Introducing Logarithms Amongst Foldables, War, Bingo, As Well As Speed Dating

Missing 3 days of schoolhouse due to the snowfall together with H2O ice really threw off my plans for Algebra 2.  I had hoped to acquire through logarithms earlier Christmas Break.  That didn't happen.  We did acquire started amongst logarithms.  But, I had to pass the showtime 4 days of the novel semester finishing upward our logarithm unit.

My students initially HATED logarithms.  This surprised me because my Algebra 2 students LOVED them lastly year.  This powerfulness lead maintain had something to do amongst the fact that I chose to innovate them on a solar daytime that most students thought nosotros should lead maintain been out of school.  Many of the schools around us had already shut due to the impending arrival of Cleon.  But, nosotros were inwards school.  And, my students wanted to lead maintain goose egg to do amongst learning something new.      

Introduction to Logarithm Notes

This introduction to logarithms is basically a compilation of a lot of ideas I establish on the Internet.  The Loop Trick was stolen from Square Root of Negative One Teach Math.  Another retentiveness device was stolen from Until Next Stop's Secret Method of didactics logarithms.  

I made a booklet foldable for my students to innovate logarithms.  I wanted to emphasize both converting betwixt exponential together with logarithmic cast together with evaluating basic logarithms.      

Logarithms Booklet Foldable (Outside)

The within of the foldable houses lots of do problems that were stolen from a Kuta worksheet.  

Logarithms Booklet Foldable (Inside)

After nosotros came dorsum from 5 days off due to snow, I decided that my students needed a LOT to a greater extent than do amongst converting logarithms to exponential cast together with vice versa.  

I had been trying really difficult to non learn them the loop trick.  I had been emphasizing the question: what exponent is required to become from a base of operations of b to gain a value of a?  But, my students were frustrated, together with I was frustrated.  Once I showed them the loop trick, it was similar a whole novel world.  You mean, that's all nosotros lead maintain to do?  Students were inwards disbelief over merely how tardily logarithms were.  

Logarithm Loop Trick Notes

Our notes were followed amongst lots together with lots together with lots of practice.  We goodness for days.  First, nosotros played Log War.  I printed together with laminated decks of logarithm state of war cards.  There are many dissimilar sets of log cards available online to download.  I chose a deck created yesteryear An "Old Math Dog" Learning New Tricks.  I chose this deck because the location of the x varied from carte to card.  (Some of my students discovered the log push clit on their calculators WAY earlier I intended them too.  By varying the location of x, these students were nevertheless forced to convert the equation from logarithmic cast to exponential form.  I know, I'm mean.)  Last year, I used a deck created yesteryear someone else.  It had fractions together with negative numbers every bit answers which I liked, but the variable location never changed.  I didn't laminate these cards, together with the card stock didn't concord upward every bit good every bit I'd hoped.  Maybe some solar daytime I volition brand my ain deck of cards that has everything I'm looking for.  

My students LOVED log war.  I was surprised, though, yesteryear the lay out of students who said that they had never played state of war amongst a deck of cards.  I had them play inwards groups of 3.  Everybody flips over a card.  Each mortal evaluates the logarithm earlier them.  Whoever has the largest x-value gets to locomote on all the cards.  If at that spot is a tie, everybody involved inwards the necktie flips over a novel card.  The winner of that gets to lead maintain all the cards that lead maintain been set down.  The goal is to halt upward amongst all the cards.  As shortly every bit 1 mortal ran out of cards, the other 2 players were declared victors.  I did this to ensure that everybody was participating all the time.  If nosotros played until i mortal had all the cards, that would hateful some students would non live participating.  Even my kids who unremarkably loathe to participate inwards anything got into this activity!  

I loved walking around the room together with listening to the conversations taking place.  They rapidly caught on to which cards had negative or fractional answers.  They were patient amongst each other for the most part.  Explanations were given when needed from pupil to student.  It was a beautiful lesson because it pretty much ran itself.  It was fun together with engaging.  And, I can't imagine didactics logs amongst log war!  

If y'all don't believe me, lead maintain it from i of my students: "I wishing math degree could live similar this every day!"    

Log War Cards

Logarithm War Cards

After playing log war, a pupil asked if at that spot was whatever agency nosotros could play log bingo.  Umm...I'm non sure enough if log bingo exists.  Let me do some checking.  Sure enough, log bingo exists.  

Logarithm Bingo together with Logarithm Speed Dating Cards

I establish a version called MATHO on ILoveMath.org.  (Apparently, this link is at nowadays broken, thus I lead maintain uploaded the MATHO Bingo file below amongst my other files.)  I straightaway savage inwards dear amongst it when I realized that it required students to do their ain bingo boards.  Filling out the MATHO board took longer than I realized.  I realize I could lead maintain laminated these together with used them for years to come.  But, I decided that at that spot would live less cheating if students really wrote on the boards amongst pen/pencil instead of dry out erase marker.  The hardest columns for my students to fill upward out were the thou together with H5N1 columns.     

