Wednesday, 1/29
1) Thanks to Stephanie Harmon's suggestion, I did not make copies of the Fox and Rabbit performance task, but used my document camera to go over the discussion points. Although not much time needed to be devoted to this performance task, it was pivotal for students to understand when a relation is a function and when it is not. I reinforced this with Stephanie's example of many kids in the class as sharing the age 12, but one kid cannot be two ages simultaneously. Age is a function of the person, but the person is not a function of age.
2) ISN pages added for Functions.
Copy to link for fox and rabbit photo here.
Tuesday, 1/28
I was absent for curriculum meetings. My guest teacher gave a sample performance task from the M-Step test.
Monday, 1/27
1. Go over the answers to the last two questions of Code Breaking, part 1. Students volunteered to come to the front of the class and share how they cracked the code.
2. Review the first page of Part 2, Secret Codes and Number Rules with the class, pointing out the different ways to represent "number rules."
3. Students work individually to find the rule for the first two tables. I have students who figure it out tell me in the hall so that everyone has time to think. When several students have it figured out, volunteers come to the front to explain how they discovered the pattern.
4. Students worked in small groups to complete the graph, table and answer the last two questions. (These last two questions are vital. Save time for ample discussion.)
5. Class discussion on the last section - this hones in on the definition of a function.
Friday, 1/23
The projects are all turned in, so now, on to functions!
1) Class discussion on Code Breaking, some history of secret codes, current secret code puzzles
2) Students worked on PT: Code Breaking and Number Rules, Part 1
- Most of the students worked independently and in stunning silence.
- When they got to the last two questions, trying to figure out the alphabet and number patterns, I had individuals show me in the hallway so that other kids would continue to try.
- Students who did not finish, completed the pages for homework.