The original inspiration came from here.
Download this poof booklet.
Download blank poof booklet template.
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I used these notes for Algebra 2 and Algebraic Connections, aka, students who have done this skill before in Algebra 1. Also, these notes are not my original idea, but I'm sharing them on my blog because I added my own spin to them. The original inspiration came from here. We actually worked the examples before we glued the booklet in and before we wrote the notes at the top of the page. I don't often do that, but then the notes became the summary of the lesson. I gathered student input on wording. Color with purpose in the highlighting. Simple, yet effective. I liked how the template for these booklets had tabs. But I did have a hard time printing and copying them so that the lines lined up well on both sides, and it took a great deal of direction to cut and assemble the books relative to a poof booklet. So by the time I did the same lesson with Algebraic Connections, took these problems and made them a poof booklet. I don't do a separate Algebra 2/Algebraic Connections review of graphing lines because this accomplishes the same purpose and with more purpose. Two birds. One stone.
Download this poof booklet. Download blank poof booklet template.
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I, Teri Ferguson, resolve to blog in 2016 in order to open my classroom up and share my thoughts with other teachers. I hope to accomplish this goal by participating in the January Blogging Initiation hosted by Explore MTBoS.
I decided to join the initiative to create accountability for myself to share resources through this blog You, too, could join in on this exciting adventure. All you have to do is dust off your blog and get ready for the first prompt to arrive January 10th! My SIL asked me for this recipe, and it just seemed easier to post it to the blog at the same time so I could include pictures with my explanations. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Directions In a large pan or electric skillet, pour oil about 1/4 inch deep and begin heating over medium heat. You'll know it's hot when it starts to have waves or squiggly lines in it. Meanwhile, combine the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Rotel, and hot sauce in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. I use a large fork for this. At this point, use a separate fork to taste the mixture. If it tastes a little bland, add more hot sauce. Then load each tortilla with a small amount of the mixture and roll. I have a tendency to over-stuff mine by accident. You just have to eyeball it and play with the amounts. It's probably no more than a half cup of the mixture. You want the tortilla to have a good amount of overlap when rolled tightly so it stays closed well. Place them seam down while preparing the rest. When the oil is hot, place the rolled and stuffed taquitos in the pan seam down so that it seals first. When that side is golden brown, turn over to cook the other side. Then remove, let cool and serve with salsa, sour cream, or queso. My favorite is the Pioneer Woman's Salsa (except I blend mine on "liquefy" for no chunks). If you need a place to keep some warm, heat the oven to 250 and place the finished ones in a baking dish in the oven. Usually, I make enough to intentionally have leftovers, so I don't care if the first ones finished get cool. I serve the last ones finished, and they are plenty warm! Notes for Variation's Sake I don't measure anything when I make these. If I have two chicken breasts already cooked, I'm not cooking a third one. I just scale back the rest of the stuff by eyeballing it. In fact with three chicken breasts, 8 oz of cream cheese is on the high side, but I end up just throwing in the whole block. With two chicken breasts, I would definitely use less. I usually use the whole can of Rotel no matter what because if not, it's not easily saved. I might drain the water off before blending, though, if I'm making a smaller batch. All of these ingredients can be adjusted to your liking. If it's too creamy, back off the cream cheese or fork shred the chicken rather than blending. We really like the softer texture of the filling that comes from shredding the chicken very finely in the Magic Bullet. If it's too rich, back off the cheddar and maybe use more Rotel. Just know that the Rotel adds water unless you drain it. Hot oil does not like water. Not at all. I use mild Rotel so that I can use more hot sauce. To me, that is the real flavor kicker in this recipe. If you have original or hot, it can just be spicier or you can use less hot sauce because you might not like hot sauce as much as I do. I have seen similar recipes with buffalo wing sauce, which sounds amazing to me, but my family doesn't like buffalo sauce. They do like hot sauce so that's why I use that. I have only tried frying, but I might try baking them one time because it would be healthier. I just want to have the same crisp/crunch! Have you ever tried baking? How do you get them crispy? Coat with a little oil? I have also thought about Greek yogurt rather than cream cheese--just trying to think of healthier options. Thoughts? A few pictures of how I blend the chicken in the Magic Bullet...
