1. The ABC’s of Algebra: Alignment, Buy-in, and Classroom Activities
PRESENTED BY
Leslie A. Texas
November 16, 2007 1

2. Keeping in Touch E-mail address: texasconsulting@bellsouth.net Phone:
(office)
(cell)
Customize this page 2

3. Session Objectives
Participate in a variety of classroom activities that model best practice
Determine how to design assignments that are engaging and require students to develop higher order thinking skills

4. Southern Regional Educational Board
Visits in the last several years to well over 100 middle grades schools indicate that the schools’ goals and priorities often are unclear to teachers, students, and the community.
States, like New Jersey, have set content and performance standards in mathematics, but these standards need to be translated into daily work in the classroom.
Identifying readiness indicators for Algebra 1 is one way to translate middle school mathematics content standards for the classroom.
It is also a way to guide high schools in planning and implementing catch-up courses in mathematics for incoming 9th graders.

5. Identifying Gaps and Overlaps
Questions to address:
Which readiness indicators are not being addressed (gaps)?
Which readiness indicators are addressed by multiple grade levels (overlaps)?

6. Engaging Activity
Traffic Jam 6

7. Questions: What process skills were required in the activity?
What content knowledge was required? 7

8. Cooperative Learning Activity
Match your puzzle-piece with other similar pieces to form a problem to solve.
As a learning group team, select a strategy to solve the problem.
Solve the problem as a team then submit a solution to the class. Your team must be able to justify the solution!!!

9. DGHEF (prime factorization of 13,090 or 2 · 5 · 7 · 11 · 17 )
Problem #5
Find a path through the maze of numbers, starting at “Enter” and ending at “Exit.” The value of the path is determined by multiplying each number along the path. You may move up, down, or right but not diagonally. You can only cross a number once. Try to find a path through the maze that results in 13,090. List the letters in order for each box you cross to reach the exit. An example, 7 x 13 x 2 would be DAB.
13 A
2 B
3 C
7 D
11 E
5 F
Enter
Exit
15 I
17 H
2 G
DGHEF (prime factorization of 13,090 or 2 · 5 · 7 · 11 · 17 )

10. Problem #9
Which set of factors of the number 420 has the least possible sum? Which set of factors of the number 420 has the greatest possible sum? Be sure that the two sets of factors both have a product of 420.
Answers: 19 and 421

11. 32 + 4 2 x 8 – 5 + 12 4 =41 32 + 4 2 x (8 – 5) + 12 4 = 41 Problem #11
Place one set of parentheses on the left side of the equals sign to make the equation true.
x 8 – =41
x (8 – 5) = 41

12. Answer: 184 > It is greater than 100. > It is less than 200.
Problem #12
Find the greatest whole number that meets all of the following conditions:
> It is greater than 100.
> It is less than 200.
> It is 20 greater when rounded to the nearest 100 than when rounded to the nearest 10.
Answer: 184

13. Answer: 171 y = 3x + 3 Problem #13 - 2 - 3 1 6 3 12 7 24 17 54 56 ????
Robin uses a rule to create the input/output table shown. If Robin uses her rule with an input of 56, what will be her output?
INPUT
OUTPUT
- 2
- 3 1 6 3 12 7 24 17 54 56
???? 89
270
Answer: 171
y = 3x + 3

14. A Menu of Fun Math Problems Source: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (NCTM) February 2007 Issue

15. Possible Uses Pre-Assessment Exercise
Introduce classroom procedures (cooperative learning, word problems, no “I don’t know’s accepted)
Hook for new unit
Review
Exit Slip

16. Engaging Activity
Are you a Solution? 16

17. Literacy Strategies and Assessment Practices
Pg 21 17

18. Improving Student Vocabulary
Write a math vocabulary word on one side of the index card. 18

19. Improving Student Vocabulary- Word Illustrations
On the other side, illustrate the concept (meaning) of your word…using NO numbers or letters. 19

20. What Math Words are Illustrated Below?
Subtraction, Common Denominators, Probability 20

21. Frayer Model Concept Essential Characteristics
Non-Essential Characteristics
Examples
Non-Examples
Concept 21

22. Parallelogram with 4 equal sides
Frayer Model
Essential Characteristics
Is a four sided figure
Four sides have equal length
Opposite angles are equal
Perimeter is 2(l + w)
Area is b x b
Non-Essential Characteristics
Angles may or may not be right
Length of sides can vary
Diagonals may or may not be equal in length
Examples
Non-Examples
RHOMBUS
Trapezoid
Triangle
Square
Parallelogram with 4 equal sides
Rectangle 22

23. Frayer Model 23

24. R-A-F-T 24

25. Choose one item from each column
RAFT Examples for Math
Choose one item from each column
Role
Audience
Format
Topic
Zero
Whole Numbers
Campaign Speech
The importance of the number 0
Percent
Student
Tip Sheet
Mental ways to calculate percents
Prime Number
Rational Numbers
Instructions
Rules for divisibility
Parts of a Graph
TV Show Audience
Script
How to read a graph
Exponent
Jury
Instructions to the jury
Laws of exponents
Acute Triangle
Obtuse Triangle
Letter
Explaining their differences
Square Root
Whole Number
Love Letter
Explain Relationship
Repeating Decimal
Set of Rational Numbers
Petition
Prove you belong to the set 25