Guess the Correlation Game

We were doing line of best fit, linear regression, and correlation coefficients in my 2nd block Algebra II class yesterday. The kids were engaged, so I took them to this website that I accidentally stumbled upon when doing a google search for another website to guess correlation coefficients. I came across Guess the Correlation. I decided to click on this for kicks and giggles. The website that I originally went to was Guessing Correlations, which isn't as challenging as Guess the Correlation. I was unaware at the moment what a goldmine I had found randomly.

I put up the game on the Promethean Board, and I sat at my desk and let students give me values to input for the correlation coefficient. It was so entertaining! My kids were so engaged that I actually had to tell them to calm down. They would name five to six values for the correlation coefficient, and I would make them agree on one for me to put in the computer. The nice thing about this activity is that it gives you the real r-value along with your guessed r-value so that way you can tell your difference from the true correlation coefficient. It was neat because students got somewhat better at predicting the correlation coefficients.

It was nearing the end of class, and I had students begging me to let them play one more round. Then I had several that said that they were going home to play later in the evening. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask them today. I think I might even let them play at the end of the day tomorrow when all of the kiddos are done with their statistics test tomorrow (if there is only like 10-15 minutes, though).

Here are a few screenshots from the website. Let me know what you think and if you do this with your kids!

Spring Break 2016: Los Angeles

Sadly, it is time that another spring break comes and goes. Although this blog is primarily about my adventures as a rural high school math teacher, there are times that I do activities outside the classroom, which also account for those "tales of a rural high school math teacher."

My girlfriend and I went to LA over Spring Break to attend a wedding of her best childhood friend. So, we decided to do some sightseeing along the way. We flew out of Nashville and took a four hour flight to LAX. It was nice to gain three hours that day, which also meant for a long day, especially after teaching. The part of Tennessee where I live is three hours ahead of LA, but Nashville is only two. So, we gained an hour going to the airport, which also helped with flight times!

The next morning we went and spent the day at Disneyland, and then went to a Shabbat dinner, which is a dinner that is hosted by Jewish families on Friday nights. Our friend's now husband is Jewish, so this was another new experience for me.

The next day, we went to In-N-Out Burger, which I had also never had until now. We both got the Double Double and the Animal Fries, which are French Fries with cheese, caramelized onions, and In-N-Out's special sauce. Then we went to Beverly Hills and explored. My girlfriend's cousin who lives in LA picked us up in Beverly Hills, and we went to Burbank to the WB Studios tour. We got to go on the sets of Supergirl, 2 Broke Girls, The Fosters, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but no pictures were allowed on the sets. Also, we were able to see some cool Batman and Harry Potter memorabilia as well as the Friends set of Central Perk.

We went to the Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, and then back to our hotel (with some exploring along the way). We also rode the LA Metro, and we witnessed a couple of shady actions. Two people started cursing at each other in the seats next to us and threatened to fight. On another train, one panhandler was asking for water and food (which I have experienced before). The guy next to us told the panhandler to steal the food and water. This was also next to where we were sitting.

Monday was the beach wedding, and it was magnificent. The weather was perfect, and there were essentially no clouds in the sky. The ceremony was nice as well! Tuesday, we went to Santa Monica to the Promenade and wandered around Santa Monica and Venice.

Wednesday, it was time to return to the east to colder weather. :(

I'll leave you with a few pictures.

In-N-Out Double Double and Animal Fries 

Rodeo Drive-Beverly Hills 

Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM

View of Downtown Los Angeles from Griffith Observatory 

TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood 

Although I don't drink coffee, I LOVE TOMS!