Eclipse Day!

I am happy to say that we were off for the solar eclipse yesterday, so we traveled about an hour and a half to see the totality. We live just outside of where the line of totality was, so we wanted the full effect. School was closed for several reasons. We are a large district, and we were (and did) expect a large influx of traffic because of the eclipse. Also, the elementary schools in our district dismiss around the time of the expected eclipse.

Anyways, here are some pics! Let me just add that these were taken around 2:30 P.M. Right around the time of the totality, the cicadas started chirping (thinking it was nighttime), and the streetlights came on. Then it was sunny five minutes later.

New Gig, New Classroom

Here is my new classroom.  So, I wanted to share a glimpse with you!  

The bins are for students to keep their notebooks. I also have a bin for whiteboards as well as my "distractions box". have a bulletin board of the mathematical practices as well as some problem solving strategies. 

Here is my desk. I also have a growth mindset poster as well as my bookshelf and my St. Thomas poster from my girlfriend's mom who lives there. 

My laptop podium and our class math norms. 

Posters from Learning Scientists. I made them into posters from their 8.5x11 size sheets. 

The Math Rules was made by my girlfriend, and the triangle to the left was made by two former students. 

Group Roles Posters, from Jo Boaler's book Mathematical Mindsets. 

The First Week of School

Well, folks, it is back to school time in Tennessee! Last Monday was our first day of school and with students. For those of you who don't know, I am at a new school and am teaching 8th grade (and middle school) for the first time.

Monday

• Monday was a half day, so we had our homeroom (which is our second block period). Then we had a half hour with our middle two classes, and had an hour of class with our last group. During this time, we did an Estimation 180 task, I introduced myself, and I went over some basic procedures for entering the classroom. 

Tuesday:

• We spent the class period going over the school wide procedures and expectations. We are lucky that our school has laid out very clear expectations for what behavior is expected. We also did a Getting to Know You Bingo activity (shared here).

Wednesday:

• We finished the procedures and expectations for this day for the classroom. I also taught the departure procedure for the school. 

Thursday:

• Time to do some math! 
• In pre-algebra, we started by classifying rational and irrational numbers. I had the students make a foldable. I gave the students a half sheet of paper, and students folded the paper in half to make a booklet. One one side, I had students write the word "rational" and "irrational" on the other side. I then gave students their Cornell Notes. We are an AVID School of Distinction, and, as a result, we use Cornell Notes in our classes. I gave students several numbers throughout the lesson, and students had to classify them as rational or irrational. 
• In Algebra I, we started with one and two-step equations review. I also showed students the Cloud Method for solving equations. If you have any questions about what the Cloud Method looks like, just feel to contact or tweet me. 
• I also gave my first homework assignment, the math autobiography. 

Friday:

• We had an assembly for most of my first class, so I just let them work on their math autobiographies after we returned. I then did a review game with my other pre-algebra classes on classifying rational and irrational numbers. After the game, I gave them some time to work on their math autobiographies. 

All week, we did the Name Tents from Sara Vanderwerf, which are a blessing and a great way to build relationships and get to know your kids. I also started a routine where I have students fist bump me on the way into class. I have a few that won't do it, but hopefully they will come around someday. However, I can understand at the same time. 

So, here's to week one in the books. It is my wish that Week 2 brings more positive relationship building and some fun lessons!