How I teach Properties of Real Numbers

May 13, 2021Math by the Mountain1 Comment

This is part of my Unit 1 Interactive Notebook for Algebra 1. You can view the rest of it here.

1.2 – Properties of Real Numbers

Properties of real numbers. What a snooze fest, am I right? WRONG!

This set of notes turns that notion upside down and gets students involved in creating their own examples to demonstrate each property to make a lively and memorable lesson.

Classifying Real Numbers and the Real Number System

You might wonder, “why would I want to teach properties of real numbers?” It’s a simple way to help students start thinking algebraically and flexibly, especially after having a long summer off from math. These properties demonstrate nice rules for manipulating and moving numbers and variables around in expressions and will help them understand why certain moves are “legal” when we start solving equations. Helping students think flexibly and understand the structure of an expression is a huge step in their journey toward mathematical fluency.

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How I teach The Real Number System, Classifying Real Numbers, and Closure

May 11, 2021May 12, 2021Math by the Mountain1 Comment

This is part of my Unit 1 Interactive Notebook for Algebra 1. You can view the rest of it here.

1.1 – The Real Number System, Classifying Real Numbers & Closure

There’s nothing trickier than picking the very first topic to cover in all of Algebra 1. So many options, so what goes first?

To start the very first unit of Algebra 1 off, I begin by talking about the real number system and how we classify numbers.

Why oh why, is this where I start, you might ask?

Instilling this vocabulary is very important in helping students be able to hold fluent conversations about math. I can’t tell you how many students I’ve had in Algebra 2 (or Pre-Calc!) over the years that have asked “what’s an integer?” and they are unable to complete a problem that they otherwise would know how to do solely because they lack the basic vocabulary and don’t understand what the question is asking.

This is silly, and I want to prevent these things from happening as much as possible. Math really is its own language, and helping students learn it will allow them to be more confident and much more successful in the long run.

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Algebra 1 Unit 1 Interactive Notebook Pages – The Foundations of Algebra

May 11, 2021May 17, 2021Math by the Mountain2 Comments

Starting the year off right is SO important for any class, but especially in Algebra 1, in particular. Everything that is done in the first unit lays the foundation for everything to come throughout the rest of the year, so there is is a lot riding on starting the year strong.

Here’s what to include in your first unit of Algebra 1 to start the year off right…

Students NEED to have a strong foundation, or else they’ll be fighting an uphill battle all year, which is no good. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what topics are most important for students to know (from vocabulary to skills), so that each following unit has a strong foundation. Here are all of the notes I used with my students during the 1st unit of Algebra 1.

If you want to look inside any of the pages included in this unit, you can take a look at these topic-specific posts for a more detailed look!

1.0 – Notebook Setup
1.1 – The Real Number System, Classifying Real Numbers, & Closure
1.2 – Properties of Real Numbers
1.3 – Order of Operations
1.4 – Evaluating Algebraic Expressions
1.5 – Combining Like Terms
1.6 – The Distributive Property
1.7 – Translating Algebraic Expressions, Equations & Inequalities
1.8 – Solving 1-Step & 2-Step Equations
1.9 – Solving 2-Step Inequalities

Get Unit 1 Now!

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How to Set up an Interactive Notebook for Algebra 1

May 10, 2021July 10, 2021Math by the Mountain4 Comments

Getting started with interactive notebooks? Here’s what to do!

The logistics of starting an interactive notebook is one of the most dauting barriers for math teachers. Here’s a set of simple 3 steps to take to get started!

1. Number the pages (If nothing else, do this!)

You will want to be on the same page as your students, quite literally, when using interactive notebooks. Being on the same page allows you so many opportunities to promote study skills and refer students back to a particular topic to help them get “un-stuck.” Promoting study skills is one of the biggest benefits of interactive notebooks so don’t skip this step.

WORD OF CAUTION: Make sure to number the pages as the very first thing that you do! Interactive notebooks get very thick over the course of a semester, and it will be difficult to write in the corners by the time the notebook is almost complete.

If you want more tips on choosing a notebook, read this post about What notebook should I use for an Algebra 1 Interactive Notebook?

2. Make a Plan

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What notebook should I use for an Algebra 1 interactive notebook?

May 9, 2021July 7, 2021Math by the Mountain2 Comments

If you’re just getting started with using interactive notebooks with your Algebra 1 class, you might have a few questions about what type of notebook you should use, how many pages, and how to make sure all of your students have one to use. In this post, I’ll try to address them all. If I leave something out, leave me a comment so I can answer your question!

What type of notebook should I use for interactive notebooks?

As a die-hard spiral-notebook lover, it even surprised myself when I first realized that composition books are the best choice for interactive notebooks. They had never been my first, second, or even third choice for my own personal note-writing over my life, so I was a bit resistant to trying them for the first time. Here’s what I found:

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What do I do now? What to do with the exit tickets after your students hand them in. Reviewing, Feedback, Grading, and More!