I don't believe in reinventing the wheel, which is why I'm sharing this with you. I created this because I couldn't find anything ready-made that had every element I wanted.
In the past, I have used this with the properties written in. While it made perfect sense in my mind, it didn't really help my students who didn't already "get it" understand the relationships any better. Then I came across this, this, and this on Pinterest and liked the flow chart method of presenting the concept. I especially liked the top down flows, but I wanted the "boxes" to represent the "familiar" version of the shape. Plus, some of them didn't included all of the ones I wanted or the same details I wanted. So, I made my own. Next year when I do interactive notebooks, I might shrink it to a half page, but the print is already kind of small. We might just fold it instead. This year, without interactive notebooks, I learned that if I copy a reference on colored paper, my students are more likely to keep up with it and less likely to throw it away. That's a freebie for ya. ;) Links to download: Publisher or PDF. While it says, "Moms," this post is addressed to anyone in the mom role of the family: stepmom, grandma, aunt, foster mom, you name it. I have an unusual husband who actually likes to take pictures, as in being behind the camera. Even still, I'm often the one snapping pictures at special occasions and on trips. Many moms out there are in the same boat and therefore end up with fewer pictures of themselves with their families. You don't think about it at the time, and you don't care much either. You just care about having pictures of your loved ones, and you probably don't like your appearance enough to demand documenting it.
Your families will care one day. A few years ago, my mom hit a milestone birthday for which I created a slideshow. Candid, snapshots of her were more difficult to find because she was usually the one behind the camera. Now, I try to make sure she is in pictures too. :) Last year, I created a photo book for my step-daughter of all the pictures we could find of her with her mom in the eight short years they shared. While we had many, they were fewer in number because she was often behind the camera. You can't get years and memories back. We are currently in the mountains of NC on our way home from a week-long road trip. I have a fancy camera that I love to use. But it stayed in my bag most of this trip because I was determined to document my existence in this car too. I'm over every picture having to look professional (though I still enjoy the photographic challenge when the time is appropirate). At each stop, I carried my phone so we could take selfies (or usies, lol). This often led to laughs at trying to get four people in a picture and the landmark at which we had stopped. The second day we stopped for lunch at a mall food court, and someone made the suggestion about a selfie stick, and we were off on a hunt. $12.99+tax later, and I was having the most selfie fun of my life! Haha. In all seriousness, you don't even have to have a stick. I know you moms of littles don't often have time to attach your phone to the stick before someone runs into the street. Use your arms if you have to, but document your presence in the memories. Hint from a woman who is totally inexperienced with the front facing camera and having to move everything backward: Get yourself set and the object in the background that you are trying to capture, and THEN let the others jump in. They seem to get less grumpy this way. Otherwise, it takes me ten years to figure out that if I cut someone off on the left, I need to move the camera right...I think. Who knows. And now, a few selfie highlights from our trip... I recently embarked on a unit based entirely around Front Row results and using Front Row printables. More on that coming soon. (If you are unfamiliar with Front Row, click here.) I decided that the summative assessment (aka test) for this unit would be on Front Row. In case you are unfamiliar, the Assigned Practice of Front Row allows students to jump straight to a lesson and practice 10 problems. The results show up in the Assigned Feed showing me how many questions were answered, and the percentage of those questions correct (combined percentage).
