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Welcome to my math blog! The purpose of this blog is to help you stay informed about our learning and experiences that have taken place during our math class. I have also included links your child (and you) may want to use in order to supplement math learning in 5th grade.

Friday, March 31, 2017

STEAM: Kaleidoscopic Octagon (Reflectional and Rotational Symmetry) Day 3


STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The end results are students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process. These are the innovators, educators, leaders, and learners of the 21st century!  (http://educationcloset.com/steam/what-is-steam/

Most students had completed their octagon yesterday, however a few absences and a few perfectionists needed a little extra time.  

Here are the final products:





Thursday, March 30, 2017

STEAM: Kaleidoscopic Octagon (Reflectional and Rotational Symmetry) Day 2


STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The end results are students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process. These are the innovators, educators, leaders, and learners of the 21st century!  (http://educationcloset.com/steam/what-is-steam/

We continued working on our octagons today.  As students worked, the emphasis was still on symmetry.


  • Axis of Symmetry - a line through a shape so that each side is a mirror image
  • Reflectional Symmetry - a type of symmetry where one half is the reflection of the other
  • Rotational Symmetry - the shape can be rotated some amount and still looks the same.

As students finished using the MIRA tool, they were asked to outline their design in black marker, and then to color their design.  Before they began to color, I reemphasized that reflectional and rotational symmetry are also dependent on the colors used.  Therefore, what is reflected MUST also reflect the same color or the symmetry is lost.

Once completed, these will be cut out, glued to a black background, laminated and displayed on lockers.

Monday, March 27, 2017

STEAM: Kaleidoscopic Octagon (Reflectional and Rotational Symmetry)

STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. The end results are students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process. These are the innovators, educators, leaders, and learners of the 21st century!  (http://educationcloset.com/steam/what-is-steam/

Over the next week or so, we will be incorporating the Arts into our Mathematics classroom.



Today we visited symmetry.  My students know what symmetry is, however, there were a few terms that I wanted them to learn:

  • Axis of Symmetry - a line through a shape so that each side is a mirror image
  • Reflectional Symmetry - a type of symmetry where one half is the reflection of the other
  • Rotational Symmetry - the shape can be rotated some amount and still looks the same.
Our activity today came from "Kaleidoscopic Octagon:  Link Geometry, Measurement, and Art" by Karyn Mazo is from a magazine called Challenge that was published by Good Apple in 1999, Issue 83 pp. 14-15.

In the article, the author gives an idea for explaining the math involved in the art as follows:

Kaleidoscopic Octagon

A lesson in spatial logic, patterning, 
geometry and measurement.

The students folded their paper vertically,
horizontally, and diagonally.  Using rulers
they measured from the midpoint of their
folds to construct a regular octagon.
Then the students created patterns which
they reproduced in each section of the octagon.

We followed her instructions to create the octagon.  Then I had the students create a design in one triangular section of the octagon.  Since my focus is creating reflectional symmetry and rotational symmetry, I required the students to use a "mira" math reflector.  This tool allows the kids to see a reflection of their design in the mira, while also allowing them to see their pencil through the mira in order to trace the design as a perfect reflection.


Friday, March 24, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Khan Academy

Lesson Frame
  • We will work on passing Khan Academy skills in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing skills to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities
  • Countdown to STAAR
  • Khan Academy


We are down to 2 school days until our STAAR test!  


 Image result for staar wars shirt

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Think Through Math

Lesson Frame
  • We will work on passing Think Through lessons in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing lessons to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities:
  1. Countdown to STAAR
  2. Think Through Math
  3. DONATE POINTS!!!

We are down to 3 school days until our STAAR test!  



 Image result for staar wars shirt

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Khan Academy

Lesson Frame
  • We will work on passing Khan Academy skills in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing skills to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities
  • Countdown to STAAR
  • Khan Academy

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Think Through Math

Lesson Frame
  • We will work on passing Think Through lessons in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing lessons to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities:
  1. Countdown to STAAR
  2. Think Through Math
  3. DONATE POINTS!!!

We are down to 5 school days until our STAAR test!  WE ARE READY!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Welcome Back! Minute-To-Win It Competition


We returned to school today after having a week off for Spring Break.  I decided that this would be a great day to celebrate the classroom that had achieved the most lessons passed on Think Through Math over the last three weeks.  I am pretty sure my homeroom (the winners) were pleased with their math class today!

You can search the web (specifically Pinterest) to find all kids of Minute to Win It ideas.  The two sites that I used to help me set up my games were:  

minute to win it games for kids and family teachmama.com     

  • http://teachmama.com/minute-win-games-kids-family/ 
  • http://www.happinessishomemade.net/awesome-minute-to-win-it-birthday-party-games/ 

  
To set up your classroom for a Minute to Win It competition, 



1) I placed 19 colored chips (9 blue, 10 yellow) in a container and asked my students to pull 1.  This is how I broke my class into two groups, fairly.

2) I had two bowls of numbered tiles (1-9 and 0-9).  I had each student in each group pull a tile to determine which students would place each game (also numbered 1-10).

3) I had already set up the 10 games using the websites named above, as well as a Google Slides presentation to help me with rules and visuals on how each game was to be played.























We had reached the point where I had one extra student and one game to play, but no opponent.  To solve this problem, I had the group with one less student draw numbers again, this time, the one who pulled a "0" was the final opponent.



The team that "won" received a full sized candy bar, the consolation prize was miniature candy bars.  All in all, no one felt like they had lost!  They all enjoyed the games, they all enjoyed the competition (which we kept friendly), and they all agreed that this was a great way to begin the final 9 weeks of school!

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Khan AND Think Through Math

We are almost to our deadline for getting 30 lessons passed on Think Through Math.  So, students have a choice where to spend their time from now until the test.  


All students have SMART goals for both TTM and Khan, so students are trying to reach these goals and set new ones.  I have warned that there could be consequences of students NOT working on TTM.  The consequence could be that another class wins the Minute-to-Win-It game day and our competition ends Friday!  With this in mind, students choose where they need to work.


Lesson Frame:

  • We will work on passing Think Through Math or Khan lessons in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing lessons to get closer to achieving my SMART goal(s).

Activities:
  1. Countdown to STAAR
  2. Think Through Math or Khan
  3. DONATE POINTS!!!

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Think Through Math

We are down to 9 school days until our state assessment (with Spring Break in between).  We are moving swiftly to the end of the year!  My how time flies!


Lesson Frame:

  • We will work on passing Think Through lessons in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing lessons to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities:
  1. Countdown to STAAR
  2. TTM Benchmark
  3. Think Through Math
  4. DONATE POINTS!!!

Monday, March 6, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Khan Academy

Well, I had a four day weekend preparing for my daughter's wedding on Saturday.  This should explain why there was not a post Thursday or Friday!  :-)


This week we will begin working on Countdown to STAAR pages daily as we are only about 2 weeks (not including Spring Break) out from our state assessment.  Countdown to STAAR are word problem format pages.  We need all the practice we can get!


Lesson Frame:


  • We will work on passing Khan Academy skills in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing skills to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities
  • Countdown to STAAR
  • Khan Academy

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Accomplishing SMART Goals: Think Through Math

Lesson Frame:

  • We will work on passing Think Through lessons in order to achieve our SMART goal.
  • I will work on passing lessons to get closer to achieving my SMART goal.

Activities:
  1. Countdown to STAAR
  2. TTM Benchmark
  3. Think Through Math
  4. DONATE POINTS!!!