- 2/1/16 - I will be using the FRAME routine to introduce the topic of transformations to all three of my Math 8 classes. The goal is to demonstrate to them how these four geometric operations relate to one another and to represent the process in verbal, numerical, and pictorial form. This will occur during the middle section of each class block. Immediately prior to this routine, I will be using the Unit Organizer to place the lesson in its larger context. At the end of class, there will be a formative assessment exit ticket to examine student understanding of the topic.
- ·4/12/16- Students are still excited about the unit organizer activity. Additionally, the FRAME was a useful tool for teaching some probability content today. I was especially pleased with the improved focus on the So What statement and the extension of understanding
- 9/7/16- Students are taking well to the unit organizer game. Also, co-construction of the FRAME on word problems in algebra went very well today. Kids seem to be comfortable with the process and are already prepared to take more ownership of the game. Students have been recording information on the unit organizer, and will soon begin to ask the questions, too
- 9/9/16- Students took quizzes today in both Math 8 and Algebra 1 based upon the material covered in our unit organizers and framing routines. Overall, scores were exceptional - well over 90% average in algebra and roughly 90% in Math 8. This seems to indicate promising results from the integration of content enhancement routines. 9/8/16-Students and I collaboratively went over how they can use their unit organizers and FRAMEs to study for their quizzes on Friday (in both Math 8 and Algebra). We discussed unit self-test questions, our "so what" statements on the FRAME, and how those questions might be presented as part of their quiz. I also taught the students possible ways to study the information (such as making it into a song, picture, hand motion, etc.). We will see how the results turn out tomorrow on the quiz to assess learning of both the content and the study skills.
- 9/12/16- I will be using both the unit organizer and a FRAME in my 2nd block Math 8 class (as well as the standard unit organizer in algebra). We will be working on the real number system in Math 8, and I think the FRAME will be an excellent tool for my struggling learners in that class.
- 9/16/16- We went over both unit organizers and FRAMEs as part of review for an upcoming quiz in math 8. It was a great way to discuss study strategies with my lower level students. I sent their SIM materials home with them in a folder and told them how and what to study over the weekend. We will see how the results turn out on Monday.
- 9/26/16- We are completing a FRAME on how to solve multi-step equations algebraically in my Algebra 1 classes. We will also continue to reference the FRAME about comparing and ordering fractions, decimals, percents and scientific notation in Math 8. I have found the FRAME to be very, very helpful to my Math 8 kids, who have great difficulty organizing important information and remembering key steps. Today's practice will require them to continually refer to the FRAME to be successful. With algebra, the FRAME will highlight the key points of our study of multi-step equations for the next two to three weeks. We will also be using our unit organizers as a "jumping off" point for the week, to remind students of the context of our lessons and the key self-test questions we are trying to answer.
- 9/28/16- In Algebra, we continue to reference our FRAME about solving equations. We will be building on this for the next several weeks. We are also reminding ourselves of the context of this material by referring to our unit organizer. In Math 8, we did final review for the unit test (which will be on Thursday). The students and I discussed the unit organizer and the FRAMEs we have done in this unit, and how specifically they could use those tools to study for the unit test. We highlighted how each FRAME connected with a particular self-test question and could be used to answer that question correctly. I will be interested to see how the results of the test turn out. 9/30/16- The results of my Math 8 Unit Test are nearly complete (two students still need to finish). The class average was just shy of 70%, and nearly 70% of students scored at least 60% or higher. This 'pass rate' includes five students with disabilities, four of whom scored above 72%. While I look forward to even greater improvements in the future, for a group of students who did quite poorly on their 7th grade SOL, I was quite pleased with these results, and I believe that the Unit Organizer and FRAMEs (among other factors) definitely contributed to their success.
- 10/3/16- FRAME routine and Unit Organizer continue to be a success in both Algebra and Math 8. We are using a FRAME for equation solving in Algebra and for order of operations in Math 8. These historically difficult topics seem to be going very well in both subjects. I'll be giving a quiz on Friday in each class which will reveal exactly how much the students have grasped.