July 14, 2020July 15, 2020Math by the Mountain3 Comments

This is the fourth installment in the Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Using Exit Tickets in your Math Classroom blogging series. If you haven’t already, check out the first three posts and then keep reading!

Read Post 1 here – 5 Reasons you Should be Using Exit Tickets in Your Middle & High School Math Class. This post covers what an exit ticket is and why you would want to use one in your math class.

Read Post 2 here – How often should I use an exit ticket? A secondary math teacher explains all. This post discusses how often you should be giving an exit ticket, and ways to save time in creating them so you can actually keep up and make it routine.

Read Post 3 here – How to Implement Exit Tickets like a Math Teacher Pro. This post discusses how to introduce them to your students and tips for actually remembering to give them each day!

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Algebra 1 – Unit 1 Interactive Notebook Pages | The Foundations of Algebra

November 11, 2019March 19, 2020Math by the Mountain1 Comment

Starting the year off right is SO important for any class, but especially in Algebra in particular, since everything that is done in the first unit is used throughout the entire year. Students NEED to have a strong foundation, or else they’ll be fighting an uphill battle all year, which is no good. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what topics are most important for students to know (from vocabulary to skills), so that each following unit has a strong foundation.

Here are all of the notes I used with my students during the 1st unit of Algebra 1.

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Algebra 1 Interactive Notebook Pages | Unit 4 – Linear Functions

February 23, 2018March 18, 2020Math by the Mountain11 Comments

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen the following tweet about a month ago.

You could say I got a bit behind on my semester 1 INB gluing and, as a result, my INB posts have fallen by the wayside. Semester 1 ended the first week of February and I’m just now getting around to catching up on getting it organized, since I’ve had a few snow days in a row (I really thought this would be a snow-day free year, but nope!).

Without any further ado, here are my INB pages for Unit 4 of Algebra 1: Linear Functions. Note: There were activity/quiz/review days built into this unit–the days listed out are for days that note-taking occurred.

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Algebra 1 Unit 3 Interactive Notebook Pages | Solving Equations

October 17, 2017October 17, 2017Math by the Mountain5 Comments

Unit 3 of Algebra 1 is all about solving equations and their applications. We start off with multi-step equations, because 1-step and 2-step equations were covered in Unit 1: Foundations of Algebra.

Day 1: Multi-Step Equations

In addition to the notes that went into our composition books, students were each given a full-sized flowchart over solving one-variable equations. We did an example as a class, and then I also keep a class set laminated so students can use them with dry-erase markers whenever they like. Students referenced their notes and the laminated flowcharts while working on homework in class.

Day 2: Solving Multi-Step Equations with Special Case Solutions
To start off the lesson, we did a recap warm-up over the prior day’s lesson.

We then went into a foldable that covers what special solutions are and when they arise.

To get even more practice, students did the following Types of Solutions Sort, which emphasized common student errors and misconceptions I’ve noticed in the past.

Day 3: Writing Equations to Solve Multi-Step Equations
We started off the lesson with a recap warm-up that contained special solution types.

From there, we moved into our main set of notes for the day, with an emphasis on marking the text (NOTE: this is the same color-coding we used in Unit 1).

Day 4: Absolute Value Equations
Like usual, we started off the lesson with a recap warm-up of the previous day’s information.

We started off the topic of absolute value equations by really thinking about what an absolute value means/does.

From there, we used the information we’ve gathered to solve absolute value equations a bit more efficiently (without using the modified ~~cover-up~~ question mark method). Students had the even numbered problems as homework that night.

In addition to the notes that went into the composition books, students were given a flowchart for solving absolute value equations to reference whenever they got stuck. Here’s an example of how they could use it! Just like the others, I keep a class set of these laminated so students can use them with dry erase markers whenever they get stuck. I like to color-code each type of flowchart to make it easy to grab the exact one that they need from that unit.

Day 5: Absolute Value Equations Word Problems
To begin the class, we started off by working backwards: writing the absolute value equation that could’ve produced the given solutions.

From there, we went into story problems involving absolute value equations.

Day 6: Ratios and Proportions
We started the day off with a recap warm-up covering the last two days of information (all absolute value equation related).

The first thing that we talked about is what a ratio is and what it means to be proportional.

We then used the definition of proportional to solve equations requiring cross-multiplication.

After these examples, students filled out the other side of the flowchart that they were given on Day 1 with a more difficult example of solving for a variable in a proportion.

Day 7: Percent of Change
Percent of change is a funny topic to cover in Oregon…most of our textbook’s examples are about sales tax, and we have none. If we go to Washington, we just flash our Oregon ID and presto, bingo, bango, no more sales tax (for the little stuff). Anyway, we find other examples to try to make it more meaningful.

