Absolute Value Foldables As Well As A 3-Hole Punch Story

[If you're non interested inwards absolute value, at that topographic point is a pretty funny story virtually a 3-hole punch at the really end.  Or, peradventure it's non funny.  Maybe it's sad.  Either way, it was a memorable experience.]

This week, I started introducing the concept of absolute value to my Algebra 1 students.  Our Algebra 1 textbooks innovate the concept of absolute value inwards Algebra 1.  It introduces graphing absolute value equations inwards the same chapter where graphing linear equations is taught.  Of course, I don't piece of job the textbooks.  I maintain 1 past times my desk equally a reference, but the relaxation of the books are collecting dust on my shelves.

This summer, I had planned to innovate absolute value using the textbook sequence.  I fifty-fifty created some pages for my students' interactive notebooks.

I never used this page, though.  Actually, I decided it was inwards the best involvement of my students to postpone discussing absolute value until subsequently inwards the schoolhouse year.  When I started working amongst my students at the outset of the year, I realized simply how depression many of them were.  There were a lot of middle schoolhouse math topics that I had to reteach.  So, I made the determination to accept for certain concepts as well as postpone them until subsequently inwards the schoolhouse year.  I was hoping that if I refined my focus I could cook upwardly my students' math levels as well as brand them to a greater extent than confident.  Then, amongst to a greater extent than confidence, nosotros could start looking at concepts such equally fractions, absolute value, probability, etc.

So, Mon was my students' firstly experience amongst absolute value inwards Algebra 1.  A few students who took Algebra final twelvemonth knew what absolute value was.  A few others wrongly described absolute value equally important the opposite.  They idea it meant that you lot simply changed the sign.

My students had been working genuinely difficult at multiplying binomials as well as factoring quadratics for the past times ii weeks.  Test scores were non precisely where I had wanted them, but at the same fourth dimension I was proud of my students because I remove hold seen them grown an incredible amount since coming together them inwards August.  In August, I would non remove hold idea that my students would survive factoring quadratics amongst a leading term greater than one.  But, we've gotten here.  We even as well as then demand some to a greater extent than exercise amongst factoring, but nosotros volition proceed reviewing it as well as practicing it for the relaxation of the semester.  And, it was a Monday.  So, I decided to kinda ease into our absolute value unit of measurement using the Estimating Age activity from Dan Meyer's Algebra Curriculum (Week 3.)

Estimating Ages Chart

I picked xv of the celebrities from his file.  I used their birthdays to calculate their electrical current age.  I typed upwardly a half-sheet of newspaper for students to tape their guesses.  It's non perfect.  After using it once, I realized that I should remove hold added a quaternary column for students to tape the departure betwixt the actual historic menstruation as well as their guess.  I don't know if it would survive of piece of job to anyone, but I remove hold uploaded my file below.




We went through each celebrity.  As a class, the students tried to approximate who the celebrity was.  This led to some really enlightening conversations.  My students didn't know who Natalie Portman was.  They didn't recognize Penelope Cruz.  I idea for for certain that the would recognize Julia Roberts.  No, they idea she was a graphic symbol off of Sex as well as the City.  We had arguments over whether Tobey Maguire's existent get upwardly was Tobey Maguire or Peter Parker.  I was shocked to larn that 1 of my students idea Judi Dench was James Bond's mother.  But, my other classes didn't fifty-fifty know that she had played G inwards the James Bond movies.  Somehow, Ronald Reagan got brought upwardly inwards my eighth degree Algebra class, as well as I learned that ii of my eighth graders had no clue who Ronald Reagan was.  One educatee told me that they idea Morgan Freeman looked similar the president of Africa.  But, others tried to convince me that Morgan Freeman looked the exact same equally Samuel Jackson as well as Denzel Washington.  Another educatee was convinced that Will Smith was solely 21.  

After my students had recorded their guesses for the historic menstruation of each celebrity, I revealed the right ages.  They  wrote downward inwards the margin how far off they were.  Then, nosotros totaled this column.  The educatee amongst the lowest total won.  And, I didn't realize how much of a tilt my abide by would cause.  Up for grabs was a much-coveted "Super Student Award."  I picked these upwardly at Dollar General during a 75% off schoolhouse supplies clearance sale.  So, I picked upwardly a few packs of awards.  At 25 cents for 24 awards, it was also practiced of a bargain to overstep up.  I idea my students powerfulness consider them childish, but I was wrong...  

Super Student Award

One educatee was as well as then mad when he didn't win the abide by that he crumpled upwardly his paper, tossed it across the room, as well as pouted for the relaxation of the degree period.  He tried every means he could to acquire me to simply write him a certificate, too.  I told him that I couldn't do that; he would remove hold to notice a means to earn one.  Now, he asks every twenty-four hours if nosotros are going to play the game over again as well as then he tin win an award.

After playing the celebrity historic menstruation guessing game, I started to transition to absolute value past times quest my students to consider a scenario where a celebrity was genuinely 55.  If 1 individual guessed 51 as well as some other individual guessed 59, who would win?  One of my classes was convinced that the individual who guessed 51 would win because it simply had to survive similar the Price is Right where you lot automatically lose if you lot approximate also high of a number.  I assured them that nosotros weren't next the rules of the Price is Right.  Finally, nosotros agreed that it was a necktie because both guesses were the same distance from the truthful celebrity age.

