Why I am thankful (for word problems)

As a teacher, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has said "when are we going to use this in real life?"... I would be enjoying my days on a warm beach with a frosty drink rather than doing lesson plans now by the warm fire in my living room...

However, I have decided that to combat teenage apathy in the classroom I have a file folder full of real life situations where students can see algebra in action (and volume, and probability, and just basic money skills!).  I have noticed, though, that modern day kids have LITTLE KNOWLEDGE of how things work.  Unless it comes with a remote control or a battery.  (Even then they don't know HOW it works, just that they can get those emoticons and text-speak well before I can, lol).


So I made notes of the little things that I have to do in planning a trip, cooking a family meal (like Thanksgiving Dinner), shopping,  driving distances, and more.  I found that many of these are linear relationships that would tie in very easily into our classroom, in either pre-assessment, emergency substitute plans or vacation packet form.


So in my eternal quest to satisfy administration, simplify paperwork, and organize my chaos, I compiled a series of 'RULE OF FOUR' problems which tie in situations into algebraic representations.   It is also a part of my teacher evaluation goal on equations and functions.


The RULE OF FOUR refers to the Table Representation, an Equation Representation, a Graph Representation, and Words to describe the story.  Each of the methods of representation can make a connection to every other one. 


I try to highlight these when we begin our study of functions, and always try to create the other 3 when given one of the representations.  It is also helpful for my current eighth graders to model good strategies for their future endeavors into Algebra and beyond.  It always warms my heart when they return to tell me "we're doing that stuff we did in your class... it's SO EASY NOW".  (Glad that their brain has caught up to where the government officials believe it should be... but that's for another post).

I have a few up already, mostly Fall topics or consumer-based (phone plans, health club plans).  I had a laundry list of Problems of the Week and other State Testing Prep packets that will need an overhaul to fit this format.

Unfortunately, with a new curriculum this year, I am trying to find places for much of the packets and worksheets that I have created over the years.  Some of them have now been 'retired' from the classroom, but have found new life in the shared community of TeachersPayTeachers.  This weekend, however, one of the packets found new life.


This weekend, while my students were attending football games, family dinners, and traveling to balloon parades, they were (hopefully) completing their homework, the Rule of Four: Thanksgiving Applications.  I especially like the one where they have to figure out when to put the turkey in the oven based on cooking times per pound.  What I hope is that if the students 'don't get it', they ask someone from their family, and perhaps it will foster come discussion.  Of course, sometimes adults shy away from math ("I don't like math" "I hate math" and the BIG LIE: "I don't use math"), so it really makes me happy when the kids can show someone else how to do

I would like to add to my TpT store - setting small goals for myself, especially with self-made materials that I can't use in my own classroom anymore.  It's great to share them with other teachers...especially since I've gathered so many great ideas myself for sites like this and Pinterest.  Besides, at the same time, I could pay for a tank of gas or two.  It's be a win-win for everyone!


Here is the link to my store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Stefanis-Hope

and the Rule of Four: Thanksgiving Applications

Top 5: Ways to Share My Stuff!

After almost 20 years of teaching, I have learned one thing.  I have too much stuff.  Stuff in my desk drawers.  Stuff in my closet shelves.  Stuff on my hard drive.  Stuff in my head.

There must me a way to share this STUFF with others before I drown in my clutter!!!

So I have come across several ways to SHARE THE STUFF in my most appropriate Top 5 list!

First, Craiglist is my first line of defense.  I have both sold and purchased items on Craigslist and have had some very positive exchanges.  It's great to have a local resource and as long as you do your own research and contact, you can find someone who wants YOUR STUFF!  I have purchased a great repurposed coffee table, closet shelving, sturdy bookshelves and some great Halloween decorations at very reasonable prices.  It's an online tag sale where you can find exactly what you want!  I also have been able to sell off extra roofing shingles, paint, a Pinball Machine, several bikes, a couch, car replacement headlight bulbs (for a car I no longer have), Cub Scout books and uniforms, and computer manuals I no longer need but a college student wanted them for $2 each!  It's all cash transactions, but someone's trash is someone else's treasure.

Secondly, Ebay has been my second line of defense.  This is for specialized items, that may not be for the general public.  I have posted several subject specific books, teaching manuals from my personal collection, DVDs and VHS tapes (yes, people still want VHS - especially old Kid Cartoons!) and Fisher Price toys and clothes after my kids had outgrown them but they still had lots of life left.  I also have been able to find specific items, either antiqued or collectible, for both personal and gift-giving.  It can be quite addictive.  But if you are willing to investigate shipping methods and costs, it can be quite lucrative.  I have gotten burned, however.  Mostly due to my own poor calculations.  The worst one was an antique movie projector I had gotten for free, that I sold for a reasonable price, but didn't specify additional charge for shipping overseas.  My customer, in SPAIN, was the recipient of a great item, with me having to eat the additional cost to ship to him.  Lesson learned.

Next, is TeachersPayTeachers.  This is a relatively new find for me, but something that I am excited about the ability to share my KNOWLEDGE and PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT with my colleagues.  This is something I've done within my own school and district before, but not on a larger basis.  I haven't even done a presentation at a Regional or National Conference, but feel like I have 'been around the block' enough that I should be able to!  Maybe this is the stepping stone I need.  TeachersPayTeachers is a marketplace where individuals can post their work electronically for purchase by others.  This is a HUGE resource for me - a simple search on the site for Interactive Notebooks got me TONS of resources and allowed me to take the leap that I had wanted to for so long (can you tell I'm psyched!).   I have my own store now, with a few items uploaded awaiting other eager beavers to find them and give them a try.  The toughest thing for me with this now is getting the packets/worksheets/assessments that I've made over the years into a streamlined, uniform format that will represent me.  And have a key for everything.  I think that's my downfall - I ALWAYS recreated my answer key every time I gave a worksheet.  That way, I had to think about the questions from my student's perspective.  However, I don't seem to have answer keys for anything!  Might have to search for more... Check out my store HERE!  I think the challenge is going to be throwing the paper copy of something away once I get it digitized...



An off-shoot of this is Pinterest, but not so much as an income possiblity, but from a sharing-of-ideas way to share my stuff.  Though this is VERY EASY to get sucked into and not have much to show for... but I do get a lot of cool thinks pinned for later (when I have time...ha ha).  I've pulled out my past craft, scout, and school pictures and posted a few.  It's a great way to share ideas without having to have all the directions, materials, or procedure (unless you want to).  Although I don't know how much clutter I really am getting rid of with this one, it sure is FUN!

And to round out the top 5, I've jammed the rest into the STAND-BY category.  I still have the old stand-bys of a tag sale (or yard sale, barn sale, garage sale, flea market or whatever you call it) and our Town Dump has a 'Swap Shop' where you can bring something and swap it out for something else rather than throwing it away (I've gotten LOTS of dishware and garden pots here, my kids used to like looking for toys).  Goodwill and Salvation Army also are helpful for clothing and other linens that still have lots of wear in them.  Our local Boy Scout Troop just had an Electronics Recycling Fundraiser where, for a small fee, residents could bring their old/broken appliances and they would haul them to the scrap metal yard.  I was able to finally clear space in my garage from a broken dishwasher, a dead air-conditioner, and an old washer and dryer that had been there for over 9 months!  Yay!  Of course, this is helpful to get stuff OUT OF THE HOUSE, which is part of the idea in the first place.  I would like to reclaim my garage, my basement, and my dining room table from the chaos that is my life.  It's a step in the right direction.

What is YOUR favorite method of sharing your goodies?