Final flight of tetrahedral kites

The tetrahedral kites were a complete success.  Each student built one small one, then we combined them to make 4 medium sized ones, then combined the medium sized ones to make one big one.  The small and the medium kites flew great.  Unfortunately the big one did not take flight.  I am sure the only reason it did not fly was because we had flown the small medium sized ones quite a bit before contstructing the big one, so each one had a slight bit of damage to it.   But overall a great project for the spring!



Above the kids are flying the small and medium kites, they flew great!
Middle we combined 16 small kites (4 medium kites) to make the big kite.
Below is the attempt to fly the big kite.



Building an Ancient City

We are currently strudying Rome in SS 8.  We were talking about the geography of Rome and were going to talk about the important geographical features of Rome.  Before we had this discussion, I got the students to create their own ancient cities and to identify and describe the ten most important features of their city.  Initially I was going to have them draw them out, but then thought playdough would be great for this.  They did a great job and put a lot of thought into it.  Once they created it with playdough, they wrote down on paper what the important features were and why they were important.

Tetrahedral Kites

We just finished our unit on volume and surface area of prisms.  They wrote a test and then I wanted to do something fun as an end project.  I decided on two activities:

1.  The first one was to build a more complicated 3-D figure out of a given net.

2.  The second one was to build tetrahedral kites.  It has been a real success, the students are really into in and they just want to keep building them.  It has been a great way to help the students recognise how to build a 3-D object and learn about volume and surface area of them.  We are still working on them and planning on flying the bigger ones (photo #2) and then making one really big one and attempting to fly that.  We will be doing some calculations on surface area and volume of the different sized kites as well.  I will attach another video of flying the bigger kites next week.


Each student made 4 mini tetrahedrons and then built this kite



Out flying the kites

This is four students that put their tetraherdons together to make a bigger one.

We are currently working on putting 4 of these together to make an even bigger one.





Lesson on Nets with 3-D Objects

I had a good little lesson on introducing nets to gr.8's.  I looked at the investigate in the textbook and then expanded on it.  I had the class in groups of 3 and each student in each group had a different object.  The students were instructed to trace each face of the object onto a piece of paper and then label each face A, B, C, ....  They were then asked to cut out each face.  With the face pieces, I then asked them to arrange the faces in a way that if it was drawn on the paper, it could be cut out and folded to create their object.  Once they thought they had it they were to trace it onto a new sheet paper, using solid lines for the lines that should be cut and dotted lines for those that should be folded.  Once they were done, I collected them all and then randomly handed them out.  Each student was then to cut out and fold on the lines according to how the other student had drawn it.  They were not allowed to change anything and they had to see if they could actually create the figure.  Most of them worked, but not all of them.  This was a great learning tool for a few people that were struggling with getting them drawn.  Once they actually had one to build, it "clicked" for almost everyone.  Once each object was built, they were to put them up on the board, and the student that the object originally belonged to went up to the board and drew their "net" beside the object.  This again was a great teaching tool, using all the examples on the board, I was now able to explain what a net is and how there can be different nets for one particular object.  Many students struggle with nets, so I definitely think this hands on activity helped all the students learn and understand how to create a net much better than if I had just taught the lesson traditionally.

A few different ideas for The Pythagorean Theorem

We have been learning about the pythagorean theorem and the area of the squares of the sides of a right triangle.  I found a cool little jigsaw puzzle that shows the idea.  I have been giving the students 5-10 minutes at the beginning of each class throughout the unit to try and figure it out.  It is quite interesting, one student figured it out within the first class.  But none of the other students have figured it out yet.  I have math first block, so it is a great way to get the students to wake up and get them interested.  They are all into it and it really bugs them that they can't figure it out.  I have a few students that are working on it at home, but still haven't got it. 

                                                         

Next was practicing Pythagorean Triples.  Rather than just giving them a bunch to try out on a sheet of paper, we did a little sticky note activity.  I created 10 or so triples, then put them in a chart.  I took out 1 or 2 numbers from each triplet.  I then put the class in groups and gave them each a section of the board and some sticky notes.  I then gave them the missing numbers and got them to write each number on a sticky note.  I then got them to write the chart, with the blanks, on the board.  Once every group was at this point, I made it a race, and had them complete each triplet.  It was just another way for them to practice using the pytahgorean theorem with a little bit more excitement.

