Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Help for teachers and students!

My normal weekday night consists of planning for hours to prepare for the next day at school. My dearest hope is that my students are at home studying and practicing for as many hours as I am! I love when I come across tools that can be used inside and outside the classroom, than can aid both teachers AND students in accomplishing their goals.
Check out http://www.studyblue.com
It is a website where teachers are able to make digital flash cards. Some features...
*students can log in and practice with the pre-loaded cards the teacher creates
*students can take quizzes once they study and track their progress
*teachers can collaborate and share materials
*ready-to-print flash cards and review sheets are instantly created once the flashcards are made
*iPad and mobile app available
*students can be invited via email, social networks, or text messages
*class stats are recorded to help teachers assess progress
I just printed my first set of flashcards, ready for my kids to use tomorrow. Let's see how it goes!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

today I saw a Tetracontakaihexigon....yeah okay....

My geometry student have been studying polygons. We are pretty familiar with triangles and octagons, but some multi-sided shapes can have wildly outrageous names. Talk about a tongue twister!




Polygon Names
Generally accepted names
Sides
Name
n
N-gon
3
Triangle
4
Quadrilateral
5
Pentagon
6
Hexagon
7
Heptagon
8
Octagon
10
Decagon
12
Dodecagon
Names for other polygons have been proposed.
Sides
Name
9
Nonagon, Enneagon
11
Undecagon, Hendecagon
13
Tridecagon, Triskaidecagon
14
Tetradecagon, Tetrakaidecagon
15
Pentadecagon, Pentakaidecagon
16
Hexadecagon, Hexakaidecagon
17
Heptadecagon, Heptakaidecagon
18
Octadecagon, Octakaidecagon
19
Enneadecagon, Enneakaidecagon
20
Icosagon
30
Triacontagon
40
Tetracontagon
50
Pentacontagon
60
Hexacontagon
70
Heptacontagon
80
Octacontagon
90
Enneacontagon
100
Hectogon, Hecatontagon
1,000
Chiliagon
10,000
Myriagon
To construct a name, combine the prefix+suffix
Sides
Prefix
20
Icosikai...
30
Triacontakai...
40
Tetracontakai...
50
Pentacontakai...
60
Hexacontakai...
70
Heptacontakai...
80
Octacontakai...
90
Enneacontakai...
+
Sides
Suffix
+1
...henagon
+2
...digon
+3
...trigon
+4
...tetragon
+5
...pentagon
+6
...hexagon
+7
...heptagon
+8
...octagon
+9
...enneagon
Examples:
46 sided polygon - Tetracontakaihexagon
28 sided polygon - Icosikaioctagon

(thanks math.com for the info!)

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Internet Connections

My algebra classes have been practicing their skills using an awesome website called Khanacademy.org. They are able to watch videos, take quizzes, earn points and rewards, and even track their progress. If parents are stressed about being able to help their kids with math homework, Khanacademy is a great resource to watch videos and explore topics you haven't learned about in years. As a teacher, it has helped me find a new way to assess my students' learning. Check it out!khanacademy.org

Another website I have recently begun to explore is IXL.com  (cleverly named!) where there are hundreds of practice exercises to choose from. With the way information is being processed now-a-days, (with almost everything happening on-line!) it only makes sense that our kids' learning can be on-line and interactive as well. See for yourself here: IXL.com

Happy studying!