Finding Slope Foldable

         It never fails, I start teaching slope and my students have so much trouble understanding the concepts. This year it began right away! So we slowed down, and took time to make this foldable which shows examples of the four types of slopes. When doing the foldables in this unit we have been cutting out small graphs and pasting them in. It just takes so much time. I liked Journal Wizards, My tools for finding slope  foldable, so I used it. The only change I made was to make the foldable out of graph paper. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

My tools for finding slope foldable

      The inside of the foldable has examples of the four different types of slope. We graphed and counted rise/run for each problem and then used the  slope formula to find the slope.

Finding slope using rise/run

                The students will be to use this as a reference on their homework. Love it!

Finding slope using slope formula

      Yes I know I dropped the negative three on the bottom example. My kids caught the mistake and we changed it. Whenever I make a mistake and they catch it I say, " I just did that to make sure you were paying attention." Their response, "Oh sure Mrs. Lichtenberger!" Can't fool them.

                                                              Til next time,
                                                                     Jan

Slope pictures

    Here in Chicago we are use to cold, windy winters. This year has been extreme, even for us. Last week school was cancelled for Monday and Tuesday. When I woke up Monday the temperature was 24 degrees below zero! Same thing happened this week on Monday and Tuesday. School was cancelled and everyone in my house was going stir crazy including me. The real problem was I had meetings and a sub on Thursday last week and Wednesday this week. I needed to have a lesson for my sub so for my Pre-Algebra 2 classes I used Sarah from Math = Love's  lesson, Four types of Slope Pictures.  The students created a picture that included lines with 5 positive slopes, 5 negative slope, 5 zero slopes and 5 undefined slopes. They needed to draw it, label the lines as positive, negative, zero or undefined and color it. They had one period, 45 minutes, to complete it and it needed to be turned in before they left.
Here are a few of the pictures they created. I think they did a great job!

I have a couple of challenging classes behaviorally and always cringe when I am out. I received a glowing report from my sub saying she had a wonderful day with the students that my two challenging classes were outstanding! Wow! Thanks Sarah for the great idea!
  

Graphing Horizontal and Vertical Lines ( HOY and VUX)

   I love teaching slope but so many of my students have difficulty remembering how to graph and write equations of horizontal and vertical lines. I  like the acronyms HOY and VUX to help students remember this. I have seen foldables on many of the blogs I read, but I wanted to have HOY shown horizontally and VUX shown vertically just as another visual for my students. So I created this graphic organizer.

       I keep all of my graphic organizers in a binder and use paper with reinforced sides so the holes don't rip. So far so good.That way I can change the order and add other foldables as needed. This is my first year using interactive notebooks and I have changed the order of my notebook so many times that I lost count.

 
         With so many second language students in my classes the horizontal and vertical visual clues are helpful. Of course I started the lesson with the video of  SLOPE DUDE. The kids think it is hysterical and they will not forget zero or undefined slopes!

 
                   You can download and print these graphic organizers by clicking here for the Hoy and Vux graphic organizer, graphs, and practice sheet. If you have problems downloading these please let me know. I'm still trying to figure out how to download from Dropbox. I think I've figured it out ???

                                                                       Til next time ... Jan
                                       

A little about me...

     Let me tell you a little something about myself. I am not very tech savvy. I am fortunate to have a department of young techies who will come and hold my hand every time I get "stuck" using my Smart Board or graphing calculators. They just look at me and smile as if to say, "it's OK sweetie we will get you through this," and they do. So for me to decide to write a blog and figure out how to do this on my own is daunting task. I am however, motivated to do this and I will tell you why. I have five 4 drawer file cabinets filled with projects and units that I have created over 28 years and I want to share them. I don't want them to end up in the trash as many of my retired friends had happen to them. So whoever wants them enjoy.
      I've decided this year to use Interactive Notebooks with my Pre-Algebra 2 classes and have started adding a few to my Algebra classes as well. My students were reluctant at first and it took so long for them to cut and paste! They are getting better as the year goes on and they like having everything in one place and easy to access. My school has a majority of students who are second language learners and graphic organizers (Foldables) help them understand the material better.
     Being creative is not my gift so I have used or recreated Foldables and lessons to meet the needs of my students. Thank you to all of the bloggers who have been so generous in sharing their materials online. I don't have the time to create all of these Foldables or the money to buy them all. You have helped me in this journey more than you know.
                                                   Til next time,
                                                      Jan

Welcome

Hello everyone. Thank you for visiting my new blog.  I teach eighth grade Pre-Algebra 2 and Algebra at a middle school in suburban Chicago. I have been teaching for almost 30 years. I am inspired by all the math blogs that I read every week and I feel I have ideas to share. I also look forward to reflecting on my teaching experiences with all of you.