My Self Contained Algebra 1 Class

Algebra is not an easy subject for many people. It is full of letters, numbers, and rules mixed together to represent real life problems that are hard to swallow for anyone who doesn’t look at the world from the perspective of a mathematician. In his essay, “Wrong Answer: A Case Against Algebra II”, Nicholson Baker addresses this problem and explains why he thinks Algebra II should not be seen as a staple in the education of High school students.

Algebra is a critical aspect of mathematics which provides the means to calculate unknown values. According to Bednarz, Kieran and Lee (as cited in Chick & Harris, 2007), there are three basic concepts of simple algebra: the generalisation of patterns, the understanding of numerical laws and functional situations. The understanding of these concepts by children will have an enormous bearing on their future mathematical capacity. However, conveying these algebraic concepts to children can be difficult due to the abstract symbolic nature of the math that will initially be foreign to the children. Furthermore, each child’s ability to recall learned numerical laws is vital to their proficiency in problem solving and mathematical confidence. It is obvious that teaching algebra is not a simple task. Therefore, the importance of quality early exposure to fundamental algebraic concepts is of significant importance to allow all

Not only are these students are a mixture of different grade levels, but they have a mixture of disabilities such as Emotional Behavior Disorder, ADHD, Specific Learning Disabilities in Math/Reading, Mild Intellectual Development, and Speech Impairment. Although my class is small, I am full of students with varying cognitive abilities, maturity levels, and academic strengths and weaknesses. My job is to enhance their academic support in the subject of need because they cannot be fully supported in a general education classroom setting.

According to Table 1.2, the following categories fell within close range to the mean: number sense, attends to print, basic reading, articulation, communication (receptive), matching, pre-writing, colors, and shapes. It is evident through this data analysis that most students are at the emerging stage of ability levels, implicating that they require some level of prompting to ensure they produce a correct response. It is concluded that students require continued instruction with addition, reading, and working independently are skills that require continued instruction. Division, multiplication, graphing, and telling time were areas that all students found to be the most challenging, thus these findings confirmed my original assumptions,

After completing this unit, students must receive a passing score of 70 or above to show mastery on each method of solving systems of equations. The quiz will be given after students have had guided and independent practice on each method. A worksheet will be created with at least ten or more problems for students to work using a calculator.

The article, “Punch Up Algebra with POWs,” by Mark Pinkerton and Kathryn Shafer begins by stressing the importance of problem solving abilities since it leads to understanding mathematical concepts. The authors stress that students need to be given the opportunity to “reason and make sense of mathematics.” The article examines co-author, Mark Pinkerton’s, yearlong experience that was designed to provide constant problem solving opportunities for his students. (Pinkerton & Shafer, 2013).

Algebra 2. Charles, Hall, Kennedy, Bellman, Brag, Handlin, Murphy; Prentice Hall; Pearson Education, Inc., New Jersey. 2012. The replacement cost of the Algebra 2 textbook is $81.

She has difficulty time with the concept of subtracting larger numbers, for example, 20-4. She, also, struggled in understanding word problems and keywords in the word problem to understand if the math problem is addition or subtraction.

This unit is designed for students in beginning Algebra classes. It is an introduction to the basic functions of algebra including the definition of an equation, using basic mathematical skills to solve equations, and applying equations to problem solving.

A question that sometimes is mentioned is how can algebra make our lives easier? Some people assume that our need for math is basic. This is saying that we should be fine as long as we can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. What these people do not realize is that algebra is used in our lives more than they think. For students, determining your grade-point-average (GPA) and understanding what is your class grade takes a bit of algebra to understand. For example, if a high school student wants to determine what their GPA for admission to a university, they have to know what numbers represent the letter grades. Traditionally,

Marissa Speroni is one of my fourth-grade students at Bobby’s Run Elementary School. Marissa is very proficient in writing and comprehension because enjoys reading and writing, she prefers opened ended writing essays and assignments. Her advanced proficiency in language arts lends to her love for reading and writing. Marissa is a visual learner, she enjoys hands-on and visual activities and working independently. Marissa is a very organized student who prioritizes her work and task material well. Her learning is driven by her emotions and leadership skills, her leadership skills often lead to helping others resolve conflicts, understand concepts, and holding conversations. A subject area that Marissa is weak in, is mathematics because she has

Jack (not the student real name) is an amiable nine-year-old male, fourth-grade student, at Russian Jack Elementary. Russian Jack Elementary is a Title I school located in Anchorage and enrolls approximately 386 students. Jack lives with his maternal grandma and great grandmother who are both reportedly sickly. Due to his upbringing and the hardships he has faced in his life Jack has some social, emotional issues and have a hard time making friends. Jack has been diagnosed with an attention disorder and has a hard time staying on task. Jack did well in school while on medication for his disorder, but at this moment his family has stopped his medication. During my observation of Jack during class time, he seems to be often distracted, however, with some prompting, he will get back on task. The teacher’s aid is aware of Jack’s problem and keeps an eye on him to ensure he gets his work done. At least two days out of the week Jack will forego recess to stay in and complete unfinished classroom assignment. Currently, Jack is reading at the 3rd-grade level and is in a Tier Three Intervention Language Arts Class.

According to assessment data, K and pre-K curriculum modules are appropriate for JA. During the short period allotted for his course work, JA exhibited a surprising grasp on basic math skills. He can successfully complete double-digit addition and subtraction without a calculator, followed a four-part pattern, and showed a firm grasp of values using manipulatives. JA can count money give to him, but cannot select change to make a specified amount. During free time, JA casually flipped through sports magazines. Listening to a story, JA can correctly recall the order of events. However, he could not complete a worksheet which required independent reading. JA seems to be an audio and kinesthetic learner. He does well with spoken instructions and using manipulatives. Additionally, he is athletic and enjoys the movement associated with his vocational

A challenge arises when attempting to meet Marta’s needs and student needs. Making sure that when focusing on the student, it does not distract the attention or alter the learning environment of the classroom. We need to see the cause of the student’s hyperactive levels so we can prevent the effects of them. Mentioned earlier, attention deficit disorder may be common in hyperactive students as the clearest thing to see is their attention being directed elsewhere besides school work. Since this is not a known fact, we focus on other potential causes such as the difficulty of given assignment, clear directions (which often times is the case), stress, or even if the student is in need of certain materials for the assignment to be completed. All of these factors are potential takes and can be easily addressed. Once Mary, the Speech Language Pathologist, can see improvement on her speech and reading comprehension, there will be a difference in how she reacts to her peers and will demonstrate a connection being made to her peers. Mary focuses on her disadvantages to turn them into blessings so that when next year comes, improvement will be shown and the parent is satisfied that the team is putting effort into helping the child grow. Now Marta will beg to go to school since she will be on par with her peers not in a matter of days or

Algebra 1 was a very easy class because of the way Ms. Picazo thought it. Even thou I had already learned the material in a previous class, Ms. Picazo explained it in a better detail. As an NTO student, I took the initiative of my own learning by taking good notes whenever I had the chance and doing all the classwork and homework that was handed to