Friday, June 28

• Checking In
  
  
• Clarifying Goals:
  Read the goals below AND skim the Agenda to see how it fits together as a package.
  NOTICE THE HOMEORK ASSIGNMENT FOR WEDNESDAY.
  • to become more familiar with graphing calculators, including the use of CBRs;
  • to get an introduction to Fathom, a dynamic data and statistical software program;
  • to become more familiar with Geometer's Sketchpad 4;
  • to continue thinking about approaches to stimulate students' mathematical thinking;
  • to plan for Fall courses, including identifying resources and activities.
  
  
• Where are you on this graphing calculator (GC) proficiency continuum?
  
  • Beginner = "I am not sure what the 'Windows', 'Zoom', 'Trace', and 'Stats' buttons do."
  • Intermediate = "I can use the GC to do things like find zeroes of functions, or put data in a list and display it graphically as a box or scatterplot."
  • Advanced = "I know how to use the GC in my classes to reinforce instruction."
    
    
• Exploring the "Calculating Speeding Fines" problem
  
  
• Exploring CBRs with the TI-83 Plus
  • http://www.lightlink.com/sergey/java/java/pend1/
  • http://www.physics.northwestern.edu/classes/2001Spring/135-1/Projects/5/page3.html

Monday, July 1

• Warm Up Activity: Gender Equity?
  
  
• Exploring Fathom - a dynamic data and statisics software program with Jo Ann Fricker
  
  
  • The beginner's essential terminology: collection; case table; summary table; graph; slider; formula editor; simulation
    
    
  • Playing With Virtual Dice
    How could Fathom be used as a launchpad for the kinds of questions and simulations that will engage students and lead them to discover the mathematics of probability?
    
    
  • Exploring Teacher Pay
    Specifically, we will explore the correlation between states' averages for teacher pay and per pupil spending.
    
    
    • Drop the address (url) onto a new Fathom page; the imported data is automatically converted to a new collection.
      
      
    • Get a case table; correct the attributes to be State, Pay, PerPupil, and Region.
      
      
    • Create a Graph with Pay as a single attribute (on the horizontal axis), and show the data as a dotplot. Show the mean on the dotplot by using:
      Graph >> Plot Value >> Functions >> Statistical >> One Attribute >> Mean. Repeat the sequence to show Median.
      
      
    • Create another Graph using PerPupil (on the horizontal) vs. Pay (on the vertical). Drag-&-drop Region onto the center of the graph to make visible an additional categorization of the data.
      
      
  • Simulating "Gender Equity?"
  
  
  
• A PACKETS Unit focused on population density:
  Shapes (http://www.ets.org/pathwise/newsart.html)

Tuesday, July 2

• Warm Up Activity: Will It Rain This Weekend?
  
  
• More on PACKETS.
  
  
• Working with the Geometer's Sketchpad 4.
  
  
  
  • Where are you on this GSP proficiency continuum?
    
    
    
    • Beginner = "I am not sure what the basic tools do."
    • Intermediate = "I know the basic tools and some but not most of what's in the menus."
    • Advanced = "I know how to do basic constructions, and have a grasp of how to use the transformation, animation, and tools menus."
      
      
    • Exploring the Properties of the Arithmetic Operations
      
      
    • Using GSP-4 as a Dynamic Function Plotter
      
      
    • Exploring DynaGraphs
      
      
    • Using GSP-4 to Explore Midpoint Quadrilaterals
      
      
    • Thinking Differently About Interation
      
      
    • Using GSP-4 to Explore Relationships in Circles
  
  
  
• You can find additional GSP lesson ideas on our Lucent Index Page.

Wednesday, July 3

• Warm Up Activity: Modeling Exponential Decay
  
  
• "Going over the homework"

  Identify the important topics/concepts/relationships that are most difficult for students to 'get'.
  Should we organize this by courses, like "Fundamentals", Alg 1, Geom, Alg 2, Pre-Calc; ... OR, organize this by the NJ-CCC Standards: Number & Numerical Operations; Geometry & Measurement; Patterns & Algebra; Data Analysis, Probability, & Discrete Mathematics; Mathematical Processes?

  
  
  
• What can we collaboratively generate as ways to addresss each of these?
  
  
• What other areas of professional growth can we help you with today?
• Evaluation Form

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Thinking About Mathematical Content

The Draft Revised New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in Mathematics
(http://www.state.nj.us/njded/news/standards/s4_math.htm) focus on the mathematical content that students should know and be able to do.

(Numbered) Standards and Associated (Lettered) Strands

• 4.1. Number and Numerical Operations
  • A. Number Sense
  • B. Numerical Operations
  • C. Estimation
  
  
  
• 4.2. Geometry and Measurement
  • A. Geometric Properties
  • B. Transforming Shapes
  • C. Coordinate Geometry
  • D. Units of Measurement
  • E. Measuring Geometric Objects
  
  
  
• 4.3. Patterns and Algebra
  • A. Patterns and Relationships
  • B. Functions
  • C. Modeling
  • D. Procedures
  
  
  
• 4.4. Data Analysis, Probability, and Discrete Mathematics
  • A. Data Analysis (Statistics)
  • B. Probability
  • C. Discrete Mathematics--Systematic Listing and Counting
  • D. Discrete Mathematics--Vertex-Edge Graphs and Algorithms
  
  
  
• 4.5. Mathematical Processes
  • A. Problem Solving
  • B. Communication
  • C. Connections
  • D. Reasoning
  • E. Representations
  • F. Technology