Day 32: Scientific Notation Introduction

Regular Math Objective: Write numbers in scientific notation with positive and negative exponents; convert numbers in decimal notation to scientific form.

Regular Math Standards: 8.EE.3 Use numbers expressed in the form of a single digit multiplied by an integer power of 10 to estimate very large or very small quantities, and express how many times as much one is than the other. 

Regular Math Lesson Sequence:

1. Pass out the weekly quizzes and have students work on those
2. Scientific Notation Pre-Assessment
3. Scientific Notation Matching 
4. Scientific Notation Post-Assessment

I wanted to have students work on the weekly quiz when I was out on Friday, but that message was poorly communicated to the substitute, so the students worked on something else Friday. Thus, I wanted them to have some attempt at this week's weekly quiz and that's what we did to start class. 

The next three items on the agenda all came from the Math Assessment Project. I modified it to be just one lesson so I left out the objects that are shown in that lesson and focused just on the numbers. The Pre-Assessment pictures below are indications that students did have some working knowledge of scientific notation from their work with exponents, but really struggled with the concept of proper scientific notation. 

As part of the lesson, I did go to the board and show students that the value being multiplied by the base ten had to be greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10. That did not stick however as indicated by the post-assessment. I think I need to scream from a mountain to get this point through. 

I really enjoyed the matching however. The part of the lesson that incorporated a blank number really solidified for me if students understood the lesson or not because it incorporated more complicated exponents to the zero power and a negative power. 

Honors Math Objective: Solve absolute value inequalities; solve compound inequalities; solve multiple step inequalities

Honors Math Standards: A1-A-REI B3 Solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable; including equations with coefficients represented by letters

Honors Math Lesson Sequence:

1. Return quizzes to students
2. Have students fill out self-assessment checklists
3. Have students review one problem that they got wrong with a partner
4. Discuss student answers to the self-assessment 

The students checklists were filled with valuable information for me to work with them on going forward. Many students had nothing but positive things to say, which is encouraging to me. That said, I like these because I know they are being honest - at least in the moment with how they truly feel. 

I have very little doubt when I say that this is the hardest class that these students have taken to date in their academic lives. And I have mixed feelings saying that. I do believe that a challenge is a great thing, but it might be that these students are either over-challenged (which means I need to slow down) or that these students have always been under-challenged. I find the ladder to be hard to believe. When I asked the students about these things aloud, the students that were pictured above expressed themselves as well as others. Some of the takeaways...

• "I want notes."
• "I like this class because it's exciting and we don't take notes like every other class." 
• "I am willing to help other people on catch up days."
• "I would not want to go to a class where I felt overly challenged and automatically got an A+." 
• "I didn't do the study guide a second time, but will now." 
• "This is the toughest class I've ever had, but I like it because I'm not bored."