My students need hands on activities to help make their learning concrete. With the white boards and the human size outdoor graph I plan to make understanding slope easy.
Do you remember what it was like the first time you saw letters in an equation that had always been numbers? My students are smart and want to learn. They have just learned about integers and variables, then I present 2 variables (x and y), this is overwhelming and creates a need for activities.
These are junior high students that love discussing things, moving around, and finding new ways to solve problems.
In the past 3 months these students have live through and had their world turned upside down more than any student should have to endure. I say that because I live through this with them and I am an adult that has live through a lot of things but never a tornado like the May 20, 2013 that took our security, lifestyle, and our homes. My students will have a many things on their plates and I want to make this key concept easier to learn.
My Project
I have used white boards in the past. This will give my students opportunities to work the sample problems while I walk around the class and give immediate feedback. Both sides of the board can be used at different times through out the school year. It also makes it easy to spot mistakes and makes sure that all are doing their own work. The paint, tape, and tape measures are to give my students experience in measuring as well as create a life sized coordinate graph.
They will after creating use these number lines and coordinate graph to physically move around the graph to see how changing the slope and the y- intercept changes the graph. This will be painted outside so that it gives us a different atmosphere in which to learn math, but the graph may be utilized by other instructors and students at our school.
With the changes in our education system and the demands to increase the level and amount of learning of my students, I need to find methods to help them learn other than the same old ways.
I need to show them that there are a variety of methods of presentation of each subject. We spend about half of the year learning and interrupting different aspects of coordinated planes, slope, functions, and linear equations. I am committed to making sure that my students learn this. Would you please help!
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