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  Elizabeth Lynn's Math Adventure
Elizabeth Lynn's Math Adventure

Visit to Kent Innovation High School

5/17/2015

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As a second year participant in Future Prep, I was fortunate to visit Kent Innovation High School to speak with teachers who use PBL in all subjects, every day.  All of us visitors were blown away from the tour of their facilities.  The use of space made it clear that this is no ordinary high school and that much thought went into how to best support the learning practices supported by this school.  
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There were many common areas with seating and a monitors that allow students to connect to their portable device.

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The student pictured on the left is working in a large, cubical type area with ample white board space.  There were a cluster of about four of these in the common area.

Classrooms have glass walls, opening to the common areas and to joining classrooms.  Chairs are movable and tables can easily be reconfigured to accommodate different groupings of students.

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I love the floor to ceiling white boards in this math classroom.
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The rolling chairs have rounded shelf above the wheels for a student's belongings.  This allows students to move quickly and easily and for their stuff to stay out of the way.


The glass wall of the physics classroom had giant posters showing several Driving Questions that students have investigated. Each included an average student rating at the bottom.
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Message on the wall in common area:

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M-Step Week #2, Starting the Last Unit: Systems of Equations

5/12/2015

 
We started unit 7 the day after we finished M-Step testing, Friday, May 8. Bummer, we're one week behind schedule!

The task kicking off the Systems of Equations Unit is a 3-Act task called "Playing Catch-Up."  A link to the task is here  http://threeacts.mrmeyer.com/playingcatchup/

Notes for this task:
  • Not all students will have prior knowledge about the 40 yd dash in football.
  • Good task for one class period.
  • You will be asked to watch the video many, many, many times


Overheard during this task:
  • From one team member to another "But, we have to have proof."
  • "Would the half speed be divided by two, or times two?"
  • "How can we use a graphing calculator to put in an equation and get a table of values?"
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M-Step Week, PT: Rush or Pass?

5/1/2015

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Given actual data from the NFL, regular season, 2013, students had to determine what is the best strategy, rushing or passing?
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Due to M-Step testing, I only met with my 7th grade students three times this week.  All three class periods were spent on the PT: "Rush or Pass"

  • Students started in groups of two, one graphing Rushing Yards vs. Points Earned and the other graphing Passing Yards vs. Points Earned.
  • On day two, teams of two were combined to become teams of four.  I asked them to compare results and come up with a recommendation for the best strategy as if they were hired by a football team.  They would prepare a presentation for the class, backing up their strategy with mathematical evidence.



During work on the task, I noticed:



  • No students asked for help determining the scale used on either axis.  However, students did comment on each other's, with things such as "Whoa, your scale is too big, your points look all bunched up." 
  • Students who do not understand football, struggled at first, but realized it was not important.
  • Many student struggled with how best to find slope.  Note: make sure students are using points on their line of best fit and not just from the table.
  • Students used terms such as "outlier," "scale," "slope," and "rate of change" during their discussions.


During presentations:

  • Most teams justified their solution by comparing the two slopes.  For example: " Our slope for rushing was steeper, so you get more points per yards than for passing." 
  • Some teams mentioned one data set having a stronger linear correlation than the other.
  • Some teams used their equations for lines of best fit, substituted the same value for x into both and found which resulted in more points.
  • Students in the audience often asked to see the graphs as evidence.
  • Students made remarks about the importance of scale.
  • There was a lot of discussion and debate whether the y-intercept had to be zero, or not.


Working in teams of two to start:

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    Leaving a Trail:
    Mathematical Adventures

    We are on edge of something new and amazing. Where will this new path take us?

    Abbreviations Used:
    ISN= interactive student notebook
    WWK= words worth knowing
    PT= performance task



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    Creative Process
    Elizabeth Lynn
    Future Prep
    Grows Professionally
    More Than Math
    Reflects On Teaching
    Shows Professionalism

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