Since it was directly aligned with the unit we had just completed, I decided to give it a whirl. I had detailed written instructions on the projector for how to navigate to Assigned Practice and which standard needed to be completed. I told my students that they could repeat the assigned practice as many times as they wished but also made sure they knew that all attempts would be averaged (because that's how it's displayed in my results) and not just the highest one kept. Once they complete the assigned section, Front Row automatically takes them back to their adaptive level in the same domain so that they can continue working productively during the time allowed. The Good
The Bad
Conclusion I do think I would use this method of summative assessment again if I find myself teaching another complete Front Row unit. I expect that it would go more smoothly since I have worked out some of the bugs. What about you? How do you use Front Row for assessment? I'm cheap, but there are times that I make a choice to pay a higher price for better quality or to make my life easier. There is the old adage that you get what you pay for.
Here are some areas of my life where I am willing to pay a higher price for quality or convenience...
Those silly examples above illustrate what we all understand--sometimes we pay more in exchange for better quality. I can think of no better reason to pay more for quality than education, the "great equalizer." In 24 days, our county will vote on a property tax increase that will exclusively fund schools. The amount is irrelevant. Many people are making it about the amount, but it could be a 1 mill increase, and they would still complain. The leadership is irrelevant. Many people are making it about the superintendent or the board members or "the way things are run." They forget there are separate elections for those positions. The POINT is that we are voting on an investment in our county. We are voting to invest in our students, way of life, and future industry, which in turn is an investment in our property values. So ultimately, we are choosing to invest in our HOME. Where has this been in the previous seven years of my teaching career?!?!?!?!?! In all seriousness, I just learned about Front Row earlier this semester, and it has changed my life. I don't think that's an exaggeration. I still having figured out when it started. Best I can tell from a Google search, the earliest results that mention Front Row in reviews, blogs, etc. are in 2013. That means I missed out for two years, really, not seven. I should back up and explain.
The Awesomeness of the Software & Service Set up is easy. Create a free teacher account at classroom.frontrowed.com. Enter students' names and grades. Front Row automatically assigns a class code (which can be changed if necessary). Give students the site (student.frontrowed.com) and they log in just by entering their name and class code. Front Row even auto-capitalizes the students' names as they log in, so there are no case-sensitive login issues. Are my students the only ones who don't use capital letters on a regular basis? (Hint: Use students' full legal first names to eliminate confusion since they must type it exactly as you did in order to log in.) Front Row is organized according to the Common Core math domains for grades K-8. If you're a high school teacher, hear me now. My high school students, grades 9-12 with weak to average math ability, find it challenging. Most of them are working on 6th grade levels and below because the questions force them to THINK and READ and COMPREHEND. I'm not teaching any advanced level courses this year, but I think those students would also benefit from using Front Row. The only difference would be how quickly they complete all of the domains. I think they would get eight hours use from it at the very least. Students take a diagnostic test at the start of each domain. Then the adaptive practice automatically assigns and practices the skills they need. As they work on a "Lesson" (actually a Common Core standard), they see a green progress bar across the top. They also earn stars in the bottom right corner. I'm not exactly sure how the stars work. It seems that when they master a lesson, they earn 1-3 stars based on how easily they master it??? Again, I see it as I monitor, but I'm not sure. Once students have completed the domain diagnostic test, they can also choose assigned practice. This is useful for taking students directly to a certain skill that matches the current unit. There is "scratch paper" on the right side of the screen. That is really most useful if students are using an iPad. Otherwise, trying to write with a mouse is more trouble than it seems. This is extremely useful in my family because playing sports from August to April necessitates studying in the car, often in the dark. If she's using Front Row, her scratch paper is right on the iPad, and lighting is not a problem. Any other time, math work in the dark is not productive. Another HUGE feature in my mind is the support given to the students as they practice. Front Row immediately tells them if the answer is correct. If the student answers incorrectly, Front Row suggests a short (<2 min) video of a similar