I have now started a little activity outside to show the practical use of The Pythagorean Theorem.  We are having a kite flying competition, where they need to determine the height of the kite using the Pythagorean Theorem.  The first class I told them we were going to have this competition, but before we go out to actually fly kites, they need to be able to tell me how they are going to actually determine the height.  So they discussed with their group and came up with their method.  The next class we continued our discussion and then came up with the most accurate way to do it.  We went out and started the activity today, and will continute tommorow.  Apparently I need to give a little lesson on kite flying as well.  However, we will get the idea across and have some fun with it. We have cheap little dollar store kites, as well as nice big kites.  Pictures and videos of this activity will come once we have it completed.

My last little activity will be for the students to go outside and determine the lengths of specfic items outside.  I made up a little worksheet where they go outside and take the measurements of certain sides of specific items and then use pythagorean theorem to find the last side.  Rather than doing the textbook applications, we use actual applications.

A fun unit, really easy to use real-life applications!

Pictures and Measurements to Introduce Pythagorean Thm

I tried a little activity the past couple of math classes to introduce the pythagorean thm.  I reviewed what a right triangle was and then decided to let the students investigate a little.  The instructions the students were given was to go outside of the classroom and find 4 items that contain a right triangle, with a minimum of 2 items outside.  I gave them a templated sheet to record their findings, a camera (most used their cell phones) and a meter stick.  Their task was then to:
1) take a picture of the item  2) sketch the item on their paper  3) highlight the right triangle within the item
4) label the sides of the triangle a, b and c   5) measure and write the measurements of the 3 side lengths of the triangle on their sketch   6) come back to the classroom with all the information
From here, I had them invesigate.  I had them take their information and see if they could recognize a relationship between the squares of the 3 side lengths.  With some discussion and guidance we got to the definition/equation the Pythagorean Thm.  I then had them use the Pythagorean Thm. to figure out if what they thought was a right triangle just by looking at it, actually was.  This activity took 2 classes.  I never did use the photos they took, I thought I might come up with an idea to put them to use, but never did.  I am still thinking about it and may use them a little later within this section.
After this little investigation, we had a class of practicing using the Pythagorean Thm., and they all seemed to have a good understanding.  I am quizzing them tommorow, so I will have a better idea then.

Scavenger Hunt for Notes

We started a new unit on fluids this week in science.  Rather than reading the textbook and giving the students notes, we created a scavengerhunt for the students to do.  It included all the information from the first section of the text.  The clues were scattered all around the school and they were given a "fill in the blank" sheet to complete throughout the scavenger hunt.  When the studentss returned, we went over the material and discussed it.  It was a great way to start the unit and get the students interested.  Almost all the students commented "that was fun" when they got back. The next class we did a little coke and mentos experiment.  We tried two different things with the coke and mentos, the regular one where the coke shoots straight up and out of the bottle.  That was successful.  We also tried making a rocket out of it.  We had a little success with that as well.  We then went back to the class and discussed why this happens.  After the little experiment and discussion, we did a crossword on the scavenger hunt material.  The following day the students had a quiz on the scavenger hunt/crossword material and they all did very well.  A much different approach than the traditional and it was very fun and the students proved they learned the material by doing well on their quiz.  I will attach the video of the mentos experiment soon.

Using mini white boards for an algebra review

This morning I started the algebra review using the textbook questions, but had the students solve the problems on mini white boards.  I first divided the class into groups of three.  I then gave each student a mini whiteboard and a marker.  I had the review questions from the text book on an overhead.  I showed them one question at a time.  I made it into a little game.  Each student was to solve it on their own white board.  They were then to compare and discuss their answers with their group.  Then as a group they had to decide which answer, if their answers were different, was the correct answer and write it on one of the whiteboards.  Once I recognised that all the groups were done, I would count down from 5 and ask them to reveal their answers.  At that point one person in the group would hold up their white board.  I would quickly scan to see who had the correct answer.  Each team with the correct answer would get a point and I tracked the points on the board.  If a team had the incorrect answer I would quickly mention to them where they had gone wrong.  It worked really well, the students were all very involved.  A simple way to make textbook work a little bit more exciting.  Sorry about the shaky video, I was using one hand.

