Discrete vs. Continuous Poster

I just found a blog that I haven't read yet through a Pinterest link.  The title of the post was Marshmallow Minute.  John Berray uses examples of a Lite Brite and an Etch-a-Sketch to differentiate between discrete and continuous.

Even though I'm not currently teaching Algebra, I could use it to clear up misconceptions in my Pre-Calc class.  Here is the poster I made from his inspiration.

Got Transparencies?

At the end of the year, when everyone was cleaning out and moving, I was offered lots of old stuff that others didn't need.  I hate to throw stuff away if there is ANY way I could repurpose it!  Well, when they offered me transparencies (write-on, copy and ink/laser jet), I couldn't resist.  My first thought was to cut something out using my Cameo.

A couple of years ago, I used them as dividers in my mini 3-ring binder.  So, I thought I would share pics of the mini 3-ring binder as well as a daytimer and a regular 3-ring binder.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!  I would love to hear comments and suggestions!

Daytimer - I cut the transparencies in half, then hole-punched using the Franklin Covey hole punch.

Mini 3-Ring Binder - cut transparencies to 6" x 9.5". To hole punch I readjusted my regular hole punch but you can use a single punch.

 Regular 3-Ring binder - used the whole transparencies and hole-punched as usual.

More Silhouette Decorations for My Classroom

Math Chick

Grading Percentages Pie Chart

Bulletin Board Ideas

When I moved out of my old room, I took my three 4' x 4' bulletin boards with me (they would've been demolished with the room otherwise!).  There is only one 4' x 6' bulletin board in my new room, but the room has a lot of empty wall space.  Over the summer, I am gonna talk my hubby into hanging them for me!  (He won't mind because he gives me so much support, even offering crafty suggestions!)  Hopefully before that half of the school is demo'ed, I can find one more 4' x 4' board.

So, I have written about my Silhouette Cameo in previous blogs...well, this one's not any different.  I have created 4 bulletin boards and 1 wall decoration using it.

College BB 4' x 6' - I made these pennants using my Cameo and as time goes on, I will be adding other colleges/universities.  FAU and UF were my first designs seen here, hubby took one of the UF Gator ones for his office.  The other 2 are local and many of our students go there.

Keys to Success 4' x 4' - the background for this one is actually cream colored duck fabric from Walmart with black skeleton keys on it.  The border will be scrunched black tulle.

Data Wall 4' x 4' - on top of the 11" x 17" colored-coded sheets, I display a bar graph showing letter grades by test.  Thru the holes on the banner pieces, I am going to put 1" lime green ribbon and tie it at the ends to make it look like its hanging.  My old version can be seen here.

Facts & Quotes 4' x 4' - to display fun facts and famous quotes...facts/quotes printed on colored paper will be displayed over each of the thought bubbles. That's me at the bottom with the pi shirt...LOL!

Myths about Math - this design will go on the wall over my front whiteboard.  I want them to be able to see it without having to turn around.  Perhaps, if they read it enough, it will sink in!

For the other 4' x 4' BB that I am hunting for, I'm going to either make into a station board, a challenge board or change it with my geometry lessons...  

Ticket out the Door Poster

Next year, instead of using index cards for exit tickets, I am going to use post-it notes. You can get them for less money (think Dollar Tree and Big Lots) and they don't really have to stick well or for a long time.

I found a generic brand of hot pink "thumbs up" stickies at Walmart and had a great idea!  I would apply the stickies to a poster board, apply numbers and a title, then laminate. When students leave the room they will stick the post-it to their number on the poster.

I created my vinyl numbers and title on the Silhouette Cameo my hubby bought me for my birthday last year! After an expensive trip to Michaels, I had the perfect pinks for the title!

              

A Blooming Butterfly

I saw a post on Pinterest about Bloom's Taxonomy posters being displayed in classrooms.
I googled images of them and came across this one. Since I love butterflies and lots of color, it was a perfect fit for my classroom. 

"I am...remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, creating."
Using my Silhouette Cameo, I created one for my classroom.
"I can... remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create."

College Wall Decorations

Saturday, my wonderful hubby took me to Michael's (Arts & Crafts) and bought me a new cutting mat and a blade for my Silhouette Cameo.  I haven't been able to use it for a while, but hadn't been properly inspired to go out of town to buy the needed supplies.  After shopping, we went to the movies and didn't get home til midnight.

