5 Maths Gems #23

It seems similar ages since my concluding gems post. School has been busier than I anticipated. This calendar week I had reports to write together with a Parents' Evening to attend - both tasks were especially challenging because I've solely been teaching these classes for a few weeks. I've also been mark at domicile every even out thus it's difficult to discovery fourth dimension for Twitter together with blogging. I receive got 3 other posts inwards draft - i virtually teaching quadratics, i virtually spontaneity together with i featuring some other batch of highlights from Chris Smith's newsletter dorsum catalogue. So spotter this space, they're all coming soon! In the meantime, here's v ideas you lot mightiness discovery useful.

1. Perspective
I've been teaching 3D visualisation to my Year 7s this calendar week (isometric drawing, plans, elevations together with nets). I've decided that this is i of my top 3 'worst topics to teach' with constructions together with transformations. But it did give me an chance to role the moving-picture exhibit below, which I got from Twitter a few months agone (original source unknown - delight nation me if you lot know!). I pose it on the board when my students arrived for their lesson on plans together with elevations.

2. Etymathology

My novel favourite Twitter concern human relationship is Gems 10.

This week @BedtimeMath shared this fact virtually seconds, which I'd never heard before:

It's funny how nosotros tin role a discussion similar 'seconds' our whole lives together with never give whatever thought to where it came from. Etymathology followed this tweet with the origins of the discussion minute:

And at that topographic point you lot acquire - some other instance of Twitter's contribution to education. I acquired novel cognition to locomote past times direct to my students. I await forrad to learning more!

3. Match My Parabola
I've written virtually Desmos many times, most lately inwards my shipping service Polygraph Rocks. I'm e'er non bad to listen novel ideas for teaching with Desmos thus I loved Michael Fenton's (@mjfenton) post 'Match My Parabola'.

The shipping service describes a lesson suitable for Higher GCSE or Core AS students studying quadratics. The thought is that students are given a laid of coordinates together with receive got to discovery a quadratic business office that passes through them. Michael rattling helpfully provides 10 activities - all your students receive got to create is click on the links together with consummate the tasks (here's an example for you lot to receive got a acquire at - acquire into your business office inwards jail cellular telephone ix on the left to meet if you're right).

Michael has previously written virtually 'Match My Line' - a similar lesson but for linear graphs, suitable for Key Stage 3 or 4. I've institute that students of whatever historic menses dearest playing with Desmos thus I'm looking forrad to using this i too. Really clever ideas from Michael.

4. Valentines Relay
It's solely ii weeks until half-term! Fri 13th Feb would last a proficient twenty-four hours to create Chris Smith's (@aap03102) lovely Valentines Maths Relay Race.

5. War on Error
Do your students proceed making the same mistake? Highlight mutual misconceptions inwards a display using Mr Taylor's (post for total details. This calendar week i of my students wrote (x + 5)² = x² + 25 thus that would last my outset entry to the display!

That's it for my gems this week, but comport with me - I receive got a few to a greater extent than things I desire to nation you lot about...

Multiple Choice Tests
I wrote virtually multiple selection tests together with Quick Key inwards Gems 11. This calendar week I tried it out for the outset time. Like my outset assay at using Plickers, it wasn't rattling successful! But I create intend to assay both apps i time again - I remember they require a combat of practice.

Quick Key is an app that scans multiple selection tests together with gives you lot instant feedback on results. I institute it rattling slow to gear upwards - I wrote a short quiz on quadratics together with only entered the right answers to Quick Key every bit I wrote it. In the lesson, I gave my students 20 minutes to brand themselves a i page summary of everything we'd covered on quadratics, together with and thus I gave them a 20 infinitesimal quiz inwards which they were allowed to refer to their revision sheet.

I was excited virtually mark the tests using Quick Key but I institute it rattling difficult to discovery a shadow-free, glare-free identify to scan. In the terminate it took exactly every bit long every bit if I'd marked them past times hand. The examine results varied from 20% to 100%, with most students getting 80% or 90% (the most mutual error was choosing Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 instead of C inwards the inquiry below). So it was a successful exercise inwards assessing the agreement of each pupil together with confirming that the bulk of students were create to motion onto the adjacent topic, together with forthwith I exactly demand to figure out how to address the gaps with those who got a depression score.

So inwards summary, the lesson inwards which students made a revision summary together with thus took a brusk multiple selection examine was successful, but I'll demand to acquire the hang of Quick Key.

World's Hardest Geometry Problem
I've exactly finished teaching angles to Year seven together with was actually impressed when i of my students told me that she'd institute an angles work online together with had spent ii hours working on it over the weekend, but fifty-fifty with the assistance of all her identify unit of measurement she couldn't solve it. It turned out to last the 'World's Hardest Easy Geometry Problem' which I've featured before... I promised her I'd receive got a acquire at it this weekend - I suspect I may terminate upwards bespeak Twitter for help!

Don Watch
Have you lot been keeping an optic on all the bright novel resources on Jumping along a line', suggested using the 0^th term to locomote out the n^th term of a sequence. This isn't how I commonly instruct sequences but I'll assay it adjacent time.

I also spotted the 0^th term on a Pret homework that Grant Barker (@AccessMaths) sent me this week. We've forthwith got to a greater extent than than 100 homeworks on prethomework.weebly.com so if you're ever looking for novel homework ideas together with thus create banking concern gibe it out.

Mr Maths
Finally, I'll locomote out you lot with i of the fantastic images made by @solvemymaths this calendar week - banking concern gibe out his blog for the total 'Math Mr Men Series'.