- 10/28/16- Unit Organizers and FRAME routine continue to be successful, especially in my lower ability group class. I find it helps keep them organized and engaged. Assessment results also seem to be positive in conjunction with these devices. Today we are launching Unit 3 in Algebra with a new UO. Unit 2 Test results were very solid (80% or higher in most cases).
- 11/4/16- We used a FRAME today in Math 8 to go over the steps for solving proportions. It seemed to work well, as all the previous FRAMEs have also done.
- 11/10/16- Utilized a new FRAME today for presenting markup and discount to Math 8. As with other SIM tools in that class of struggling learners, the FRAME seemed to work exceptionally well.
- 11/17/16- The students took their Unit 2 Test on operations with real numbers. For a group of learners who have struggled in the past on their Math 7 SOL (and many other prior year SOL tests), they did an exceptional job with this test, especially since it is extremely reading intensive (an area in which they still struggle). I have no doubt that the FRAMEs we used throughout the unit, combined with the unit organizer, were one important component of the success that I saw on this test. The class average overall was roughly 70%, with 19 out of 23 students scoring 60% or higher and 15 of 23 students scoring 70% or higher. In fact, 8 students scored at least 80%, which is very impressive for a unit that spanned 7-8 weeks worth of class time and eight different types of problems, mostly word intensive. I was extremely pleased with the results, and I look forward to seeing how these students continue to progress as we move ahead with the rest of the school year.
- 11/28/16- We introduced equation solving with a FRAME in Math 8 today. Students were able to successfully contribute knowledge from their past experiences with the topic. I also see the likelihood of using LINCs tables for a key term or two (coefficient, constant). Those are likely to be upcoming in the next week.
- 12/7/16- In Algebra today, I had the students work in groups to fill out a blank unit organizer and answer the self-test questions in preparation for their unit test tomorrow. It seemed to be a productive activity, and served as a formative assessment for me. In Math 8, we used a FRAME to discuss the basic steps for solving an equation with the variable on both sides. As usual, it helped to provide structure for these struggling learners.
- 12/15/16- Math 8 students took a quiz on solving equations today (multi-step with variable on both sides). Prior to taking the quiz, I had them write down complete sentence answers to the first two unit self test questions (on how to solve and how to check their solutions). The class as a whole was not only able to correctly write out the steps (which was a unit relationship of ours), but they also did exceedingly well on their quizzes. Out of the 18 quizzes submitted, the average was roughly 92%, with 16 of those 18 scores being over 90%. This clearly indicates that students understood the answers to the self-test questions and were able to apply them to correctly solve the problems. The vast majority of their answers to the self-test questions were thorough, organized, and detailed, even including key vocabulary like "variable" and "coefficient" on numerous occasions. I was extremely excited and impressed by their work, especially considering that they have all struggled in math throughout their entire lives. What a phenomenal success!
- 1/17/17- Today I'm using a FRAME to help the 7th graders learn the steps for solving tax/tip/markup/discount problems. This will build off the FRAME routines we have practiced before with solving proportions.
- 2/28/17- Today we will be going over our new unit organizer in 2nd block (Math 8) and then will spend the rest of class working on a FRAME routine for the four types of angle relationships. This particular use of the FRAME worked extremely well last year in Math 8, and I am hopeful that it will be just as beneficial this year to provide structure to a nuanced topic.
- 3/20/17- In my Math 8 class, their bell ringer was to fill in a blank FRAME with the information we had previously covered on angles. This helped me to see where they were at in the process of remembering that key information and help me direct instruction accordingly. In that class we also reviewed the importance/purpose of the unit organizer, and we added some angle and Pythagorean Theorem information to our expanded map.
- 3/27/17- We discussed the Unit Organizer on 2D Geometry, reviewing what we have already completed and using it as a bridge into the new topic (composite area and perimeter). We then completed a FRAME on that new topic, drawing on information the students knew from past years, as well as earlier this year (equations, for example). Overall, I thought it went fairly smoothly. The students were active in the co-construction, seemed very confident in the routine, and know how to use the device to help them with their practice problems.
