Portfolio Reflections

The end of the year is here! 

I can't believe that I have neglected this blog so much this year...then again I can.  It was a doozie of a year.  Working with 7th grade RtI, 8th grade RtI, a plethora of classes with students needing Regents prep for mixed Regents exams, Algebra A and Algebra I Common Core... along with Student Council and all sorts of things that come along with being new to a district.  I tried my best this year!  

One thing I tried was student portfolios.  I had students keep folders in the room and periodically throughout the year, we would add to the portfolio and keep a table of contents.  The idea was to get students to not just take a test or quiz and throw it out or move on.  Good idea, right? 

I have a lot to improve on for next year with this... but this year worked out as well as it could.  I kept the artifacts to just tests and quizzes, and they had to type a reflection that included some sentence starters I provided.

These are a few of my favorites:

Student example and my comments

Student example and my comments

Student example and my comments

Here is an example of the rubric I used:

This is the rubric I used to grade them, the portfolios were a 4th quarter test grade.  (double jeopardy, yes, but the reflection was the point.  I figured an easy grade that teaches self reflection)

If you're interested in my reflection and rubric, you can download them here:

Overall, I was proud of them.  Next year I was hoping to have them pick out artifacts they are proud of.  Perhaps include projects.  I will be incorporating more student goals along the way, too, per unit, so I can ask questions like "did you meet your goals?" and "what standards are did you master and how?" etc.

How do you incorporate student reflection/portfolios??

Module 3--sequences to functions

As a Western New Yorker, I am used to snow, cold, and "lake effect".  Currently many southtowns are engulfed in over 60 inches of snow in what they are calling the "snowpocalypse" and "snovember".  Luckily (?) I am far enough south that my drive home was sunny and my roads are clear.  Strangest snow storm ever!  Happy Buffalo is getting some national attention, but sad that it is under these circumstances.  I hope people are staying safe and warm!

View of downtown Buffalo--that is a WALL of snow!  Relentless storm that dumped 60+ inches of snow.  (I did not take this photo)

The snow drifts in Buffalo-- photo credit to @JayMcKee74 on Twitter

View of my town--not NEARLY as much snow, and dry roads!

On to the math...

I have decided to skip Module 2, and save it for the end of the year.  Has anyone else decided to do this?  I know there are connections made to regressions in Module 4, but it seemed to be more logical to continue with the base Module 1 provided and move into function work, after the intense equations and inequalities study.  

That being said, I have just begun Module 3 with my Algebra 1 students.  I am still going strong with my Interactive Notebooks, ideas for improvement and modification are swarming daily.  Module 3 seems to jump all over the place.  I am anticipating spending more time on sequences than allotted, though I am constantly trying to relate it to functions (which I know is coming up in Topic B).  

I used the "double and add 5" preface from Lessons 26 & 27 in Module 1, but I am not sure if that was effective.

What other ways do you introduce recursion?  How do you get across the necessity for a recursive formula or an explicit formula?  Do you have students memorize the "ways" to get an explicit formula based on additive change and multiplicative change?  

Also, what good INB pages do you use for linear and exponential growth?  

My INB pages for this section of the modules look like this:

Any ideas?! What's working for you?

Stay tuned, I will keep updating regarding this class and my Algebra A class (first year of a two year Algebra course).