Musings from Mrs. Galvan

As mentioned, I have gotten behind on blogging. Three weeks ago in Geometry, we were discussing similar triangles. Usually when I teach this, I am in a hurry to get to right triangles. I would make the excuse that they did a lot of ratios in pre-algebra, so let's just do similar triangle proofs and get to trig already! This year I did a few things that made class a lot more engaging. #joyful 1. As mentioned before , I had kids do problem solving in groups using white boards. Five Triangles is a great source of problems to use to mix it up. 2. The Blob - I filed Fawn's golf problem remix away when I first read it last year and I am SO glad that I used it this year. I followed her script, instructing them to draw a blob somewhere in the rectangle, a point H on one side and a point B on the other. I collected them and made copies. The next day I gave them the copy and gave them the challenge. Jonathon's wasn't possible with three triangles... I let him dra...

My classes for most of the month of January have been kinda boring. Sure, students listened, took notes, stayed organized, practiced concepts and demonstrated understanding on assessments, but save a game day or two and a Socrative Space Race, things haven't been fun. We haven't even added to our digital portfolios! Excuses: 1. Grades and comments were due January 21 2. Polynomials 3. My husband, two kids and I got the flu for a week 4. I had to go to meetings 5. Not enough class time (yes, I always use this one) Effect: My geometry students took the biggest hit. They learned about the interior angles of polygons without doing much exploration or any application. Similar polygons was covered with a boring lecture in which I presented one example. Then they did a worksheet at their seats. I have made my peace with the fact that not everyday can be a trip to Disneyland, but I do think I take my students' motivation and good study habits for granted. Recovery : ...