- 2/26/16 The students responded well to the chance to take ownership of the unit organizer. In all classes, a student led the process and recorded the information on the SmartBoard. They are also responding positively to completing the unit organizer using "hot potato." I play music while students pass around a stuffed hedgehog toy, and when the music stops, whoever has the toy has to answer the question or provide the information on the unit organizer. Once they answer, they sit down until everyone has had a turn. This is forcing all students to be up, paying attention, and ready to provide an answer.
- 2/29/16 The students were very excited and engaged about going over the unit organizer today. They seem to really like the hot potato game a lot. As a matter of fact, students were asking me if we would get to do that as part of class today, and were audibly enthusiastic when they found out that we would be doing so.
- 3/1/16 Once again, students were excited about completing the unit organizer with the "hot potato hedgehog" game. They came in asking if we would be able to do that activity. They are also actively volunteering to be the "writer" or the one who is asking the questions. All I really have to do is tell them to get in the circle and they know what to do from there. Occasionally, I make a suggestion of how to ask a question, but overall they have primary ownership. I am really impressed with how much more interested my higher classes are now when it comes to this routine. Additionally, in my 2nd block (highest students) we started a new unit (and therefore, a new unit organizer). Not only were they able to do a fair bit of the construction themselves, but we also had good discussion about how the bigger picture ties together, how the unit map, self-test questions, and relationships are all connected, and how the "is about' statement forms a complete thought/sentence with the subtopic bubbles. Overall it was a highly successful experience.
- 3/2/16 Students in my other two classes got to begin work on their new unit organizer today (still using the "hot potato hedgehog" version of the game). Overall it was very successful - student led and enthusiastic. I am still having some difficulty getting EVERY student to engage fully, but it is improving as a whole. Additionally, we had further discussions about the complete thoughts (current unit, "is about" statement and bubble topics) and also looked at the connection between unit map, self-test questions and relationships.
- 3/22/16 Students are becoming more and more engaged. They are learning how to ask each other questions, provide clues as to the connections between different parts of the unit organizer, and are wanting to participate more as a whole.
- 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
- 4/7/16 Observation from Luray Middle Admins and SIM professional developers went successfully. Students were enthusiastic, participatory, and taking ownership of their own work with the U.O. 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.
- 9/28/16 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.
- 10/28/16 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).
- 11/17/16 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 1/3/17 We started our 6th unit organizer in algebra, with great success (especially as an activity to get us back "in the groove" after winter break. In Math 8, we started doing a concept comparison table about algebra sentences. It seems to be going well so far. We will be finishing that process in class tomorrow.
- 1/23/17 We will be kicking off the new semester by not only going over our current unit organizers, but also revisiting the course organizers to update course progress, discuss community principles, and dialogue about several course questions. This will occur in both Algebra 1 and Math 8 classes today, and I hope it will help us to refocus our energy and attention for the rest of the year ahead after all the hectic days of breaks, snow days and SOL testing.
- 2/1/17 In Math 8, we will be starting our new unit on functions, and so much of class will be spent making sure we co-construct our new unit organizer, making use of the course organizer as a reference point to put the whole thing in context. Depending on student response to the function vocabulary I introduce today, we may utilize a LINCs table in the near future.
- 2/27/17 I will be launching my new unit in 2nd block, which means the majority of class will be spent going over the unit organizer. The course organizer will be a tool which the students can use to remind themselves of the greater context into which this unit organizer falls. This is now Unit 5, so I hope that the students will be able to take significant ownership of the process.
- 3/20/17 In my Algebra 1 classes today, we started our 7th unit with a new unit organizer. This time, I gave it to them ENTIRELY blank (no bubbles or anything). I had them research functions from Google and in some textbooks for about 20 minutes. Then we came together and had conversation. We built the unit map, unit relationships, and self-test questions (as well as reviewing the bigger picture and last, current and next units). Overall, I thought that it generated some excellent discussion about the purpose of the unit organizer (which many had forgotten) and about how the different pieces connect together. My exit ticket for the day in 1st block was to reword some of the self-test questions we had formed to include the unit relationships. In 3rd block (where we didn't get quite as far) I had them write a self test question or two of their own. I was especially pleased with how the Algebra stuff worked out. I see further improvements that can be made in Math 8 to keep students engaged, but overall the SIM routines are working reasonably well.
- 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.
