Saturday, June 25, 2011

Things I've Tagged (weekly)

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Some resources I've collected lately...

Stella's Problems  http://ohiorc.org/for/math/stella/


Ohio Resource Center > for Mathematics Educators > Problem Corner > Problems  http://ohiorc.org/for/math/problem_corner/problems.aspx


Wonderlic Sample Test
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oiAGLcVF4bwruFRnTNAwUMo5nMKNGeNRoyt_FhoKOP4/mobilebasic?pli=1&hl=en_US


Precalc projects:



How to use Advanced Algebra II
http://cnx.org/content/m19435/latest/







Two weeks down...

I have to admit that I haven't done a lot of school work so far this summer.  Did I say a lot?  I mean any.

I have been busy, though!  The kids and I have been to Coney Island (our local swimming favorite) several times, a local water park several times, Kings Island several times, the library, strawberry-picking, baseball games and practices, dance rehearsals and recitals, and the zoo.  That's work enough!  They're spending this week with my parents so I'm hoping for some time to get some thoughts down and some pre-organization work done... along with some quiet pool time, some quiet reading time, and some napping time.  Hmmm.... maybe I'll call my mom and see if she'll keep the kids an extra week! :)

A couple of things that I want to think about this week:
1.  SBG.  I thought about it last year and wasn't ready for it.  Now I'm thinking I may try it in a class.  I have two "singleton" classes this year - CP Algebra 2 and Honors Algebra 1.  I think both of those would be prime candidates and now I just need to figure out which class to do it in.
Pros for Algebra 1:  The topics are easier (for me), the class is more of a stepping stone and needs to be known backwards and forwards
Pros for Algebra 2: A LOT of fundamental math that the kids will need for future classes... and those ideas aren't always made so clear for them (or the importance of them, anyway)

2.  I really want to organize my Precalc stuff.  What do I want to cover when?  How do I want to cover it?  I've bought some time with my summer work... now I just need to take advantage of it!

I was just playing with a website called Flubaroo, which uses google docs to do a self-grading quiz (and will even e-mail the students their results!).  That could definitely be a cool think to use, especially when checking these kids on their summer work.  Hmmm....

Oh, and I've officially had my first back-to-school dream (nightmare?).  It was depressing... normally they don't happen until at least August!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

My #summerlist

Of course it would end up being 90+ degrees during the last week of school.  Ugh.

All sweatiness aside, here's what I'd like to do this summer:
1.  Sleep.  More than 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night will be a welcome change.  I'm actually thinking that I'll need to set my alarm to get up at a reasonable hour each morning.  (8 or 8:30, probably)  Otherwise my children will spend their mornings watching Sponge Bob and eating poptarts.

2.  Read.  Haven't been able to do much of that this school year and I have a pile of books waiting for me!

3.  Run.  I started running in January 2010 as a way to lose weight.  I'm down 16-ish pounds and now need to go shopping for some new shorts. (Yay me!)  But the most surprising thing (other than that I've stuck with it, which is amazing) is that I enjoy running and am now planning on completing a half-marathon in the fall.  But that means I'll have to start training for it this summer; my every-other day 3 mile runs aren't going to cut it!

You know how "they" always say that teachers "only" work 9 months a year?  Yeah, I wish.  Here's my school summer work:
4.  I totally want to re-do my precalc class.  I'm the only one teaching the honors precalculus next year, so I feel like that gives me a lot of freedom.... and yet pressure, too.  I started by giving summer work for the first time ever - hopefully that will reduce a lot of the review work that we do starting out the year.  My goal is to get more project-based in class, so I'm trying now to compile projects into one document.  Here's my starting place.   If you have anything to add, please let me know! :)

5.  Same thing in Algebra 2.  I don't feel like I made it fun this year (except for my sparkling personality, of course!).  More projects?  More activity?  The hardest thing for me will be that I only have one Alg 2 class next year, so I may not want to invest my time in it.  Shame on me.

6.  I have a new course in the fall - Honors Algebra 1.  This year I taught the general level so I have the basic bones of the class, but I should be able to do a LOT more with these kids.  Projects? Investigations? Real-worldy stuff?

Let's see if I can fit this in with trips to the pool, zoo, King's Island, a cruise (woo hoo!), and baseball games.  I think I need a nap.