Blank MATHO (Logarithm Bingo) Board

I was provided amongst a telephone yell upward canvass that has a logarithm enquiry for every possible lay out students could lay on their MATHO boards.  If y'all scroll dorsum up, y'all volition run across a pocketbook total of slips of paper.  Each i of these slips represents i of the possible questions on this telephone yell upward sheet.  I didn't desire at that spot to live whatever accusation of my picking or non picking sure enough questions because I wanted a sure enough mortal to win.  I would depict a sideslip together with write the work on the Smart Board for my students to solve on their mini dry out erase boards.  

Logarithm Bingo Call Sheet

My students had fun amongst this every bit well!  The game took a lot longer to play than I anticipated.  I had planned on getting through 2 rounds.  But, nosotros entirely made it through one.  I hadn't picked upward whatever bingo prizes, thus I figured I would offering to purchase the winner their favorite candy bar.  I didn't fifty-fifty lead maintain to do this though.  Before I could advert my intended prize, someone goes, "Can nosotros acquire a sticker if nosotros win?"  Sure!  I'll gladly give y'all a sticker if y'all win.  

That was sec hour.  When my fifth hr came in, I was told, "You ameliorate nevertheless lead maintain some of those stickers similar so-and-so had.  I'm going to win thus I tin forcefulness out acquire a sticker merely similar him."  What tin forcefulness out I say?  My students dear stickers.  

On the same solar daytime that nosotros did logarithm bingo, nosotros also did logarithm speed dating.  I printed off the log flash cards from Square Root of Negative One Teach Math.  There were 2 levels of questions, thus I printed them on two colors of carte stock together with laminated them.  I introduced the thought yesteryear bespeak my students if they knew what speed dating was.  A few of them did.  But, most of them didn't.  When I asked them if whatever of them had tried it, they looked at me similar I was crazy together with reminded me that they were entirely 15-16.  Apparently, speed dating is entirely for the genuinely desperate, together with they're non that desperate yet.  

And, thus they had to enquire me if I had always tried speed dating.  No.  No, I haven't.  Instead of rearranging tables, I had students brand 2 lines that faced each other.  I allow them pick their initial partner.  I passed out the flashcards together with instructed them to locomote on the respond facing themselves.  

Speed dating is simple.  Hold upward your carte thus your "date" tin forcefulness out run across the question.  When your appointment tells y'all what they holler back the respond is, y'all should either congratulate them on getting it correct or render coaching/feedback on what they did wrong.  

"Ummm...If I'm on a speed date, together with the guy across the tabular array from me doesn't know what he's doing, I'm non going to motorbus him on how to live a ameliorate speed dater."  

Logarithm Speed Dating Cards

My kids did eventually grab onto how to effectively motorbus i another.  I was able to run across several low-cal bulbs become off during this activity.  Then, the other mortal holds upward their card, together with the procedure repeats itself.

When nosotros did this, I got to live both a participant together with the mortal who gets to band the bell that tells everybody to twine upward their conversation together with motility onto their side yesteryear side date.  In actual speed dating, y'all telephone substitution data at the halt of the appointment thus y'all tin forcefulness out become far contact amongst i some other if the appointment went well.  In logarithm speed dating, nosotros exchanged cards amongst our partner earlier moving on to our side yesteryear side partner.  I had i work of students motility downwards 2 spaces to gain their novel partner.  

Both degree periods, I had an strange lay out of students.  So, I got to participate inwards the speed dating process.  I fifty-fifty got every enquiry right.  Imagine that!  Overall, I holler back my students really enjoyed the activity.  It was something different.  It was fast-paced.  It provided mo feedback.  It gave students an chance to motorbus other students who were having trouble.  And, I was able to eavesdrop on conversations together with acquire a feel of precisely where my students stood inwards relation to logarithms.      

My students' entirely electrical charge was that the cards were used were likewise small.  In the future, I volition brand bigger cards for this activity.  I'm curious what other topics I could piece of work this do construction for...  

I've got to a greater extent than to post close logarithms, but I demand to acquire a novel digital camera.  I've had the same photographic goggle box camera since 2007, together with I holler back it has finally died.  

Oh, together with I got this comment from i of my students.  I holler back it's a compliment.  I'm going to ignore the fact that they were likely insinuating that I would live terrible at non-mathematical speed dating.    

"If mathematical speed dating were a existent thing, y'all would stone it, Ms. Hagan."

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