example. A video! Is this not what I've been wanting?!?!?! Not only is it adaptive practice but also adaptive support and instruction!!!!!! Not only that but if any other students in the room have mastered that skill already, Front Row suggests their name to ask for help. Peer tutoring perfected!!! The student has an opportunity to answer again as well, which for many of my students has helped them understand better as they analyze the correct and incorrect answers. Last, but certainly not least of the features is the audio component. For my inclusion students who are struggling readers, these Common Core questions have lots of words! I already make them wear headphones while they work so that they can watch the videos, but Front Row also has a button that they click to have the question read to them!!! Have I mentioned I'm in love? I almost forgot this part, the printables! Front Row will allow me to print worksheets for any objective, broken down into very detailed skills, and there are multiple version of each. I can even print a worksheet for each student individually with the click of ONE button. Can you say instant sub work? The concept reminds me very much of STAR Math and Accelerated Math. Right now, though, I'm with Front Row all the way. There are pros and cons of each. If you want a detailed comparison, I might do that in the future. Content Analysis This will be brief because my experience with K-8 math curriculum BCC and ACC (Before/After Common Core. It's like BC and AD, right? Common Core will have been a major milestone. Anyway...). Because my K-8 math experience BCC and ACC is pretty much non-existent, take this next part with a grain of salt. I think Front Row's questioning style is more Common Core-aligned than any other similar online services I've seen that reach up to 8th grade. Front Row definitely requires more reading comprehension than Accelerated Math does at the K-2 grade levels. Fortunately, the read-aloud feature helps. Built-In Reward System As students answer questions correctly, they earn coins that they can spend at the "Piggy Store." They each have a pig that they can dress up. It seems so simple, but it works. It's silly. It's fun. I read something on Front Row's FAQs that said the coins do not roll over from day to day, but my students say they do. It also shows a leader-board for the coins, though with the free version, the names on the leader-board are fake class names. But it shows the student to which fake class he belongs, and the competition is on an equal playing field since each student is practicing at his unique skill level. Actual quote heard from a high school student this week, "Oh good, we're doing Front Row today. I almost have enough money to buy a shirt for my pig!" Cons for the Sake of Transparency
(I have not been asked to review this product, nor have I been compensated. Also, the directions clearly state not to use on acne. I ignored that.) I have hesitated to share my before/after pictures for several months. The "before" is so gross and icky, that I was (still am) embarrassed to post on Facebook/Instagram. The "after" is so incredible that I hate not to share. So, I decided to post it here so that my gross skin wasn't visible except to those interested enough to read. Besides, my friend who sells this stuff deserves the advertising. The Back Story I had moderate acne as a pre-teen and teenager. It was enough to leave scars, but not the "crater" scars. Nothing really controlled it, but eating well helped. When I stopped eating lunchroom food, which was greasy at the time, it improved significantly. Age, lifestyle, hormones, etc. caused it to reduce to the occasional blemish by the time I was in my twenties. Basically, the acne was non-existent. Then about a year ago, maybe a year and a half, I started getting pimples along my jawline and under my chin. Big ones. Out of the blue. The kind that are so deep, you feel them coming because of the tenderness before the redness even appears. The lovely ones. I attributed it to the fact that I often sat at my desk with my chin in my hands--recipe for spreading bacteria to my pores. I broke the habit. They became more frequent and more than one at a time. So, I decided it was because I was HORRIBLE about washing my face at night. Started that habit. (This acne was bad enough to motivate me to do things I had never done.) No improvement. It definitely flared up more around my cycle, but what could I do about that? Still only my jawline and under my chin. I started using acne products I hadn't tried since my teen years. Nothing. Hooked Meanwhile, my friend Jessica Long had started selling Nerium products, which follows a home party, multi-level business model (best way I know to describe it). She often posted before/after pictures and such on Facebook. It's not cheap and was marketed for reducing fine lines, increasing firmness, and evening out discoloration, so basically anti-aging. I'm frugal and just wasn't interested in spending money on something I considered to be a luxury. Besides that, I know my way around Photoshop a little too well, which makes me a skeptic of before/after pictures. A few months later, desperation hit, and some of the before/after pics made