Geometry Standard Posters

I'm always looking for new and better ways to organize and to cut down on all of the little things I have to do that seem so inconsequential.  Our district requires us to post our objectives and standards every day.  Since the standards do not change (for now), it just makes sense to have a set pre-printed to post on my board.

I've resisted this for so long because I know that not all students will be able to see the standards from where they sit in the room.  (In fact, I probably won't be able to see the standards from where I (sometimes get to) sit.)  I finally decided to not let that hold me back for two reasons:  (1)  I am so certain that my students don't even look at the board anyway.  (2)  I keep all of the supplies for the day on a table under the board, so students can see the standard when they walk in, even if they sit far from the board.

Since I was not a fan of the standards poster sets available on TPT, I made my own.

So Much To Do...

I have so many ideas of things that I want to get done for school, but I have so many other things that I want to do too.  It's a struggle.  I need to write my tests for the year.  I want to catch up on my scrapbooking.  I need to finish reading the books I set out to read.  I want to get things organized around my home.  I need to plan my first day activities.  I want to spend time with friends and family.

With summer coming to an end, I feel so much pressure to get all of these things done.  I have to remember that I still have 4 weeks before school starts, and that if I manage my time efficiently, I can do all of the things that I want to do.  (I still have yet to go to the beach!)

Today I finished a project that killed two birds with one stone.  I joined NCTM in 2007, and so I had 8 years worth of Mathematics Teacher journals taking up space.  I also joined Kappa Delta Pi in 2007, so I had 8 years of the KDP Record and New Teacher Advocate taking up valuable shelf space as well.  So I guess I have to admit I'm a borderline hoarder when it comes to certain things.  I am crippled with the fear that I may one day need the thing I got rid of it.  (No, not really.)  The journals were one of the things that I was worried I could need in the future, so I held on to them.  However, I can gain access to all of those journals digitally through my memberships.  (Yay!)  Plus, if I'm not actively using those journals, then they are just a waste of space.

So the great purge began.  I threw out recycled most of the journals.  I went through each and every one of them, scouring for articles that I could use now.  I found plenty of reading material, and made some space on my shelves.  I seriously just ripped out the articles I wanted, and I'm going to read through them.  If I find them truly valuable, I will move them to my PD binder.  If I don't find them to be valuable, I'm going to get rid of them.  So all in all, it looks like I just added to my reading list. 

2014-2015 Geometry INB Unit 4 (Transformations)

Here is unit 4...

The pocket page and table of contents.

Here's the unit self-assessment and notes on translations.

The notes of translations continued and reflections notes.  I gave the students small pieces of graph paper to graph the transformations.

My rotations page is the same as last year.  The graph shown is attached with a brad so students can rotate the graph and discover the rotation rules.  This method for discovering rotations was very helpful.  Students would draw out the coordinate plane on their papers when they couldn't use their notebooks, and rotate their notebooks to remind themselves of the rotations rules.

These pages are the rotations notes continued and compositions of transformations notes. 

We summarized the unit with properties of rigid motions.

  

Posting this unit reminds me that this year I will have to completely overhaul this unit.  It's so sad because I had teaching this unit down to a science, but now I'm supposed to teach transformations out of the coordinate plane.  However, I think I'm going to follow the cue of another Geometry teacher and teach transformations both on and off the coordinate plane.  I'm hoping this will help students connect the transformations they learned in 8th grade with the transformations they need to learn in 10th grade.

2014-2015 Geometry INB Unit 3 (Lines & Angles)

Here is unit 3...

The table of contents and unit self-assessment.

We started with naming lines and angles.  I prepared a page for fill-in notes for all the vocabulary we had, and a chart about naming the lines, angles, etc. in a We See-We Write-We Say format.

Then we did all of the basic point/lines/planes postulates as fill-in notes and practice with the segment and angle addition postulates.

The left hand page is a continuation from the postulates notes, and then for Angle Pair Relationships I gave more fill-in notes.  (They are so helpful when there would otherwise be a ton of writing involved.)

This page is a continuation from the Angle Pair Relationship notes. 

Next we learned about parallel lines.

Here is the inside of the foldable.  I had students highlight the angles whose relationship was indicated.

Then for constructions, I wrote out steps using the Math Open Reference website.  I included a QR code link at the bottom of each page.  For these lessons I gave students these sheets to fill in the blanks as we watched the construction animation, then I gave them a worksheet to practice the construction, and then when they had it, they completed the construction on their INB page.  We did this for perpendicular bisectors, equilateral triangles, angle bisectors, and perpendicular lines.  For next year I have few more constructions to add. 

 

I think for this coming year, I may change up some of the examples so I can increase the rigor.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this unit turned out.  My students last year loved constructions!  (Most of them anyway.)  I hope my new group can feel the same way.

2014-2015 Geometry INB Unit 2 (Coordinate Geometry)

Here is Unit 2...

