New means new...

The anxiety is starting to sink in.  I'm not looking forward to coming back to work.  I've been enjoying my time off way too much.  But a purposeless life is...well...purposeless.

I'm toying with the ideas of interactive notebooks again.  I'm also contemplating seventh graders--they're a giant ball of hormone-fueled crazypants and I'm not sure if I want to be on this ship.  Too bad I love my teaching partners.  Can't have it all, amirite?

I used the personality inventories from Sarah Rubin at Everybody is a Genius with success in the past,  but last time, it didn't quite work out for me.  I'm blaming hormone-fueled crazypants.  I've been borrowing heavily from pinterest and other math bloggers out there, and I'm incredibly thankful to them, hence the need to post what I've been doing.

I'm going to start with these introductory pages from Karrie at Mrs. E Teaches Math, but I modified the first page a bit to suit my needs.  I've decided that I'll be grading their notebooks this year (marginally, it's just to increase buy-in), so I included a preview of what they'll be graded on and a signature line.  The facing page will be a table of contents for their units.  

The next pages will be my syllabus, whose formatting I took from Everybody is a Genius.  Then the math biography, that I borrowed from Math Equals Love, and an exercise in goal setting.  I'm hoping to focus a lot on the power of positive mindsets (yes, I'm on the Carol Dweck/Jo Boaler train). I'm finishing off the introductory pages with Mrs. E's Tips for Studying Math.

Each unit will have it's own table of contents and list of objectives.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about such a large tab sticking out of the notebook, but I think I'll live.

The seventh grade standards start off with a unit on Ratios and Proportions, including percents, but I think that's sillypants.  I'm going start the year off with Number Systems so integers will be first on deck, followed by fractions.  After I've figured out what I'm doing, there will be a post with foldables and stuff.








This is my notebook...
Smart Goals
Integer unit page
SaveSave

Reference Pages

In my quest for the interactive notebook that works for me, I've got myself cutting and pasting like a mad woman.  And I love it.  I previously posted a working series of introductory pages and reference pages. But now that I've covered up the reference pages that comes built into the book, I'm in search of actual geometry reference pages. I know it sounds crazy. I swear I saw one on math=love or everybody's a genius, the Sarahs had to have something, they have everything. But alas, I either can't find it or I made it up, so I'm off to actually make one now...

Grading...

My grading policy has changed so many times throughout my ~15 years of teaching.  When I started out, fresh out of college, I graded everything.  Which, in hindsight, I find incredibly silly.  I thought to myself, if the kids were doing it, they deserved to have it seen and graded.  Wiser me now says, it just needs to be acknowledged.  How I've graded homework (just homework) in the past (in chronological order)

• Collected daily and graded
• Collected daily, √, √+, √- for completion
• Homework quizzes (one random question per assignment weekly).  Students would recreate their completed homework onto a homework quiz form.  
• Have students self-grade themselves for completeness, and collect it on test/quiz days (this was for high school though).
• Collect one assignment per week at random, grade for completeness or correctness.  Whatever strikes my fancy.

Last year, I implemented a cooperative team system, where teams get participation points if they all have their homework for the day completed.  This year, in addition to their team points,  I think I will be collecting a week's worth of homework, giving a complete/incomplete (all or none) point, and grading 3 random assignments per packet at five points each, for a total of 20 points.  There will be a template that they'll get on Monday, and turn in on Friday.  Here's to hope and cheers to change.

I've been planning...

I think I'm teaching a whole new course next year--the last time I taught geometry, it wasn't common core, and it was to a group of severely underperforming high school students. This time it will be to middle schoolers who are taking it concurrently with algebra.  It's not the same kids, not the same course, definitely not the same ball game. 

I've been inspired by all of the bloggers of interactive notebooks out there, especially math=love, and Everybody is a Genius.  This is my INB so far...

I'm stealing the Numbers About Me activity from Sarah Rubin, and modifying it a bit to make it a cooperative task.  They will be working in pairs, and one partner will have one half of directions, while the other partner has the other half.  They will be graded on how accurately they followed directions.  I'll post that once I've got it all figured out.

I've always made my students number their pages, even when it wasn't an interactive notebook, but I think this upcoming year, I will make them number their pages with the center spread being pages zero and page one, odd pages will continue to be on the left, and evens will be on the right, just like the numbering of a standard book.

