Showing posts with label fractions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fractions. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Always, Sometimes, or Never? Resources for Math Class

After successfully using Always, Sometimes, or Never? to assistance my students hit a ameliorate conceptual agreement of the measures of fundamental style (link to spider web log post), I began to wonder what other math topics I could utilisation the Always, Sometimes, or Never? construction with.


I spent utilisation of an even out googling for resources.  I idea I should part my findings alongside yous guys equally well.  Have yous used Always, Sometimes, or Never? to review other concepts?  Please piece of job out a comment!

Algebraic Properties


Angles


Miscellaneous


Negatives


Number Sense


Parallel together with Perpendicular Lines


Points, Lines, together with Planes


Quadrilaterals


Rational together with Irrational Numbers


Similarity


Transformations


Trig


Monday, October 30, 2017

Quarter the Cross

If y'all haven't tried "Quarter the Cross" yet alongside your students, what are y'all waiting for???  Not certain what "Quarter the Cross" is?  You must destination straightaway together with read David Butler's spider web log post nigh it!  David has created a hundred solutions to this puzzle together with made them into a beautiful graphic.  Seriously, destination reading this post service together with start out reading his!  

Want to know a fun fact?  David industrial plant at Adelaide University, the same academy inwards Commonwealth of Australia that my husband graduated from.  It's crazy how twitter makes the basis seem SO much smaller!   

This year, I am instruction a shape called "Math Concepts."  It is a shape for ninth graders who are non yet create for Algebra 1.  During the starting fourth dimension semester, nosotros worked on basic equation solving, integers, fractions, together with decimals.  Fractions were a huge scrap for the entire class, together with I bring to acknowledge that I did non realize simply how many misconceptions they had.  We definitely improved inwards our agreement of fractions, but I nevertheless experience similar these students bring sooooooo many gaps.  

Initially, I was scared to orbit my students this assignment because I was afraid they wouldn't endure able to figure out how to shade 1/4 of the cross.  At first, they wanted to color inwards i of the squares.  We had a lovely conversation nigh how that wouldn't run because that would hateful nosotros had colored exclusively 1/5 of the shape.  Soon, a pupil suggested that nosotros could simply describe lines to split the cross into 4 shapes.  Then, nosotros could color i of these sections.  Once my students saw what 1/4 of the shape looked like, they started coming upwards alongside all kinds of their ain solutions.  I shouldn't bring doubted what these students were capable of!  

One pupil was super pleased alongside i of the designs she came upwards with, together with therefore she kept showing it to other students.  So, a few of the designs are a flake to a greater extent than similar than I had hoped for.  I can't acquire also mad, though, because it's super exciting to come across my students excited nigh math!   

Here are their solutions: 




I dear that fifty-fifty the imperfect solutions orbit me insights into how my students visualize fractions. I recollect the bottom left solution inwards the to a higher house motion-picture demonstrate would endure a skillful conversation starter alongside students!




Want this awesome canvass to purpose alongside your students?  I downloaded it from David Butler's spider web log post.  He also has a canvass that has i large cross for students to decorate.  I printed these out, but nosotros ran out of time.  I recollect nosotros may become dorsum together with revisit this activity afterward Christmas Break is over because i of my students mentioned during the final calendar week of final semester that nosotros should practise "those cross things again."  I justice that way this activity is a truthful keeper!

Saturday, October 28, 2017

War Activity for Practicing Absolute Value, Opposite, Reciprocal, too Opposite Reciprocal

I powerfulness convey went a flake crazy when I started making activities for our showtime science of the yr inwards Algebra 1. So, you'll convey to position upwardly amongst quite a few posts involving activities for practicing absolute value, opposite, reciprocal, together with contrary reciprocal.


Today, I desire to portion a nation of war activity I created. My sis together with I loved playing nation of war when nosotros were kids. Most games weren't that exciting. Whoever had the most aces almost ever won. But, in that location was simply something exciting well-nigh throwing downward a carte du jour to run across whose carte du jour had the highest value.

While the traditional carte du jour game is alone played amongst 2 people, this do activity tin operate amongst two, three, or fifty-fifty iv students inwards a group. Each grouping gets a gear upwardly of cards. The cards are printed on 2 unlike colors of newspaper together with laminated.


The yellowish cards are criteria cards. There are 15 cards. Three each of v types: original number, absolute value, opposite, reciprocal, together with contrary reciprocal.


The criteria cards larn shuffled together with placed inwards the centre of the playing area. The remainder of the cards are distributed evenly according to the unwrap of players.


The exceed carte du jour on the deck of criteria cards is turned over. This carte du jour tells the players how the winner volition move decided. The business office instrumentalist whose original unwrap is the greatest volition win. Original unwrap is the easiest because students don't convey to produce anything to their numbers to determine the winner.


Each business office instrumentalist turns over the exceed carte du jour on their deck.


8 is the highest original number, together with thence the other 2 players hand their cards to the business office instrumentalist who had 8. These cards are placed on the bottom of the winner's stack.


Now, let's alter the criteria carte du jour together with flip over some novel numbers. This time, students convey to detect the contrary reciprocal of their numbers.


1/3's contrary reciprocal is negative piece the others are positive, together with thence that business office instrumentalist doesn't win. 1/3 > 1/8, together with thence the face-up cards are given to the business office instrumentalist amongst -3.


Up next: Opposite


The contrary of -7 is vii which is the highest value of whatsoever of the opposites (7, 6, 1/4).


Next Round: Absolute Value


My students actually enjoyed this game! They had quite a flake of problem comparison fractions to determine which was larger. I spent a lot of fourth dimension going simply about together with helping students figure out which values were bigger when fractions were involved. This is something they should convey mastered inwards middle school, but we'll simply convey to proceed practicing comparison numbers until they larn it!

Here are a few activity shots:










You tin download the file for this activity here.