The pocket page that begins each unit was included in my last post.  Here is the table of contents and self-assessment.

We started by reviewing writing linear equations.  My students need A TON of practice with rewriting equations by solving for y. 

Then we moved on to analyzing slopes of parallel & perpendicular lines.  (The left hand page is from the previous day's notes.)

Then we learned how to find equations of parallel and perpendicular lines.

We did equations of perpendicular bisectors.  This is where we learn the midpoint formula.  Although truthfully, I much prefer to tell students that we add the x's and divide by 2, and then add the y's and divide by 2.  It's so much easier than having them memorize another formula.  I try to relate it to finding the mean of two numbers.  I think for next year I want to include a graphical representation of the perpendicular bisectors.  (I could also at that time have them discover that points on the perpendicular bisector are equidistant from the endpoints of the segment.)

Here is the inside of the midpoint foldable.

We did linear quadratics.  For the last time. 

Then we did distance formula!  Next year I need to do a better job of using the distance formula to find the perimeter of polygons.

2014-2015 Geometry INB Unit 1 (Measurement) & First Pages

This post has been a long time coming.  I don't even know why I've held out for so long on posting my INB pages from this past school year.  (Allow me to apologize in advance for the poor lighting.)

I decided to include how I "decorate" my notebook.  This year I typed up a label.  I add duck tape (the little ducklings) to the edges and over the spine to make the notebook sturdier.

Inside the cover I added all kinds of class info and info about the notebook itself.

 

The first official page was reserved for adding symbols throughout the year.

I separate all of my units with a pocket page, and start each unit with a table of contents.

Also at the beginning of each unit is a self-assessment.  Students fill out how comfortable they feel with the unit skills at the beginning of the unit and again at the end.  Our first unit was Measurement (solids), so I included a sheet of all of the formulas they (may) need to know.

We did area of polygons, circles, and regular polygons.  (I don't know if I will cover area of regular polygons again.  It was not difficult to teach, but it seems kind of unnecessary.)

We covered lateral area for the last time.  (This is cut from common core.)

We did volume of prisms & cylinders.

Then volume of pyramids and cones.

Then volume and surface area of spheres.

I included both reference sheets.  Next year I only need to include the common core one.  

Then we closed the unit with applications.  I gave students this worksheet to complete, and then we stapled the sheet into our notebooks and folded it over.  

Overall, not very exciting pages.  (Maybe that's why I didn't post them earlier.)  I think it is worth it to share and reflect though.  What I see here is how we began the year with color coded highlighting.  One color for vocabulary, another for postulates/theorems, and another for formulas.  I need to remember to be so good about that again this year. 

Never Work Harder Than Your Students Takeaways

I finished the second book on my summer reading list recently.  If you aren't familiar with the book, there are seven principles that the author walks you through, and "Never Work Harder Than Your Students" is just one of them.  (I felt that the title was misleading.  I had completely different expectations for this book based on the title.)

I'm going to be honest.  While reading the first two chapters, I absolutely hated the book.  I didn't feel like I was getting anything out of the book that was really helpful.  Then I got to chapter 3, and I pretty much felt that my life as a teacher had changed.

The third principle is "Expect to Get Your Students There."  In this principle, the author referenced all of the famous teaching stories we've seen in movies.  It is always assumed by the viewer that because the teacher believed in the students, the students were able to perform above everyone else's expectations.  It also reminds me of the classic story that a teacher was told her class was all of the smartest kids when it was really a class where the kids all had learning deficits, and because she expected them to be able to do things that smart kids could do, they did.  The author suggests that the reason these teachers were able to do amazing things with challenging groups of students was because they believed in their abilities as a teacher.  For me, this principle shifts the power.  It's not their abilities that I have to believe in (and really this comes out to hoping), but my abilities.  I'm hoping that a "fake it 'til you make it" approach will suffice until I'm truly confident in my teaching abilities.

The exercise the author suggested was listing your strengths as a teacher.  For me, I listed that I'm caring, intelligent, enthusiastic, a role model, honest, and organized.  As I'm writing this, I realize that I also need to add reflective. ;)  Then list the challenges your students have.  I listed that we are in a small school where there is a lack of resources, students come from difficult home situations, students are (seemingly) apathetic, many students are living in poverty, and they lack the skills necessary to be successful right away.  Then you have to ask yourself, "are my teaching strengths enough to overcome the challenges I face?"  I feel absolutely empowered by this revelation.  If there is something that you feel you do not have the skills to address, then seek out the help you need to acquire that skill.  For me, I'm going to work on student engagement and motivation.

The rest of the book had good information too.  I plan to refer back to it throughout the year.  The thing is that there is SO MUCH information, that it is overwhelming.  The point is to implement one principle at a time.  I'll try to do this throughout the school year.  (Right now I'm thinking that I'll implement some of the planning ideas, and then after a few weeks into the school year I will be able to start actively making changes.)