Opening pages:

• Me at a Glance--stolen from Sarah Rubin, printed at 85 - 90%, so it will fit inside the notebook better. 
• Master table of contents.  As much as I would like to continue my book by topics, like I have done in the past, and have everything standards-based, the math program that I'm using doesn't roll out material in discreet units.  In theory, the spiraling will insure the reteaching and relearning of material.

Pages -98 and -97:

• Page -98:  Overflow of the table of contents
• Page -97:  Syllabus.  Again, inspired by Sarah Rubin, who was inspired by Jessie Hester. My previous syllabus and course description, while I really liked it, was very text and information heavy.  This one is much easier to read, and still has the meat of my potatoes.  The QR code is even a link to my work email.  

Pages -96 through -91 get a little messy, because my work spouse decided to proceed without me, and I subsequently changed my mind.  The stickies override the pages.  I'm resisting the urge to make a whole new book.  I've already started using the book for math purposes.

The FAQs will start on pages -96 and -95.  I tried to brainstorm as many questions as I could, focusing on questions that were not directly answered by the syllabus.

Pages -94 and -93 will be the long-term goal-setting and the math biography, which (again) was lifted from Sarah Hagan.

Pages -92 through -87

After the informational pages, I'm doing personalities and learning styles. That has always been something that's important to me. I'm not a hugely kinesthetic person, or musical, or creative. I'm a very technical person, so I HATED when I was told to do a skit/dance/song about something. If we know what we are good at, and who we are, we can stretch and grow into more self-actualized people. Right?

Pages -92 through -87

-92 and -91:  color personality quiz, with the color explanation on appropriately colored paper (again, inspired by Sarah Rubin, who was inspired by Sarah Hagan)

-90 and -89:  learning styles with explanations 

-88 and -87:  multiple intelligences. I'm going to have the kids paste study strategies and potential career pathways to the folded part. 

Now, here comes the actual math.

I'm quite happy and proud of the opening unit pages.  The table of contents for each unit was borrowed from Sarah Hagan.  I added a tab, more for myself than anything else--it's made from the scraps that get cut off. 

Next is the ever useful pocket and vocabulary pages. At first, I was going to use cut/folded/pasted Frayer models, but that occupied too much space to warrant its existence. I like this idea much better. Less space, only one session of cutting and taping (hopefully), and it could be done at any time during the unit.  I'm very happy about figuring out how to mirror my margins like in books--the inner margin is larger than the outer.  :-)

I'm anxious about the new school year. A bit scared, apprehensive and slightly overwhelmed, but it'll be great. 

Frequently Asked Questions...

I'm considering creating a FAQ for my interactive notebooks next year.  I'm a bit tired of answering a desperate student's "What can I do to raise my grade".  The answer is always the same.  Redo something....

At any rate, my current list of Frequently Asked Questions that I'll develop a nifty thingie for...

Q:  What can I do to improve my grade?
A:  Redo anything that isn't graded in red.

Q:  Can I have extra credit?
A:  No.

Q:  Why don't you offer extra credit?
A:  Because I offer resubmissions.

Q:  Will you accept _____ late?
A:  I will accept late projects, however, you've forfeited your right to resubmissions.  I will not accept late homework.  They're not worth enough in my class for me to bother with it.

Q:  I lost my handout, may I have another?
A:  A pdf is hosted on my website.  You get it.

Q:  What if I'm absent?
A:  It's your responsibility to make up all work in a timely manner.  You have the same number of days you were absent to make up work.  If your work hasn't been turned in after the number of days you've been absent, your work is officially late, and late work rules will apply.  For example, if you were sick for 2 days, you have two days to make it up.  On the third day, it's considered late, and you will lose your resubmission privileges or your work may not be accepted.

What am I missing?

The New Semester...

I've been trying to write this for months.  Seriously.  Months.  I don't think it's my inability to reflect that has been preventing me to get this done.  Rather blame my life—it's busy.  That's all I can really say.  Part-time teacher, part-time math coach, wife, and mom to a very high-energy toddler,

Ok, so it's time to reflect...