Tables of Values and Sticky Notes

I tried a little something with creating a table of values today.  I wrote 5 equations and then made a table of values for each equation.  I split the class into 6 groups, and gave each group a section of board and some yellow and green sticky notes.  I then randomly put up all my 'x' values on the screen and told each group to write each one of the values on a yellow sticky note and spread them out on the top of a desk.  I then randomly put up all my 'y' values on the screen and told each group to write each one of the values on a green sticky note and spread them out on the top of another desk.  I then got each group to write the 5 equations on their section of the board with a blank table of values underneath.  At this point, I gave them each the first 'x' value of each equation and the task was to now find all the ordered pairs for each equation.  They needed to place all their stick notes on the board in one of the table of values.  So in the end, they should have used all their sticky notes.   It is difficult to explain without seeing it.  It took a few minutes and a bit of prompting to get the students going on it, but once they got going, each group was working together very well. They had to do some mental math and understand how to fill in a table of values. It was quite a successful task, a nice change from just having them fill in a chart over and over again on paper.

Algebra and Bingo

I don't know about all of you, but it has been tough getting back in the swing of things this week.  I finally got somewhat motivated today in my math class.  I started the Algebra unit this week and was trying to think of what to do to make it more interesting than just doing worksheets.  Yesterday I taught solving 2-step equations and gave them a few practice questions.  Today, rather than just giving them a worksheet I made the worksheet into a game of bingo.  I gave each student a 5 x 5 table.  Then I put 30 numbers up on the board and asked them to randomly fill in their charts with these numbers, with no numbers repeating.  Once they had their charts filled in, I put one question up on the board.. They then each solved the question individually and shaded in the answer if it was on their chart.  After I got the sense that everybody had finished the question, I would put a new question on the board.  Once somebody got a row of 5, they were to call bingo.  We got through 15 questions before anyone got a bingo.  So rather than giving them a worksheet of 15 questions where they would've likely complained, we played a game of bingo.  Every student attempted and most completed each question and not one person complained.  Matter of fact, they were asking me for the next question.  So overall, they got through as many, if not more practice questions than they would've if they were working on a worksheet.

Powerpoint Math

It has been a couple of crazy weeks as we wind down to Christmas.  I have been trying to keep the students as engaged as possible.  In math the other day I decided to teach the lesson and then divide the class into groups.  Rather than have them do a worksheet, I put the questions on PowerPoint (1 question per slide) and I gave the groups chart paper, mini white boards and markers.  They were in groups of three or four so each person had something to write on and write with.  I gave the groups 5-10 minutes per question, depending on the difficulty of the question, and once I figured the majority of the class had it figured out I moved on to the next slide.  We went through nine questions that I had just pulled from the textbook.  Once we had gone through all the questions I had one person from each group do question #1 on the board, we then discussed and corrected the answers.  Then a different student from the group had to come to do the next question, so on and so forth.  Doing this at the end put accountability on each student to be involved throughout the PowerPoint work.  I made sure that I knew which questions my at-risk student understood how to do, and volunteered him for that particular question(s) before anyone else in his group could volunteer.

Learning about ratios with hands on

This morning I taught my ratios lesson on the floor with my class sitting in a circle each with a piece of paper and a pencil.  We started by discussing what ratios were and using the class, boys to girls, as our starting point.  I wrote a few points on the board as we were discussing and they copied them down.  Once I felt they had the idea, I took a box of Halloween mixed chocolate bars and dumped them on the floor in the middle of the circle.  At that point I put six different scenarios on the board (kit-kat - smarties, coffee crisp- aero, kit-kat to all chocolate bars) and asked them to write the ratios in different forms on their paper.  The were practising part-part ratios, part-whole ratios, and 3-term ratios.  They were also practising converting fractions, decimals and percents.  They were discussing and problem solving individually and as groups. Once they completed it on their paper, I had volunteers write their answers on the board and we would then compare and discuss as a class.   All the students were interested and very involved in the lesson. 

Groups and Movement seems to be working

Yesterday I had finished teaching a lesson on solving percent problems and today I had them practice these types of problems.  So instead of giving them the textbook assignment, I made up 9 question cards and had them taped up around the room.  I taped them on the blackboards, the windows and on tables.  I then split the class into 7 groups of 3.  I have noticed the importance of me doing the grouping to make these tasks successful.  I always try to group them with a mixed level of ability and I make sure there is one definite leader in each group.  I gave them each a station to start at and they were to solve the problem on the blackboard, or the window, or the poster paper.  They were to record their final answer on a piece of paper that they would take with them from station to station.  Once they thought they had the correct answer they were to check with me.  If it was correct they erased their work so the other groups couldn't copy the answer and they were allowed to move on to another question.  If not, they had to try again.  They were not allowed to move to the next station until they got the answer correct.  They did not have to move in any order, the task was just to complete all 9 questions.  Competition drives my class, so of course, this was a race to see who could get all 9 questions done correctly first.  This was quite a success.  This works well for those that are struggling.  Even if they themselves cannot answer the question, at least they are there listening and watching to see how to solve the problem rather than blankly staring at their textbook.

