First up, the next time I post about my teaching day...I think I should include my non-teaching day, like the 6 takes I took to make this simple video to solve a simple system of linear equations using Edureations. I really like the software...I lost my pen, so I had to use my finger. The author can edit the script, but not the audio...so that is why it took so many takes! I never knew how much noise one makes just talking!

When I got to school and asked if any of the students saw the videos, the few who said saw them said they were really helpful. Such Luck!

The second piece of good luck came when I had an epiphany during a performance task I was having my Algebra 1 students complete BEFORE a test. I figured it was a good way to get them talking to each other about how to graph and solve a system of linear equations. You know the drill: two car rental companies, Plan A lets you rent a car for $30 plus .60 per mile, Plan B lets you rent a car for $55 and .35 per mile. After how many miles will the plans cost the same? Which is a better deal?

First period, fine. Next one fine too. Ah the next one after that, just before lunch, not so fab. So I called a few students at a time...and showed them with an Excel spread sheet HOW the rental company would devise a spreadsheet to calculate how much you owe. Watching their faces light up when I took their equations and showed them how fast the "system" could do the work was...Cool.
I can't wait to take them into the lab and fiddle with this themselves. Perhaps some smarty pants can figure out the entire treasure hunt at the end of the unit with a computer graphing program. I would love that.

Wow! Color! I have been looking for this my entire blogging life, all three month of it!

I totally stole the next idea from Teaching Statistics.
She had her students trace their hands and then write 5 ways to solve quadratics, one in each finger and then decorate the hands as turkeys for Thanksgiving. I morphed this idea into four ways to solve a system of two linear equations and the thumb for what I am thankful for. My fabulous creation on the smartboard is below:

To which one of my favorite lovebugs gayly proclaimed, "Excuse me Miss Zimmer, but your turkey looks like it is passing wind."

I am oh so thankful for this Math Blogging Initiative community. What are you thankful for? 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
 

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