Another Year in the Books!
Still Going Strong!They are still giving it their all! Congratulations to the following students on the high scores on their unit tests! Isaac and Alexis in Geometry, Bailey in Algebra II, Rachel in Math 8, Haylee in Trigonometry and Stephenie in Applied Math. What a great way to end the school year!
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Something to Be Proud Of
I remember Austin telling me at the beginning of the year not to expect too much from him because he "has never been good at math." Well, Austin...you have something to be proud of! I would say after working through all sorts of probability situations and combinations and permutations in trig class the other day, I can officially name Austin as "Most Improved" in math class this year! It just goes to show that everyone has the potential, it just takes the try that will get things done. Proud of you, Austin!
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Just...About....There.....Alright people...we need your help!! The students have solved all but three 24-Game puzzles. The objective is to use the four numbers to add, subtract, multiply or divide and get to 24. Email your answer if you have it and you will get something special from me in the mail! First come, first serve though!
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Crazy Cougar WallWhat started out as a small pet project in my room this year has blown up to this! A compilation of all the Cougar activities this year covered by The Eagle has covered quite a bit of real estate in my room this year. It has been fun looking back over it...hard to believe the year is almost done! |
Making It Look Easy |
Another 1000-piece puzzle done! How many more can we do before the end of the year?? |
Deal or No Deal??Normally I don't encourage playing online games in class. However, in the instance that the game offers a chance to use math, I would never turn it down! Students in Algebra II were able to calculate simple probabilities in the game of Deal or No Deal and determine when they SHOULD get out of the game.
With a group full of gamblers, comparing when they SHOULD get out of the game and when they DID get out of the game was a spread! But overall, a good lesson in the odds and probability of winning the million. |
Discovering Pi!Now you give it a try! Measure the circumference of any circle and divide by its diameter. See how close you can get to the elusive Pi!
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It seems like everyone knows the number, but no one really know where it comes from. Mystery solved! The 8th graders were able to test their measuring and accuracy skills today as they were tasked with measuring the circumference of a circular object and dividing by the diameter to see just how close they could get to the best number ever.....Pi (3.14)!
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Keep Up the Excellent Work!!
Another round of tests, another round of high-scorers! Great job to Evan (Math 8), Stephanie and Bailey (Algebra II) and Alexis (Geometry). I can't say enough about the hard work you have all put in! Congratulations!
Puzzle Table a Hit with the StudentsWhen they are not busy solving the mathematical problems of the world, students are enjoying a little brain-break with the newest addition to the math room....a puzzle table! Not settling for less than 500 pieces is my motto, so they have been successful at completing one 500-piece and one 1000-piece puzzle. It sounds like I may have gotten the color of tractor wrong for this neck of the woods, but either way they have moved on to another 1000-piece puzzle.
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Pi Day = 3/14 = Success
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What a great day to celebrate! Happy March 14th, 2016...which turns out to be more of an ultimate Pi Day than the so-called "Epic Pi Day" of last year (3.14.15). Watch the YouTube video below to understand the connection.
Students brought some circular foods to celebrate and we did some Pi Day puzzles to ring in the special day. We also exchanged Pi Day cards with students from Yankton, SD. Thanks for bringing everything and allowing the nerd side to take over! |
Chess in Math Class?? Why Not?!
What better way to talk about translations of objects in a plane than by using the game of Chess? Turns out this lesson was a good opportunity to find out how many students have never learned the game--wowza! Even though less than half didn't know how to play before class started, it is now becoming a favorite for them to play when they are done with their work. No Grandmasters yet, but maybe someday!!
Once, Twice....Four Times a Champion!
Let's Reflect....Using MIRAs
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Beginning our unit on transformations in Geometry has us talking about reflections. Students had a little fun with reflections in class the other day using MIRAs to reflect pictures that they drew.
Kind of old school technology, but it still blew their minds! |
Way to Go, Guys!
Congrats to these folks on high scores on the last unit tests! Evan in Math 8, Alexis and Isaac tied for the high score in Geometry, Courtney in Pre-Calc and Ashlyn in Algebra II.
Keep up the great work everyone!
Keep up the great work everyone!
Clinometers in GeometryUsing homemade clinometers and calculations with angles and tangent, students were tasked with finding the heights of the gymnasium, the arch in front of the school, the top of a backboard, and Mrs. Faehnrich's height.