I got up early(ish) on Sunday and started creating.  When I move into my "new" room, I want to start a college wall.  I graduated from Florida Atlantic University and my hubby and I love the Florida Gators, so I started with those 2 teams.  Sometime back in the fall, I found 5 plain white pennants for $1 at Dollar Tree, so I decided to do pennants for each team.  I ended up making 2 of each team, one horizontal, one vertical.  I used push pins to prop them up on my bulletin board to take the pics...see below...

After I got those done and I was again bored, hubby suggested I make a Steelers pennant for his boss.  So once again inspired, I got to work.  Then, for our friend that is going through chemo for breast cancer, I made the breast cancer awareness ribbon with the Steelers logo...see below...

Ideas for Next Year

It's always around this time of the year that I start thinking about the next year.  I write pages and pages of ideas, mine and those "borrowed" from other teachers (Thank you blogs and Pinterest!!).  Two years ago, I kept it all in a word document, which I reprinted last year and adjusted.  Last year, I used most of a 70-page spiral.  Since we can not use electronics during FCAT End of Course Testing, I couldn't use my computer.  As I proctored for 6 days (3 for Algebra 1 and 3 for Geometry) in the computer lab, I fantasized about how I wanted my room to be organized and decorated.  On my walks around the lab, I would stop by and write an idea or sketch a picture.  Over the next 3 months, I would read and reread my notes, changing and tweaking til I thought it was perfect.

Well, I have pulled out last year's spiral and printed the previous year's ideas.  The big difference is that I am supposed to be moving rooms at the end of this school year.  We will find out the first week in May if they will be starting demo of half of our old school and construction of the new one on the same land this summer or next.  I have been promised an existing room on the other side of the school, since my room will be in the first phase of demo.  A couple of other teachers will be placed in existing rooms, while 7 others will get rented portables.

I am extremely excited about my "new" location.  It's not quite as big as my room now, but is laid out a little better (has a foyer and an attached office).  The principal told me about the relocation a month ago and due to my slight, ok not so slight, OCD, I have made a floor plan of the room with 6 different arrangements in MS Excel.  Here is one of them... The left side of the room will be for students daily.  The right side is where my desk and supplies will be located along with occasionally used student computers.  BTW, Lys (on pic in pink) is my daughter Alyssa.  She uses my room as her locker because I am conveniently located.  The green rectangles are 2 (1.5'x2') tables.

Here are the wall layouts with ideas...

I will post pictures as I clean and organize the new room.

Instant Data

A while back I pinned a site about obtaining data and displaying it in a way that was easy to read.  This week I used that idea for my Math for College Readiness students.  They were assigned the "Are You Ready?" section at the beginning of chapter 11 and were told to do the best they could, that I wanted to see what they know and it wouldn't be taken as a grade.

Ahead of time I created the answer sheet below.

After they were done, they graded their own work and shaded all of the ones that were incorrect.  They were more inclined to mark them wrong because they knew I wasn't actually taking it for a grade, but using it to drive my instruction (not the words I use with them!).  I used my handy dandy paper trimmer (that I couldn't live without!!) and trimmed the answer sheets down to the strip of boxes, which had their name in the top box and lesson number at the bottom.

I used a 12'x18' sheet of paper and glued them down, lining up the problem numbers.  Now at a glance I can see which ones I need to work on for the whole class and which ones to differentiate.  At the end of the chapter, I am going to assign the even problems from the same "Are You Ready?" and compare the results to the pre-test.

Here's what it looks like for 1st period...

And a close-up of the data...

Probability Vocabulary Foldable

I redesigned the Probability Unit in PreCalc this year.  My unit plan looks like this:

• Experimental & Theoretical Probability, Odds
• Mutually Exclusive/Inclusive Events – Adding Probabilities
• Independent/Dependent Events – Multiplying Probabilities (with and without replacement)
• Counting Principle
• Factorial
• Permutations
• Combinations
• Binomial Theorem
• Pascal’s Triangle
• Sierpinski’s Gasket

I created a fill-in foldable for the definitions and formulas and posted it today on TpT.  Here's the list of vocabulary: 

• probability
• odds
• experimental
• theoretical
• mutually exclusive
• inclusive
• complement
• independent
• dependent
• counting principle
• factorial
• permutations
• combinations
• Binomial Thm

 Front cover of foldable

Middle pages of foldable (preview on TpT)

I am still contemplating uploading my entire unit of notes/examples and worksheets.