Blog
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How To Use A Problem Pass Activity
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The Problem Pass Activity is surprisingly effective and is often the quietest fifteen minutes in class. The initial instructions to students can be a bit confusing, but once they understand where to pass their problem, it works smoothly. I love that this activity is self-checking so students have immediate feedback and more practice on the way.
Activity Directions:
Students work with a partner while seated at their desks. They should write in their own notebook or on a blank answer sheet.
At the same time the first pair of students is working on Problem 1, the second pair . . .
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How To Use A Placemat Activity
The Placemat activity is a good partner activity while students are actively learning a new skill or as a review.
Activity Directions:
With a partner, students solve all four equations on a placemat. After both students agree on the answers or solutions for the problems on the page, they then add the answers together to find the “Sum”. The teacher easily and quickly checks . . .
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How To Use A Sum It Up Activity
This activity is a great for small groups. I like the clever way accuracy can be checked by students without giving away each student’s answer. I often find students collaborating if their “Sum” is not correct as they try to figure out which answer(s) might be incorrect.
Activity Directions:
Students work in groups of three, labeling themselves Student A, Student B and Student C. Each student works their own problem at a station in their own notebook. Students then add their three answers together . . .
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How To Use A Quiz Quiz Trade Activity
My students and I LOVE this activity. It gets them up and moving, gives them a chance to interact with each other and is self-checking. In a ten minute session, students can master a specific skill with the rapid repetition and immediate feedback that might otherwise take hours or days to master.
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Activity Directions:
This is a great large-group activity to use when first learning the new skill.
Instruct half of the students to stand shoulder-to-shoulder . . .
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Some of My Favorite Algebra Activities
These are examples of some of the types of activities I’ve used in my flipped Algebra class. I did not create any of these ideas, rather I learned about them from colleagues and from searching online. Because I needed many activities (2 to 5 per day), I used the ideas and created my own activities specific to the topic of each day. I switched around the type of activities throughout a unit or chapter to keep the routine varied and interesting for students. These large-group, small-group and partner activities are . . .
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A Typical Day In My Flipped Algebra Class
The structure of my newly flipped Algebra class consists primarily of practice, practice and more practice for students in the form of different activities. Here is a typical day in my flipped Algebra 1 class.
This is showing in front of the room as students enter class , , ,
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What To Do With Faster Students?
I was recently asked what I do for faster students while I spend time helping students who need more of my help. This was an easy question to answer as my flipped class addresses this situation beautifully.
Since I no longer lecture in class, this means that the full 90 minutes of class can be used for Algebra activities. I write a listing of the day’s activities on the board and briefly talk about where students can find each activity and give special instructions as needed.
The order of the list is carefully selected and students know that they are to move to the next activity as they complete the one before. I plan this list of activities expecting the faster students . . .
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What If Students Don’t Watch
Homework Videos?
Much of student success in any class depends on students coming to class prepared. In the flipped class, this means I expect my students to watch one or two short homework videos and to write detailed notes to use in class the next day.
It is common for a couple of students to “forget” to watch their homework videos early . . .
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Giving Points for Watching Homework Videos
Several years ago, before I started flipping my Algebra class, my school district revamped the entire Algebra program for all teachers throughout the district. We were all required to follow the new program completely.
One part of the new program was a change in how students’ grades were assigned. The district decided that each student’s grade should reflect . . .
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“You Are The Teacher And Should Be Teaching My Student”
(This is an excerpt from a letter addressing common concerns and questions I sent to parents before school started.)
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You are correct that I am the teacher and should teach my students. In the flipped classroom, we will find that your student has more of my time with work where my expertise will be needed.
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In a traditional classroom in the past, much of my time was spent watching students take notes from the work we did on the SmartBoard. Some students struggled to copy the notes and others were waiting while . . .
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“Must My Student Teach Herself?”
(This is an excerpt from a letter addressing common concerns and questions I sent to parents before school started.)
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Absolutely not. At home, your student will watch one or two short videos in which I use the SmartBoard lesson that I would traditionally have used in front of the class. She will see my colorful pens on the screen working out the example problems and see and hear me explaining the process. Your student has the luxury of rewinding the video . . .
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“What About Students Without Internet
At Home?”
(This is an excerpt from a letter addressing common concerns and questions I sent to parents before school started.)
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I understand not all students have access to the internet at home. The question I will ask students is how many of them are able to check their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or other social media accounts daily. If students can connect . . .
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“Why Is It Called A Flipped Class?”
(This is an excerpt from a letter addressing common concerns and questions I sent to parents before school started.)
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Students’ “homework” will be to take notes, carefully copying examples I explain in detail in online videos using my usual teaching style. We will use class time to work together on activities and practice problems that would traditionally be sent home as homework. This way, students will work with me, their teacher, on the activities that are the most difficult and . . .
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Where To Begin?
Wow! So much to think about! Where to begin? Can I even make a video? Can I start flipping in the middle of the semester or should I start at the beginning of a semester? How will students react to the videos? Can I make videos fast enough to keep pace with the . . .
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Flipping Algebra Is Not The Same
As Flipping Social Studies
My first introduction to the flipped classroom was at a workshop that was led by a middle school Social Studies teacher. I understood the concept and saw the benefits of flipping. However, I could not relate the Social teacher’s method to my Algebra class. He would search the History Channel for a video . . .
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