Sometimes the calculations were a little off, meaning their estimation skills needed to kick in. For the most part the answers they came up with were reasonable, but in the end Matthew and Emily were able to pull out the win with the closest measurements. Great Job to all the Geometry students! |
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All Fun & Games in Math 8There is no better way to learn math then when you can have a little fun with it! The 8th grade math students got to have a little fun finding slope with a play on the game "Chutes & Ladders" from way back when.
Overall, it was a good competition, and even though Rachel somehow managed to beat her math teacher at the slippery slope game (I think she cheated), we were able to practice finding slope of lines and enjoy it too! |
Photo Finish for High Scores on TestsWhat a horse race we had this last round of tests! Dillion and Stephenie tied for the high score on the Applied Math test, and Haylee and Madisen tied for the high score on the Trigonometry test. Tough competition these days for high grades, but it makes my job much more exciting--as you can tell by the pictures!
Great Job Everyone! |
Surveys for Math 8Maybe you could have already guessed that Mountain Dew was the crowd favorite here at Verdigre Public, or that we have raised a majority of blue-eyed babes, but now we know for sure!
Math 8 just finished their study of circle graphs and percentages and were tasked with surveying everyone in grades 7-12, and some staff members, on these four topics. They were able to use the data to create these awesome posters to answer all our burning questions!! Great Job, guys!! The posters look outstanding! |
SORTING INTO CATEGORIES...AND CUPSAlgebra II students were given a variety of polynomials that they were tasked with sorting into different categories according to how they would be factored. Overall, pretty impressive results, with Megan and Stephanie getting every single question right. Sean only missed one.
Way to go, guys! |
Mmmmm, Pizza.... |
The saucy and crispy taste of victory! I originally entered into a bet with the sophomores in Geometry that they couldn't accurately measure a triangle as a joke. Turns out that they were up for a challenge. On Monday morning, we started drawing and measuring triangles with given angle measures, which should have resulted in similar figures and equal ratios.
Let's just say....they lost. And I reaped the benefits. Instead of me having to pay for the pizza party, they had to foot the bill. Either way, they did put in a good effort and had a good lesson for measuring as accurately as possible. Thanks for the pizza party, Geometry students! |
Who doesn't love a good review...with a twist! It can be tough to get back into the swing of things after Christmas break, but the Algebra II students were able to answer more about polynomials than they thought they could!
Welcome Back, Guys! |
ROLL OF THE DICE |
Welcome Back, Students!!Well, Christmas is over and it is back to the grind. At least math class is still awesome! In fact, things are even more awesome in the room with new Sudoku and 24 Game! When we aren't busy getting our math on, students are enjoying some basic math trivia with these new games. The change in sudoku board will require some changes in thinking, but everyone seems to be catching on to 24 Game quickly.
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UNL Math DaySo, so proud of these guys!
Not the way every high schooler would imagine spending a day in Lincoln, but we had a great time! Garrett, Alisa, Aaron, Courtney, Austin, Madisen and Haylee were the seven students that took part in the UNL Math Day on November 19th. There were over 1,500 students present and over 105 schools represented from all over the state. That's a lot of math geeks! The first part of the day consisted of an exam in which students had one hour to complete 25 questions. The exam was followed by a Math Bowl Competition, that was organized into a double-elimination tournament. Verdigre placed 11th in the Class IV examination section, which consisted of 19 schools. We also advanced in the Math Bowl competition after beating Spalding Academy, but then losing to Keya Paha and Milligen-Exeter. Overall, a great day and great experience for the students to see that math can be fun and you can still be cool if you like math! |
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Skittles Launching in Algebra II
3, 2, 1......Launch!
Ever wonder what the parabolic flight of a Skittle looks like? Well, the Algebra II students have now seen it firsthand. We had a little fun with parabolas and using prediction equations to estimate launch distances of Skittles, created a friendly competition between teams. Toby and Bailey were able to get the "W" with their prediction only being off by just under 2 inches. Job well done to all the teams! |
Excellent work by the following students on getting the high scores on their latest unit tests!
Alexis--Geometry, Rachel--Math 8, Madisen--Trigonometry, Megan--Algebra II, Stephenie--Applied Math
Alexis--Geometry, Rachel--Math 8, Madisen--Trigonometry, Megan--Algebra II, Stephenie--Applied Math
Conic Sections a Breeze for Trig/Pre-Calc
But seriously....