Sticky Note Success

Monday morning always seems to be a struggle for my students to get motivated, especially in math.  So I am really focusing on Monday mornings and how I can get them engaged right off the bat.  This Monday I tired a little activity with Sticky Notes.  We are working with fractions, decimals and percents.  I wanted them to be able to convert a fraction into a decimal, or a decimal into a fraction, etc.  and understand what the values actually meant.  I split the class into 6 groups of 4 and gave each group sticky notes.  I then wrote 14 different values in the board (.0067, 75%, 3/5, etc) and had them write one value on one sticky note.  I then gave each group a section of blackboard and their task was to place their values in ascending order on the board.  I made it a competition to see who could complete the task first.  Those were the only instructions I gave them.  In order for them to do this, they first had to recognize that it would be easiest to convert them all to the same type (either all fractions, all decimals, or all percents), and then order.  So it was very interesting to watch.  All the students were very engaged and discussing with their group about how to go about the task.  A few of the groups converted all to percent and a few converted all to decimals and then ordered them.  Once they thought they had it correct they would call me over and I would simply say "error" if there was one and they would all go crazy and try again.  Once they had all figured it out I had each group pick a representative to share the approach their group took to solve the problem.  Then to top it off, no group had converted to fractions, so I had another race to see which group could now convert all the values to fractions first. Overall, I would say it was very successful, and the students had a much clearer understanding than they did at the beginning of the class.

Reflecting in stations

After the long weekend, I figured my students would have forgotten anything they learned the previous week as we had just started a new unit.  I decided I would review with them using different stations.  I split the class into 8 groups and gave them each 4 questions on the same topic (percents, fractions and decimals).  I had 4 stations (back board, windows, front board and table (with poster paper and markers).  It worked really well, all the students were engaged and wanting to take their turn to write out the answer.  My at-risk student was partcipating well, however, he is embarrased about his written output so he was not involved in writing out the answer at any of the stations.  Any suggestions on how I could change that for him?  Drawing is not really an option when you need to convert 32% into a decimal and fraction.  I have a video, which I will attach if I can figure it out.

Projects vs. Tests a week later

My at-risk student changed his mind to do a project rather than a test after seeing the review he was asked to complete before writing the test, so I was happy about that.  He still needs to be constantly prompted to get to work, but he is taking more of a lead in the project than his partner, so that is good to see.  I will report back next week to see how the final project turns out.

Projects vs. Tests

I just finished teaching 6 different organ systems and now I am looking at having the students show what they know.  So we have given them 6 choices (TV show, powerpoint, poster, life-size cut out, etc.) and the last choice was to write the test.  Well interestingly enough, my at risk student chose the test.  He was planning on working with another student, who he has been sitting with and working well with this past week.  However, the other student is much more of a "test-writer" and I am pretty sure the only reason my at-risk student is choosing the test is because this other student is.  We just got started yesterday, so we will see if he changes his mind next week.  But I thought it was an interesting point.

Games worked well

For the first 15 minutes of every science class this week, I had one of the groups present their games to the class.  With some help from me in getting the class organized, the games they came up with have been quite creative.  We are just getting a sneak peak of them within 15 minutes, but I will definitely use some of their games again in the future.  We will bring them out again at the end of the unit as a review.  We are playing the games as one big class, but in the future they will play them in smaller groups and I think they will learn a lot by playing the games.  So overall, I would say it was a success.

First Try!

I am trying something with the vocabulary list for Ch.2 & 3 in Science.  First I had the class work in pairs to create cue cards for the words.  I then had them get in groups of 4 to create a game to help them and the class learn the vocab words.  They had a class and a half to create the game and then next week they will all present the game to the class.  We will start every science class next week with one of the groups presenting their game and getting the class to play it.  Today it seemed like they had some good ideas.  We'll see how it goes next week.