Here is what we will be learning about this week (week of February 19):
I will regularly send some practice homework in math. It is important for students to be able to complete the homework independently. If they spend approximately 30 minutes on the homework and are not finished, please have them stop. They can show me what they were able to do the next day, and I can help them where they struggled. The homework I send home should generally be able to be completed in 30 minutes.
Math homework may also take the form of reflection questions. Here are examples of questions that might come home as homework (from Boaler, 2016):
- 1/19--I am learning about inequalities. Students will be concluding their study of Chapter 8 by taking the Chapter 8 practice test and asking questions about what they don't understand. Homework assignment: Chapter 8 practice test pages 483-484.
- 1/20--I am learning to to solve equations and inequalities. We will be reviewing for the Chapter 8 test, which will be tomorrow. Homework assignment: Chapter 8 practice test pages 485-486. Students may also practice for the test on the Go Math site.
- 1/21--Chapter 8 test. No homework.
- 1/22--Review Chapter 8 test. Introduction to Chapter 9. No homework.
- How do I choose the problems that we do for homework? I choose two problems that are practice of the new concept, two problems that involve some level of contextual problem solving, and four problems that are spiral review. This comes from recommendations of the Granite School District math department.
From my 2018-19 disclosure document:
I will regularly send some practice homework in math. It is important for students to be able to complete the homework independently. If they spend approximately 30 minutes on the homework and are not finished, please have them stop. They can show me what they were able to do the next day, and I can help them where they struggled. The homework I send home should generally be able to be completed in 30 minutes.
Math homework may also take the form of reflection questions. Here are examples of questions that might come home as homework (from Boaler, 2016):
- What were the main mathematical concepts or ideas that you learned today or that we discussed in class today?
- What questions do you still have about ________(what we studied today)? If you don’t have a question, write a similar problem and solve it instead.
- Describe an attempt or misconception that you or a classmate had in class today. What did you learn from this attempt or misconception?
- How did you or your group approach today’s problem or problem set? Was your approach successful? What did you learn from your approach?
- Describe in detail how someone else in class approached a problem. How is their approach similar or different to the way you approached the problem?
- What new vocabulary words or terms were introduced today? What do you believe each new word means? Give an example/picture of each word.
- What was the big mathematical debate about in class today? What did you learn from the debate?
- How is ___________ (concept) similar or different to ______________ (another concept)?
- What would happen if you changed ______________?
- What were some of your strengths or weaknesses in this unit? What is your plan to improve in your areas of weakness?
- How could the ideas in today’s lesson be used in life?