After taking notes, we did this Percent of Change Scavenger Hunt. Students worked really hard on it and had a lot of fun. For some of them, it was difficult to remember to put a negative sign on their r-value when it was a percent decrease!

Day 8: Literal Equations, Part 1
We recap percent of change problems and then move into basic solving literal equations problems.

We discuss what a literal equation is, compare and contrast the difference between literal equations and regular equations, and also introduce the flowchart method of solving.

Day 9: Literal Equations, Day 2
We move into more complicated literal equations that require more than one step to solve. After doing a few, students are able to choose which method they wish to solve with (I’m partial to the algebraic method, but some students love the flowchart way).

After notes, we play my favorite Connect 4 game for solving literal equations. We only played until 6 people won, which allowed us to get through about 70% of the problems. From there, students spent the remainder of class working on a festive Carving Pumpkins coloring activity for solving literal equations. This activity was awesome because students were super engaged in the coloring (every last one of them–even the boys! PS: I have 22 boys in this one class…ay, yai, yai), and it was super easy for me to find common trends that I might need to readdress (the eyes for Pumpkin #2 were the most common error). Also, for students, this activity is fairly self-checking, which is a great confidence boost for many of them.

Here’s an example that one student colored! She even named the pumpkins.

Day 10: Stations Review Activity Day
We did a recap warm-up over solving literal equations and then spend the rest of class doing a stations activity with my solving equations unit task cards.

Day 11: Review Day
Day 12: TEST!

Algebra 1 Unit 2 Interactive Notebook Pages | Relations & Functions

September 28, 2017November 9, 2018Math by the Mountain9 Comments

Here are the notes I used this year for the 2nd unit of Algebra 1:

pictures_Page_01

Day 1:
We started off the unit with a classifying variables sort. This was a good way to jog students’ memories about their prior knowledge, and it also served as a jumping point into domain and range!

From there, we went into what a relation, domain, and range is, and how it relates to independent and dependent variables.

We then made the distinction that there are two types of relations, discrete and continuous, and we must pay attention to context to determine what type of relation we have.

From there, we started to talk about all of the different ways we could represent a discrete relation, and how we find the domain and range from each representation. We used this foldable, which went over great with the students. They caught on super quickly, and they mentioned that they liked having one example to do together, and one to do on their own for each representation.

Day 2:
We started off with a word problem to review domain and range in a (discrete) relation. pictures_Page_08
From there, we filled out a Frayer vocabulary model for functions, to make sure that students really understood what they are and aren’t. pictures_Page_09

Then, using the definition for function we just wrote down on the Frayer model, we made a cheat sheet to refer back to that tells us all of the different ways a relation (discrete or continuous) would NOT be a function. pictures_Page_10

We practiced classifying functions using a card sort from Amazing Mathematics. Instead of cutting and pasting, we decided to color-code instead! Love it! (In the words of one of my students, this is the page that has “fourteen thousand graphs.”)

We then filled out another cheat sheet, this time for domain and range of continuous functions. Students reasoned together through the inequalities and we talked about what a bound actually means (we used a lot of basketball references). pictures_Page_12
We practiced finding the domain and range for continuous relations (as well as determining whether or not they were a function), using the following set of notes. PS: It took me a LONG time to figure out how to make a parabola or a trigonometric wave using Microsoft’s shape tools. I feel overly proud of this set of notes! You can download them here!

Day 3:
We began with a recap warm-up on domain and range for continuous relations. pictures_Page_15
To make sure that students didn’t forget about discrete relations, we went back and did more practice with determining their domain and range, and also stating whether or not the relations were functions.

Day 4:
We started off with a reference sheet on function notation and how to read/say it.
From there, we did a lot of practice with function notation.

Inside this set of notes, we really emphasized interpreting what we were being given in a problem (input or output value) and what the problem was actually asking us to find (input or output value), before starting the problem. This helped students from making a lot of careless mistakes. After we practiced function notation in both directions (evaluating a function, and solving for an input given the function’s output), we mixed up the problems and even threw a few variables and function compositions in there!

Day 5:
Recap warm-up on function notation. Problems 5 and 6 both spurred amazing conversations about order of operations. pictures_Page_21

After doing this recap warm-up, we did my function notation mystery sum activity, which was a blast. It encourages students to collaborate together and it’s really high engagement each time.

From there, we continued talking about function notation, but now in terms of a graph. Interpreting what the function notation was telling us was such a huge part of the previous day’s lesson, that I wanted to see how they could do when we attached a context to the problem.

Inside, we worked on graphing functions, and using the graph to find an x-value. Some students preferred solving for x, but others were impressed by my tracing over on the graph method. To each their own–that’s the beauty of math, in my opinion.