download the file for this foldable here.