7:55 -- Second period (recall that "first period" = zero period) is an Algebra I class. These students are learning about proportions.
One worksheet is on unit rates. After I failed to sing "Quadratic Weasel" yesterday, of course today I must make sure that I get the song in. And so I sing "U-N-I-T Rate! Rate! Rate!" -- a UCLA fight song parody.
One student catches an error on the worksheet:
"The graph below represents the number of sit-ups Davin can do during the amount of time."
This graph passes through the point (2, 80), and so the desired unit rate is 40 sit-ups per minute. But 40 isn't one of the choices for matching -- instead, 4 is included as an answer choice. Most students figure it out only because it's a Pizzazz-style worksheet where the students must solve the riddle "What did the girl sea say when the boy sea asked her for a date?"
When correcting this paper, the aide strongly emphasizes the actual units (as in sit-ups/min.) and makes sure that the students never leave the units off. As we'll see later on in this post, writing rates with the correct units is an important skill for the SBAC.
8:50 -- Second period leaves and third period arrives. This is basically a study hall. The aide makes sure that the students are on task.
9:50 -- Third period leaves for snack.
10:00 -- It is now time for tutorial. I am able to help two students out with their math assignments for their Algebra I classes.
10:30 -- Tutorial ends and fourth period arrives. This is an English class. The students are currently reading Maus Part 2, written as a graphic novel by the son of a Holocaust survivor.
11:30 -- Fourth period leaves. Fifth period is the regular teacher's one co-teaching class, which turns out to be a gen ed Algebra I class.
I'm hoping to sing "Quadratic Weasel" today, but I'm unable to. That's because even though this class is indeed in Chapter 9 of the Glencoe Algebra I text, they're still near the beginning of the chapter, which is on graphing parabolas, not the Quadratic Formula.
In fact, I already know this coming in because one girl I help during tutorial is in this class. I end up continuing to help her for the most part. Graphing is always challenging, but I believe that she at least understands the basic steps.
Here are the parabolas that she and the others must graph:
y = x^2 - 6x + 9
y = x^2 - 4
y = x^2 + 4x + 4
y = x^2 - 8x + 15
y = -2x^2
y = -x^2 - 6x - 8
12:25 -- Fifth period leaves for lunch. Actually, for some reason, this regular teacher only has four periods (with one of them co-teaching), and so my day is already over.
There's not much to say about classroom management, since aides run all the classes. The main aide tells me that the regular teacher was out yesterday as well -- and that day there was an incident involving one guy in the English class. Fortunately, he is absent today, and so English goes much more smoothly today than yesterday.
This is what I wrote last year about today's lesson:
Question 11 of the SBAC Practice Exam is on statistics:
Click above the numbers to create a line plot for the given percent chances of rain in different cities.
65, 65, 70, 70, 80, 80, 80, 80, 85, 95, 95, 95, 100
This is a statistics question -- and as I mentioned in my last post, stats, if it's to be taught in Algebra I at all, is covered in the second semester.
As with many Common Core Statistics questions, this is the first time that I've ever seen a "line plot." Apparently, it's similar to a bar graph. There should be two X's above 65, two X's above 70, no X above 75, four X's above 80, one X above 85, no X above 90, three X's above 95, and one X above 100.
The girl from the Pre-Calc class correctly answers for this question. But unfortunately, the guy from that class skips this question altogether. It doesn't help that the question doesn't print on the packet properly -- rather than before Questions 12-13, it appears on the next page after Questions 16-17.
Question 12 of the SBAC Practice Exam is on dimensional analysis:
The formula for the rate at which water flows is R = V/t, where
* R is the rate,
* V is the volume of water measured in gallons (g), and
* t is the amount of time, in seconds (s), for which the water was measured.
Select an appropriate measurement unit for the rate.
A) gs
B) g/s
C) s/g
D) 1/sg
This question on units could appear in the first half of an Algebra I text, since this is a linear equation (provided t is given or a constant). This problem basically solves itself -- the rate is V/t, and V is in g while t is in s. Thus V/t is in g/s, or gallons per second. The correct answer is B).
Both the girl and the guy from the Pre-Calc class correctly answer B) for this question.
SBAC Practice Exam Question 11
Common Core Standard:
Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots).
SBAC Practice Exam Question 12
Common Core Standard:
Create equations in two or more variables to represent relationships between quantities; graph equations on coordinate axes with labels and scales.
Commentary: In the U of Chicago Algebra I text, there is a little stats in the last chapter, but not line plots specifically (even though other plots do appear). Meanwhile, in Chapter 5, the division chapter, there is a lesson on rates. Units are briefly mentioned, but not in detail. Still, this question should be easy enough for our students to answer.
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