IP-Darstein

The following pages contain sample work from four of my
Algebra students: Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan.

These four students represent a range of learners in my
Algebra class as well as in their other studies.

Athos is a hard-working student who studies and does
exceptionally well in all his classes. He is not afraid to ask
questions or for clarification to make sure he fully understands

the concepts presented.

Porthos is a very bright student but will work harder to get out
of work than to do what is requested of him. When he applies

himself, Porthos is successful in all his course work. It takes
careful consideration to find activities that engage Porthos.

Aramis is a sweet young man who has to work harder than the
others to understand the concepts and consistently gets mid-
range grades. Aramis is the reader of the group.

For Strategy 1: Paint Chips, a fourth student is included:
D’Artagnan. D’Artagnan has a 504 Plan which allows him
preferential seating and more time on tests. D’Artagnan finds
it difficult to focus on the work. He is a veracious reader and
often has to be reminded to put his book away to focus on the

coursework currently being presented.

The first strategy I would like to highlight that I
implemented in my class was Vocabulary Paint Chips. As

soon as I heard about this strategy I knew it was a
natural fit with our Interactive Student Notebooks and I

ran out to Home Depot. Since we were working on
Systems of Equations, I choose the paint chips with three

colors. There are three possibilities for solutions in
systems of equations: one solution if lines intersect, no
solutions if the lines are parallel, and infinite solutions if
the two lines are in fact the same line. Each of these
possibilities could occupy one color on the chip card.

Athos – Vocabulary Paint Chip

- Neat
- Concise
- Clear
- Legible

Athos used this strategy to create a clear page of notes that
accurately captures and conveys the concept of Systems of
Equations. He will be able to refer to these notes as needed.

Porthos – Vocabulary Paint Chip

- Messy
- Difficult to understand
- Scattered concepts and terms

Porthos did just as much as he had to to check off that it was
done. This page will not be useful to him in the future. Porthos

did not apply himself to make this a successful strategy.

Aramis – Vocabulary Paint Chip

- Neat
- Accurate
- Legible

Aramis used this strategy to create a useful page of notes in
his notebook. In talking to Aramis, it was evident that he
enjoyed this method of taking notes.

D’Artagan – Vocabulary Paint Chip

At first glance these notes might seem sloppy but there are notes
and they capture most of the concept. On most days, D’Artagan
has very few if any notes written in his notebook. The structure

and design of this strategy encouraged D’Artagan to take
notes. This was a very positive and unexpected effect of the

paint chips.

Vocabulary Paint Chips – Reflection

Over all I would say that the Vocabulary Paint Chip strategy
was a very successful one for the majority of students. For this
trial I let some students not to their best work. If I was not using
this implementation for a reflection, I would have pushed Porthos

to do better.
I was happy to see that paint chips come with one, two, three,

and four shades. This will allow for many applications.
Now that the students have been introduced to the strategy, I
look forward to guiding them to use the paint chips to organize

their notes next time.

The second strategy I implemented was the Vocabulary
Tree. The unit was on Systems of Equations and how the
terms independent, dependent, consistent, and inconsistent

are applicable to different situations.

Students were given a vocabulary word bank and a
‘tree’ on which to place the words.

Athos – Vocabulary Tree
- Neat
- Concise
- Clear
- Legible

Again, Athos used this strategy to create a clear page of notes
that accurately captures and conveys the concept of Systems of
Equations. He will be able to refer to these notes as needed.

He

Porthos – Vocabulary Tree

- Messy
- Difficult to understand

Porthos again chose the path of least resistance. He did
manage to get all the terms on the tree. The drawing does not

accurately capture the meaning of some of the vocabulary
terms.

\

Aramis – Vocabulary Paint Chip
- Neat

- Terms misplaced
Because this activity required placing terms in the correct
places, Aramis could have used more time to create a more

accurate drawing.

Vocabulary Trees – Reflection

I was very excited to try this strategy because of its
fundamentally graphic representation. As the lesson developed

several exciting opportunities presented themselves. First, I
changed the ‘tree’ into a ‘road’. The ‘road’ allowed for me to
give more graphic clarity to the independent and inconsistent

terms with a house (one place from where you become
independent) and a dead end (no solution).

Using a word bank really challenged the students understanding
of the concepts. They could not complete this strategy without a

true understanding of the terms and their connections. Lots of
great questions and conversations about why (or why not)
certain solutions would work.

This is a strategy I will use again, maybe a tree, maybe a road,
or maybe some other image will present itself.

Under pre-approval from the instructor, the third strategy
I implemented was Scavenger Hunts. When introducing a
new classroom resources (textbook, calculator, supplies) I

like to challenge the students with a Scavenger Hunt to
help them become literal with that resource.

During this semester, I had the opportunity to introduce
our TI-73 graphing calculators. The sample scavenger

hunts included are the introduction to that resource.

Athos – Scavenger Hunt

Athos did a nice job of working through the scavenger hunt
questions. Classroom discussion of the answers had Athos re-think

some of his responses. He did not note these changes on his
scavenger hunt.

Porthos – Scavenger Hunt

The Scavenger Hunt was Porthos’ best strategy. He really
seemed to enjoy the ‘game’ aspect. His answers are mostly

correct.

Aramis – Scavenger Hunt

Aramis did a nice job completing his Scavenger Hunt. He
took a little longer than some other students but in the end he

found all the answers and recorded them successfully.

Scavenger Hunt – Reflection

I have used Scavenger Hunts in the past when I introduced the
textbook and when I introduced the resources available in my
classroom. I have never been disappointed by the results and
this calculator scavenger hunt was just as successful. Having the
students find the answers adds the element of a game or
contest. It also reinforces the elements of the resource. It is
always amazing to me how you can stare at the calculator
buttons and overlook that one button you are looking for. This
strategy introduced the students to several calculator functions
while getting them familiar with the keyboard buttons. I will
continue to look for other places to use this strategy.

Literacy Strategy Implementation Reflections

I wish I could find a better example but this is the best I can do.
There is a scene in Days of Thunder where Tom Cruise is

obviously interested in his doctor, played by Nicole Kidman, but
she shows no interest. At the end of the scene, she reciprocals his
advances explaining that she had to remain professional while

she was his doctor. Except for the passionate embrace part,
that is how I have felt during this whole implementation portfolio!

I just wanted to write – I love this stuff but that was neither
quantitative or qualitative. But now that the portfolio is done I

would like to freely express, I have really enjoyed learning
these strategies and all the discussions and presentations that
have lead me to a greater understanding of how they can be

used in a math class.

I came into this class with some hesitancy. Why do I have to
teach ELA in my math class? There is not one ELA teacher even

mentioning math in their class?

From the first example of literacy of the young lady knowing
how to safely gather water I was hooked. That made sense to
me and the lessons that followed helped me improve the literacy

of my students.

I’m not afraid to say - Tom, I love you too!