These guys are actually learning it! Both Trig and Pre-Calc classes are covering conic sections right now and doing it with ease. We are using technology and videos to illustrate how conic sections are formed and the students are doing really well with it. What are conic sections, you ask? Well, just ask one of these guys and you will be set! |
Successful Scavenger Hunt for Review Day in Trig
Sweet success! I was told that my review days in trigonometry were getting pretty lame, so we spiced things up and bit and had a scavenger hunt race to review questions that are going to be on the upcoming test. Students had a series of clues they used to hunt down problems scattered around the school. They used their answers to solve a word scramble in the end. There was some intense math and maybe a little running in the halls, but well worth the fun! Congrats to Jace and Cauy for coming in first, Haylee and Clay with a close second, and Austin and Madi for keeping it a tight race!
Excelentes, Amigos!
Preparing for the ACT
Students put in the extra effort on October 14th to practice their skills for the upcoming ACT. There were 9 students, juniors and seniors, that participated in a practice ACT math session on Wednesday. The session was set up to mirror an ACT math test, with the only difference being that the students were able to see their raw score immediately. Overall, a great experience and very beneficial for the students to get some experience and practice before the October 24th test date.
Keep up the hard work!! |
Making Math Look Good
Future Math Teachers
Algebra II students took on the role of teacher for me as they were tasked with reviewing and scoring the work of their peers in Trig. Trig students created posters earlier this year on systems of equations, and the Algebra II students just finished their unit studying systems.
We'll see how many of them still want to be teachers after they got a taste of the grading part of it :) Thanks guys!
We'll see how many of them still want to be teachers after they got a taste of the grading part of it :) Thanks guys!
Price Check, Aisle 5!The Applied Math students recently took a little neander to the local grocery store to see what this rate stuff can really do to help a guy out. I had a short list of items for them to find and compare prices. What do you think we found to be the best buy???
Now, 200 square feet of Reynolds Wrap may seem a little excessive for aluminum foil, but it will pay off when you are only dishing out $.05/sq. foot. And Daily's bacon may be the deal of day...$.15/oz compared to other brands at nearly $.10 more per ounce. We had a lot of fun getting out there and figuring out how rates are all around us! And it can sometimes pay off to bring your calculator to the grocery store! |
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John Baylor ACT Test Prep Courses
Students have started the ever-important task of preparing for the ACT with John Baylor as their guide. Math sessions have started, keeping the seniors and juniors busy and thinking about their futures. With sessions every week leading up to the ACT, students should have plenty to keep them busy, and when they think they have had enough....I will just give them more!
Check out the Announcements page for ACT Practice Sessions!! Best of Luck ACT Rockstars! |
Real Life, Man.Ever wonder to yourself, "If Bob
has 60 coins consisting of quarters and dimes and the coins combined value is $9.45, how many are quarters and how many are dimes?" Well if so, you have come to the right place!!
Trigonometry students started their chapter on matrices by solving simple systems of equations, first in two variables and later moving to three. The problems were everyday situations that can be solved by setting up and solving systems of equations. Not hard math!!! So we decided to have some fun with it and make some posters. Later this year, Algebra II students will be grading the work that the Trigonometry students did to decide if they really know what they are talking about when it comes to solving systems!! |
Congratulations to High Scorers on the First Test of the Year!!
Geometry Students Investigate the Third Dimension
Geometry students have officially moved from the world of two-dimensions to the real stuff...3-D!! We discussed concepts from surface area to volume in this unit and had a little practice finding the measurements we would need to calculate them.
Other than being a little camera-shy, the students worked well together to find the measurements of cones, cylinders, prisms, pyramids and spheres. |
Gathering DataThe 8th graders had a fun day in math class taking measurements of height and arm span to determine what type of relationship we could find. With the help of Mrs. Frank, we were able to determine a linear type of relationship using scatter plots and fitting a line between the points.
So the next time you are wondering, your arm span is directly related to your height!! Just ask an 8th grade math student! |
Applied Math Students Learn About RelationsStudents in Applied Math were able to define and display data points as relations, using methods of graphing, mapping and tables. We were all agreed that the table method is the most effective way to look at sets of points, even though all the work was well done!
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Seniors Not Ready to Give Up....Yet
Four seniors are up for the challenge when it comes to mathematics. Aaron, Garrett, Alisa and Courtney are four great students that have decided to take the road less traveled and work their way through precalculus. They have easily proven themselves to be capable, hardworking individuals and I look forward to what they will discover this year in the last math class of their high school career. Hopefully they are too!
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