In math, nosotros aren't worried virtually how unopen a release is to a celebrity's age.  Instead, nosotros desire to know how unopen a release is to null on the release line.  We filled out a Frayer Model on absolute value to gum inwards our interactive notebooks.

Absolute Value Frayer Model

 We ended upwardly Day 1 of the unit of measurement past times practicing some guild of performance problems that involved absolute value.  This was a neat means to review absolute value without feeling similar I was losing valuable degree time.  A lot of my students left my degree this twenty-four hours feeling to a greater extent than confident virtually math than I had seen them all semester. Our ii previous units on exponent rules as well as polynomials remove hold left some of my students amongst lower grades than final semester.  I promise my students realize that I am pushing them because I tending for them.  We remove hold made neat strides this schoolhouse year!

Day 1 of the Unit - Interactive Notebook Entry

On Day 2 of the unit, nosotros started graphing absolute value equations.  I had my students do this using a t-chart.  I created a booklet foldable to guide our in-class exercise time.  As a class, nosotros graphed v absolute value equations together.  Then, I gave them half dozen to a greater extent than to consummate in-class on their own.

Graphing Absolute Value Equations Booklet Foldable - Outside

Graphing Absolute Value Equations Booklet Foldable - Inside

We had some neat conversations field graphing these.  It was exciting to consider them uncovering that absolute value equations shape a "V" when graphed.  I intentionally had them graph y = |x| as well as consider the shape for themselves earlier writing the Definition of absolute value equations on the cover.  Initially, some students assumed that they must remove hold did something incorrect since the graph wasn't a immediately line.

We talked a lot virtually why the y-values for some graphs could survive negative.  Eventually they realized that it made a big departure whether the subtraction happened within the absolute value bars or exterior the absolute value bars.  I've been trying to comprise to a greater extent than foldables into this semester.  Last semester, I did a ton of foldables.  I sort of stopped for a few weeks this semester.  I retrieve it was a mixture of feeling uninspired / rushed.  I retrieve all of my students honey foldables, but they are genuinely crucial to the success of my IEP students.  These students demand examples to expect out.  They demand a reference to remind them what steps to take.

I retrieve side past times side fourth dimension I learn this unit, I desire to remove hold my students write out to a greater extent than of the steps that you lot acquire through to accept your input x to achieve the output y.  Because this doesn't capture that process, it is non an amazing resources for my IEP students or students who were absent the twenty-four hours nosotros went over this lesson.

Day 3 of our unit of measurement focused on graphing absolute value transformations.  In Oklahoma, Algebra 1 students are solely tested on horizontal as well as vertical translations.  I used the same graphic organizer that I used amongst my Algebra 2 students at the outset of the schoolhouse year.  I'm to a greater extent than worried virtually my students realizing that changing the equation volition shift the graph than making them memorize what aspect of the equation creates what shift.  That volition come upwardly inwards Algebra 2.

Absolute Value Transformations

In 1 class, 1 of my students wanted to write "It went jogging" or "It went on a diet" to pull the transformation of release v above.  My students definitely know how to brand me smile!  Life is definitely never irksome unopen to them.

To illustrate that final statement, I remove hold a story to tell.  One of my students borrowed my three-hole punch today.  She was taking colored newspaper as well as using it to do dividers inwards her binder.  Instead of returning it to my desk when the bell rang, she left it on her desk.  The side past times side hour, my eighth graders brand it as well as start working on their bellwork.  After completing our "Beat the School" problem, I remove heed 1 of my students maxim "What inwards the globe is that?"  When I expect at him, he is frantically pointing at something inwards front end of him.  I'm imagining all kinds of terrible creepy, crawly, or yucky things that could survive causing this response.  No, he is pointing at the three-hole punch.  He's never seen 1 earlier inwards his life.  I idea he was exaggerating.  No, he was telling the truth.  I tried my best to explicate the unusual concept of a three-hole punch.  Other students started confessing that they didn't know what it did either.  Finally, some other educatee demonstrates the three-hole punch.

Instead of amazement, the questioning educatee responds amongst confusion.  Why would you lot demand something to punch 3 holes into your paper?  Realizing that I can't assume anything, I asked the degree if anyone else knew what a three-hole punch was.  3 hands.  Out of 9.  Two-thirds of my degree has never used a three-hole punch.  Oh my goodness.  I attempted some other explanation.  Do you lot know what a binder is?  It has 3 metallic rings.  We piece of job the three-hole punch to punch the holes inwards the newspaper as well as then nosotros tin seat it inwards the rings.  To this, I was told that it was genuinely unnecessary.  Instead, my students idea that notebook newspaper was meant to acquire inwards the rings.  That's why notebook newspaper comes amongst the holes.  Any newspaper that doesn't come upwardly amongst the holes is meant to acquire inwards the pockets of the binder.  Some days I wonder what this globe is coming to...      

Download files here.

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