McGREGOR'S REFRIGERATOR
Algebra 1 Work:
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Pattern's Project
The thing I stress most in all my mathematics courses is that learning mathematics is all about noticing patterns. In this early Algebra 1 project, students go to visualpatterns.org and pick two patterns that follow an arithmetic sequence and then two patterns that do not. They must then represent that pattern in three different forms (at least) - graphically, as an equation, as a table, and/or as an equation. The example to the left is a student who completed all four representations of each pattern going above and beyond. View the activity sheet here! How to Solve a Linear Equation
Another big idea in math is understanding how to simplify vs. solve things - or as I tell my students, 'do math' vs 'undo math'. When we talk about solving for missing variables in Algebra 1 so students really struggle with opposite operations and reverse order of operations. By having my students create their own acronym, flipbook, poem, song, whatever to help them remember the steps to solving they begin to take ownership of their learning. To the left, my student created a flipbook with an example and each part solved underneath. |
Geometry Work:
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Parallel Lines and Angles City Project
In geometry we begin by introducing points, lines, and planes - very simple and basic shapes. Once we start introducing multiple lines to get angles and then later two dimensional or three dimensional shapes students start to get overwhelmed. In this early project to help students remember different angle pairs that are congruent or supplementary on parallel lines, students create a city and place different buildings at their corresponding pairs according to my specifications. View the project requirements here! Flipbook Animation
Later in the year while discussing transformations (translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations) when students start combining these transformations as a composition things can get a bit overwhelming! We do a small intro activity involving Pac Man and then students create their own animation, either as a multi paged flipbook or the can create it online. The student's work to the left went above and beyond the requirements of this project and created a truly amazing flipbook! View the project handout here. |
Algebra 2 Work:
Parabola Selfie
To help students see math all around them, after we complete our unit on Quadratics I have students complete the Parabola Selfie Project. Students must find something that generally follows the shape of a parabola, import the picture into desmos (an online graphing calculator), plot points on top of the image to then use a quadratic regression calculator to approximate a parabola over top of their image. This particular student work matched the parabola pretty closely with the cat! Birthday Polynomial
While graphing and describing the characteristics of the graphs of polynomials I have students create their 'birthday polynomial' and then describe all of it's features. Your birthday polynomial is one in which the coefficients are the numbers of your birth month, date, and year and then you put the variable x on the second to last number and then increase the exponent until you've used all of your birthdate numbers. Then students should pick a polynomial that represents them, decorate and describe it! This student's choice of decoration was unique and she completed all the requirements of the project on top of that. |