Musings from Mrs. Galvan

It is late. This blog post is only going to be adequate. I like linear programming. I just do. It just seems so practical and reasonable and Linear!   Last year I improved a class activity . My old activity was a handout on which I created parameters about a fabled farm for students to analyze. It wasn't terrible. However, the new task has students creating a business in which they research and set constraints according to their idea. Guess which one is more engaging and fun for 8th graders... This year I scaffolded the project a bit with a day dedicated to have students work with their business partners on their  Business Plan  before jumping into the project. I also added a bit of competition by calling the project Shark Tank . The groups with the best plans would earn my "investment."  I never did find the quintessential, short clip to show from the show, so feel free to link to your favorites in the comments. :) Link to prompt Here are a few of...

Desmos is reason enough to lobby your school for a 1:1 program. I had my students make their own Desmen , or Deswomen , exactly how Fawn directed her students , with lines and parabolas only. We had 20 minutes of class time. Some finished their faces in class, others did a little more. They turned theirs in via their blogs. Check them out: Sirus Claudia Will Keon Opal Brandon Bella Brigid Bryce Kelly

I have used this prompt for my kiddos' math blogs for two whole years and I really like it. They are to research a create their own RTD system word problem. This works really well as a partner project in which they edit a google slides file together. We are a 1:1 laptop school, so I am able to give them bits of time during class for partners to collaborate, though I do start the assignment with nearly an entire class period dedicated to researching and writing. Learning to work backwards to write a math problem is challenging for my students. During day 1 I am circulating, hovering really, questioning their work before they publish. Samples : Carly      Brigid      Bryce Here is the prompt: For this Blog post, you and a partner will research and create an RTD problem that requires a system to solve. You may choose to do a problem with wind/current speed, round-trip, total distance or one person catching up with the other. Look ...

One take away from reading Nate's post yesterday was that perhaps I need to blog more about my average (or merely passable) teaching moments. Perhaps I will receive some awesome feedback and I'll be able to upgrade these average days to awesome? Or perhaps I'll just be putting forth a more complete version of my teacher identity, demonstrating that I don't " operate in a  bloggable  state at all times." Honest, real blogging will surely bolster the mtbos , though it adds the whole surplus of blogs problem... Nonetheless, here goes: Recently I overheard kids chatting in the math department with their computers open. To my delight, they were sharing their math blogs with one another and discussing their favorite posts. Funny enough, several of them shared that their favorite was the concept summary poste r on the different forms of a linear equation. I created this particular assignment because I wanted them to clarify all three forms of a line. I also wan...

I can't thank Kate enough for sharing Solve-Crumple-Toss . It was a hit last year with square root equations and again this year with writing linear equations. What I love especially is how determined they are to get the answers accurate so they can take a shot.This is a great way to review for a test and have class be fun. #joy I also heard, "Hey Mrs. Galvan, why do you have so many '90s songs about basketball ?" Link to handout - Copy each page on a different color and cut apart.

Last night I went to bed dreading my lesson plan for today's Algebra class. My agenda was going to say: 1. Go over homework 2. Notes: Standard Form Equations 3. Guided Practice: Standard Form Equations 4. HW: Worksheet on Standard Form Equations Even with my cute stories and getting kids to do most of the talking and problem demos, my plan would have made for a boring day in math. On the way to work this morning, I came up with a game. Since they already know how to manipulate an equation, instead of announcing a new form of a linear equation and lecturing on how to achieve this form, I gave them clues and made it a game. Students worked in teams of 4. Each team used a different color of 3 by 5 cards (hence color wars and it also made sorting the results easier). Each group member had a job (which I made up while my first period class students were turning their desks). I told them to rewrite the given equations according to the clues. After the 2nd one,...