me thing it might help the acne. After all, it was supposed to shrink pores and improve overall skin health. She offered me a trial size, and so I tried it. The next day, the existing blemishes were shrinking rather than peaking. Nine days later, the blemishes were non-existent. It's easy to get complacent, so sometimes I'm lazy and tired and skip washing my face. It catches up to me, and I will have a breakout. Using Nerium, though, the pimples are smaller, not as deep, and dissipate more quickly. Sometimes, they don't even peak before clearing up. When I'm consistent with it, the pimples just don't happen at all. The Regime Here's the regime that works best for me. I can tell a difference if I skip one of these steps. (I have pretty oily skin, except my cheeks.) Morning shower, wash face with Cetaphil for normal to oily skin. After shower use Clean & Clear essentials deep cleaning astringent. Night time: Cetaphil, C&C astringent, Nerium. Again, I'm frugal, so I try to stretch my Nerium as far as possible. One bottle is supposed to last a month. Mine lasts about three. I started out just using Nerium on my problem area. After it worked so well, I became curious what I might see on the rest of my face. I started using it on my face every other night while still using it on my jaw every night. Honestly, I didn't notice much difference. I stopped using it on my face. My face started getting more oily during the day and more quickly too. I didn't make the connection at first because I hadn't noticed it reducing the oil. But just out of curiosity, I went back to using it on my face, and the oiliness improved significantly. I'm not sure why other than reducing pore sizes? Smaller pores and less oil makes sense as to why it helped the acne I suppose.
I don't have a before/after picture of my face because I didn't plan on using it on my face. I didn't really have any lines and wrinkles (oily skin!), so I haven't noticed visible changes other than the reduced oiliness, which is hard to photograph. I would say that my skin is healthier, and I find myself using less makeup and less often because I'm more comfortable in my own skin. I also haven't experienced my usual wintertime dry and scaly patches on my cheeks. If you're interested in trying out this product, please contact my friend Jessica Long. http://www.nerium.com/jmlong The Nerium AD (night cream) that I use is $110 unless you're a preferred customer and then it's $80. Considering it lasts me 3 months, it's no more expensive than something like Proactiv and much less harsh on my skin. So, I'm the math teacher parent who's also responsible for proofreading Spanish assignments and English papers. What's up with that? (Rabbit Chase: I realized this week while talking to my students that I scored higher on the ACT in reading and English than in math and yet I teach math. I like it better.) Anyway, back to my point. Ryan has her own Google account, and I have her do all assignments in Google Docs. This accomplishes two very beneficial things. 1) She can access it any where from any device. We're a family of two laptops, three smartphones, one iPad, a school iPad, and a school chromebook. She could be working from any of those devices depending on whether we're at home, school, traveling, going to basketball games, etc. She can easily work when she has time, and always pick up where she left off on the next device. 2) She can "share" the doc with me for easy editing. By "share," I am referring to Google's definition of the word. She can give me editing privileges where we can both see the document LIVE from our individual screens. LIVE. Like, I can see where her cursor is at that exact moment. If you've use Google Docs, then I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but here's the real benefit. I can comment and suggest edits from my own computer on my own time. Do you realize the significance of the fact that I can "constructively critique" her work without having to be right next to her?! Maybe in your house every mother-to-13-year-old conversation is roses and sunshine, but here, sometimes the slightest things can be way over dramatized! Attitude, tone of voice, facial expressions, etc. Using Google, all comments and suggestions are typed and linked directly to the spot needed attention. By increasing the bodily distance while I'm critiquing and using voices less often, we are SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the opportunity for confrontation!!! Disclaimer: We have a great relationship. I am simply talking about the typical teenage notion of thinking that surely I'm being too picky about the whole subject/verb agreement thing, which then leads to huffing and eye-rolling, and I think you can figure out the rest. Plus, I am just as guilty of tone of voice as she is. How many times do we have to talk about subject/verb agreement? I never get an impatient tone over that. (Sarcasm font needed.) And for the critics who think I'm avoiding teachable moments about tone of voice and body language, believe me, we have plenty of opportunities for those conversations.
What about you? Are you a Google Doc user? Any schoolwork tips with teenagers? |
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