The new semester has started, and is well on it's way.  I am be teaching one section of Common Core Math 8, and one section of intervention math, where anything is game.  For now, I will be temporarily abandoning my interactive notebooks for Math 8, and will continue next year at the beginning of the school year as the course norm.  I've been going through the new, school-chosen textbook with some degree of fidelity to see if I actually like it.  And the verdict is that I don't.  I'm a bit disappointed that colleagues that I trusted chose something so dry and well, lame.  It's ok.  Next year, I go rogue anyway, so whatevs.  :-/

My intervention class will continue to use interactive notebooks, although sparingly, because I intend on sprinkling other projects and other fun games and activities.  So far, we've had a decimal unit, which culminated in buying furnishings for their 'apartments'.  I had planned a larger, overarching unit that would include paychecks, paying rent and writing cheques for bills, but I think that assignment may have been too mature for them.  The last time I did something similar, my students were three years older, most of them understood taxes, and some of them actually had jobs.

After the decimal unit, we had a fraction unit that ended disastrously.  We had a how-to foldable at the end of the unit and culminated in making cookies.  Given the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, they were supposed to multiply it by 1/2 and physically make those cookies.

I would take them home, bake them off, return them, and have a taste test.  If they had cruddy cookies, it's because they're cruddy fractioneers.  The cookies came out like garbage.  Every.  Single.  Batch.  Garbage.  Who screwed up their math?  Me.  I gave each group 3 cubes of butter (1 cube = 1/2 stick = 1/4 cup).  They should have  had half that amount.  Sigh.  Better luck next time, right?  I'm making it up to them by baking my FamousCookies.  The cookies whose recipe will go with me to the grave.  Those cookies.

Next up are integers, equations and graphing lines.  I'm not sure how I'll end the integers and equations, but I know that the graphing will end with making paper airplanes.  They will make airplanes on stock graph paper, then write the equations, then pass the equations to a partner.  The partner will then make the airplanes and fly them.  Winners get a cookie?

Tomorrow's go...

My daughter likes to "have a go" at things instead of "having a turn".  So, this is tomorrow's go.  I hope it turns out ok.  And even if it doesn't, change is good.  At least I will know what not to do.

I was searching for solutions for absent students, and I think this may work.  Kagan has the facilitator deal with paperwork for the absentia, so I put in a space for the facilitator to sign her/his name.  I like that it's reminiscent to the old, pink office message slips.  I think I'll even copy it on pink paper.  I made it so that there are four to a page, but still has ample space to write on.  This makes me very happy.

Dry run...

I think I may have struck a balance with how to incorporate foldables and graphic organizers in my interactive notebooks while still be able to keep up Cornell-style note taking.  In the spirit of the left-side/right side of interview notebooks, I'll have only one "left-side" page foldable, and the other pages will be Cornell notes.  I think I'll initially have the foldable pre-made, but gradually release them to make their own (dare to dream?).

I also think I've come across a student record keeping/goal setting that I can work with.  I'm looking for a little embedded structure in my own record keeping.  I'd like to have the assignments separated by how they're weighted for grading, but this works for now.

This unit's major vocabulary.  The students' books will have more.  I was too lazy to go beyond getting a visual feel.  

Cornell notes on the right-side, a foldable on the left.  I think I'll keep the foldable and graphic organizers as a team closure activity.

I'm still working on a protocol for absent students that works for me.  I"m considering going the Kagan route and having that be a cooperative learning role—it's the facilitator's job, right?

Getting off the ground...

I've been doing a lot of internet-based research on how to get my interactive notebook off the ground.  I've started my own master-version, and I'm finding that i should do a little more "staging" before the pasting process begins.  After some things have gone down, I've discovered things that I wished came before other pages.  It's ok.  This is a learning process.  Plus, I can always paste to the back.

I'm debating with myself about how much/deep I intend on going with the foldables and interactive graphic organizers. I've done a lot of Cornell notes in the past, and due to foolishness, I haven't done so this year. I'll most likely be incorporating a balance of the two. 

I'd like to take a moment to thank all the math-teaching angels out there who have done the amazing job already and are willing to share it all with the world:

• It started with Busy Miss Beebe...
• and i is a number
• and miss calcul8
• and Mrs. Hester's Classroom
• Who all link to Math = Love...
• Who talks to Everybody is a Genius...

I'm still in the planning and staging process.  I feel very positive and hopeful that this will help my kids.  It may not be the silver bullet that I'm looking for, but change is almost always a good thing.

Cover and Bobby Straightedge:

Learning styles and cover information

Personality inventories

The start of a unit, with a pocket and vocabulary Frayer models. 

I think I'll have my students set up for the upcoming unit for homework after they take their unit test.  It'll be something simple to reset their heads after a test. I also want to have some sort of progress tracker organized by standard or objective, and a place for them to record their scores and revision scores.