S+Nieuwkerk+Hannah


 * Linear and Quadratic Equations**

Office: 234 Ed. Center Office Phone: 778-4321 Office Hours: MWF 1:00-5:00**
 * Teacher: Ms. Nieuwkerk
 * E-mail: hannah.nieuwkerk@maine.edu**


 * =Summary of Unit= ||
 * In this class, the goal is to make sense of linear equations, inequalities, and quadratic equations. Students will know how to solve these equations and graph them on a number line or the coordinate plane and be able to label the x and y intercepts, and zeros. It is also important for the student to be able to look at an equation and have a rough sketch in their minds as to what the graph would look like without the help of a calculator. Students will be able to solve a problem in several different ways because in life, being able to problem solve and finding a different way of doing something is important. Technology integration is also important, even in math class. Graphing calculators, blogs, wiki spaces, spreadsheets, iMovies, podcasts, etc. will be used to show the power of technology and not every lesson has to be devoted to the chalk board. If anything, I want this class to understand the over-arching concepts, enjoy math, and remember it for the next year and years to come; this is more important to me than nit-picky questions and grades in a grade book. ||


 * Establish Goals:

//Maine Learning Results// D. Algebra Grades 9-Diploma 2. Students solve families of equalities and inequalities b. Solve quadratic equations graphically, by factoring in cases where factoring is efficient, and by applying the quadratic formula.


 * Understandings:**

•linear equations and inequalities can be graphed by using the slope-intercept form. •quadratic equations can be solved multiple ways. •linear and quadratic equations look and act differently
 * Students will understand that:**

•How can a slope-intercept form of an equation be broken down into parts and graphed on the coordinate plane? •How many ways can a quadratic equation be solved? •Why are linear and quadratic equations different? And what makes them different?
 * Essential Questions:**

•Vocabulary: slope (rise over run), line, y-intercept, the 4 quadrants, coordinate plane, ordered pair, function, vertical line test. •Formulas: slope-intercept, standard form, slope of a line, point-slope, quadratic formula. •Critical Details: adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers, multiplying and dividing numbers and well as linear equations and inequalities, graphing, be able to solve for the variable 'x', and knowing your times tables.
 * Students will know...**

•Demonstrate the difference between linear and quadratic equations. •Make sense of a linear equation and graph it on the coordinate plane. •b. Solve quadratic equations graphically, by factoring in cases where factoring is efficient, and by applying the quadratic formula. •Analyze a quadratic equation and determine the best way to solve it. •Relate the similarities of solving linear equations to solving inequalities. •Self-asses and check their work on homework, quizzes, and tests. ||
 * Students will be able to....**
 * **Performance Task**:

The SAT Board of Directors need a team of people to create a new and improved SAT with real world applications. Your job is to make, solve, and practice 5 to 10 real life situation problems because high school students are complaining that quadratic equations have nothing to do with everyday life and they just don't want to learn about them. It is your task to make and solve these real life quadratic equations, using all of the methods for solving, including graphing. You will need to come up with a cool team name and make a colorful, catchy wiki space with the practice questions on it. Then, include a link at the bottom that will take the test-takers to a page that shows the problem, the answer, and how the answer was found (showing your work!). You may work in pairs to research true SAT questions and then make a wiki page. And finally, when you get your wiki space up and running for those high school students that are thirsting for knowledge, you must have at least two teams check out, proof read, and comment on your page. Remember- mistakes look very unprofessional! And after you are done, please do a self assessment on your blogs: did you like doing the task? What new things did you learn? What did you like/dislike? Would you do it again? ||


 * =Expectations= ||
 * Participating is crucial and mandatory in this class, math cannot be learned without practice and participation. If a student misses class, homework can be made up as long as the reason for absence could not be avoided. Also, I want to have a fun learning atmosphere, this includes group work, class discussions, possibly outside field trips, but it students take advantage of this, it will ruin it for everyone else. "Put-downs" will not be tolerated, there are no 'dumb' questions, everybody is always learning all the time.

There will be many quizzes a few tests during the year- cheating is not tolerated. The quiz/test/homework will be given a '0' and reported, this is very serious.

If students have any questions over the homework, feel free to email me. I will check it several times before 9:00 p.m. Don't wait till the last minute because I am early to rise and early to bed!

Overall, I want this to be a fun class where students learn and have fun, this is not a class that you will dread- please do not take advantage of this. ||

Attendance is both crucial and mandatory, especially since this is a math class. Learning from a math book is possible, but can be very frustrating. It sets the absent student behind the rest of the class and it can be hard to catch up. If a student is absent, he/she can look on the wiki for homework and the worksheet that was missed, and also come to talk to me about what was missed, but it isn't the same as being taught the real lesson. Participation is also very important; very often students will be doing group work and bouncing ideas off one another and working together to solve a problem. There will also be many moments where students can volunteer to do a problem on the board for the rest of the class to see; it's great to do this because it shows the way that the student is thinking, and also if a mistake is made, the other students will remember not to make that mistake. Participating in class will improve social skills, mathematical skills, and problem solving skills. Each student will make a product using ComicLife having to do with linear equations and able to graph them. I will show students how to use ComicLife. The product will have a minimum of 2 pages with at least 4 panels on each page with information about linear equations, how to solve for y, putting the equation into slope-intercept form, plotting points, and an example of how linear equations are used in real life. Students will relate the similarities and differences of solving equalities and inequalities using Inspiration on the computer. Students can be creative and use certain pictures and/or colors to show the similarites and differences between the two. I will show the students how to use the program, and also how to turn the web into a very neat, exact outline. I want the students to understand how similar equalities and inequalities are, and also learn about Inspiration at the same time. Students will be asked to make an iMoive showing the differences between linear and quadratic equations: the differences can be things like their graphs, the way the equations are set up (visually), and also the differences in solving the two. It is important to be able to immediately recognize which one is which and know how to solve it. The iMovie will also give a couple examples of how quadratics are used in every day life. Students will be able to work with partners and are given a day in-class to begin (and hopefully get a good chunk of the work done) working on their presentations showing how to solve quadratic equations using different methods. Some are easier to use than others according to the equation, students must use at least three different methods. If any equations or ideas were taken off the Internet, please cite your sources. Students can either set up a blog account or a wikispace (I will go through both sets of steps and show the students on their laptops how to do this) and say how they check their work before passing it in. I also want the students to write down a list of reasons why it is important to check work and set goals for themselves. And finally, students will make a couple goals for the semester (one of them being to check and self-assess work). Students will make a wikispace showing how quadratic equations are used in real life. They will go on the Internet or use their math books to show examples, solve the equations, and have a correct answer. There should be 5-7 examples and students can work in pairs, if they want to. Students should also have a works cited page to give credit to the websites that were used. ||
 * =Benchmarks= ||
 * Grades will be based out of 200 points.
 * Attendance**: 20 points
 * Participation**: 20 points
 * ComicLife** 20 points
 * Inspiration** 20 points.
 * iMovie** 20 points.
 * SmartBoard** 20 points.
 * Blog or Wikispace** 20 points.
 * Wikispace Performance Task** 60 points.

A+ (98-100) C+(77-79) A (95-97) C (74-76) A- (90-94) C- (70-73) B+ (87-89) D+ (67-69) B (84-86) D (64-66) B- (80-83) D- (60-63) F (59 and below) ||
 * =Grading Scale= ||
 * The basis for the academic achievement mark is the teacher’s evaluation of the quality of the student’s performance in a subject. A student must achieve a rank of at least 60 (D-) in order to receive credit for that subject.
 * Grade Scale:**