How I did homework this year in PreCalc...

I stole this idea entirely from the teacher who taught APSI last summer.  I was intrigued by it, so I implemented it in my PreCalc classes this past year.  My kiddos are begging me to extend the concept to AP Calculus next year because they loved it so much (you'll see why...).  I'm undecided.  I thought I'd write about it and get your take...

The premise of this homework set-up is that kids get rewarded for doing homework instead of being punished for not doing homework.  This is how I ended up doing it, which is a slight modification from the way the APSI instructor did it.

1. Once a kid completes a homework assignment, I spot check it for completion and ask if she checked answers in the back of the book (assignments are due the day before quiz/test day).
2. If the homework assignment looks thorough, I give the kid a hole punch on an index card (I have a star-shaped hole punch, but you could use a stamp, stickers, etc.).
3. One a kid has ten hole punches, she gets a 100% on a quiz grade (I simply added extra quizzes, called them "Extra Credit Quiz 1," "Extra Credit Quiz 2," etc., and excused everyone from it until/unless she got 10 hole punches).
4. That's it.

Modifications:

• I will probably make these Extra Credit Quizzes worth only half a regular quiz grade next year (which should increase their overall percentage by 0.5-1 on average, instead of 1-2 percentage points on average).
• My APSI instructor only checked assignments on certain days (and hence only checked certain assignments), but I found it easier just to let all assignments count towards the extra credit.  If I didn't have time to do homework checks one day, it wasn't a big deal--I told the kids to just remind me the next day.

What I liked...maybe even loved:

• I hardly ever had to grade homework!
• I still had to have at least two grades in a week, so I would take smaller in-class assignments for a grade (typically as a review of that week's warm ups).
• Occasionally, I would give worksheets that I counted for "an actual grade" in the gradebook and not as a homework check.
• Kids were super, super honest.
• When I took homework for a grade, I saw kids half*** their homework ALL THE TIME.  You know what I mean.  Sometimes a kid would just miraculously go from Question 3 to Question 43...and hope I wouldn't notice.  Or, somehow they'd get the answer from the back of the book with no supporting work.  Yet, with this new method, kids would tell me almost daily, "I'm done with 8.3 but I still have two more questions on 8.4." Because there was no punishment for not finishing those two questions (and because they still had more time), they seemed to be much more up-front about how much work they had actually done.  This was good for me, sure, but I think it was also really good for the kids to voice what they still had left to finish.
• I'm not sure any more or any fewer kids did homework when it was presented in this manner.  You'd think a lot of kids would just stop doing homework, but I honestly don't think it was any more than normal. There are kids who will do the homework no matter what and kids who will not do homework no matter what.  I don't think this changed that.
• Kids felt less pressure.
• I try to give kids as much time as possible to work on assignments in class, where they can ask me and their peers questions.  Because of this, they all typically have at least a very good start on their homework.  Is it really the end of the world if they don't finish every single problem?  Especially if they're working hard in class...? I'm asking in sincerity.
• No one asked at the end of the year if there was any extra credit they could do to raise their grade.  Of course, I warned them at the beginning of the year that this was it. 

My hesitations:

• Maybe some kids are falling through the cracks?  I'm unsure.
• If I do implement this in Calculus, then something else has to change, because I'm currently not giving quizzes for a grade either.  Their entire grade cannot depend on tests!  One thing I do want to change is make their quiz corrections a grade (due the next day as opposed to at the end of the semester).  I've also thought about giving short MC assessments every Friday, which could certainly count as a grade.
• Calculus is a different beast.  Most kids need to wrestle with concepts, and that takes time.  While I prefer that my kids do most of their work in class, they do need to set aside some of their own home time to really understand what's going on.

So...what are your thoughts?  Is this worth extending to calculus?  Or at least trying it?

I'm fairly certain that I'm keeping this method in PreCalc next year, but what about for Calculus?  Help!

Serve + Create

I've posted a lot about our AP Calculus AB final project (Serve + Create) on the One Good Thing Blog; it was a two-part project in which students were asked to (1) serve someone else and (2) create something they enjoyed making.  I haven't explicitly written what I gave the kids or where this idea came from; hence, some details about the project:

I gave the students four class days (there was also a three-day weekend in between) to work on whatever they wanted.  I told them that some of them would want to use this time for their final project, but most of them would probably want to work mostly out of class.  So, I didn't feel too bad giving a few "free days."  Several did work on their art project and several went to serve a teacher during these four days.  Others relaxed and played math games and worked entirely on the project on their own time.

This idea stemmed from an interview I listened to with Glennon Doyle Melton (here).  In the interview, she was asked how she deals with all the hardships she sees and reads about on a daily basis.  How do we get ourselves out of our own misery?  She said she always comes back to two things:  art and service.

I couldn't agree more with Melton's advice.  I had never realized that art and service were two ways I dealt with change and loss, too.  Thus, this interview was a catalyst to a project I've been mulling over for quite some time...

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UHS AP Calculus AB Final Project

You’re almost done!  I recognize this can be a stressful and bittersweet time for both juniors and seniors alike.  While I hope you’ve learned lots of calculus throughout the year, there are things that are more important than mathematics:  one of those being—How do you cope with change?  There are two ingredients I want you to practice before you leave our class—service and art.  When life gets chaotic, one of the best things you can do is remember that there are others in this world who are suffering, and do something to help them.  Furthermore, creating something through an art medium is a great way to express yourself, especially in the moments when you’re feeling overwhelmed.  As a way to encourage you to practice both the art of service and creativity, I've made this our final project for the year (worth 25 points in the test category).

SERVE:  Think of something you can do that would positively impact someone else’s life in a significant way.  Spend no more than $20/person.  You may work in groups or as individuals. 

CREATE:  Create a piece of art that you’re proud of.  This is not limited to drawing or painting:  think outside the box!  Express yourself in a way that is unique to you.  Please work individually on this.

On Thursday, May 28, you will be asked to share both your projects with the class.  I do not want to stifle you in any way, so grading will be based on completion:  do the project and you’ll get full credit.

I'm so proud of all your work this year.  It’s been an honor to be your teacher!

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I've never done anything like this, but the results were absolutely wonderful.  As I posted on the One Good Thing blog, here are some of the things the kids shared on Thursday.  They...

Helped teachers in elementary and middle schools

Played with and loved on elementary children

Made cookies, brownies, spring rolls (not even kidding) for the class

Sang a song for our class

Painted a picture only using spray paint

Made calligraphy signs

Passed out cards to fellow students with hand-written positive sayings and Hershey Kisses on them

Passed out burgers to homeless

Made origami

Wrote poems

Drew pictures

Mowed lawns

Visited nursing homes

Bought flowers for their moms

Threw a party for their families

Helped renovate a run-down church

Made a “Countdown to the 2016 AP Calculus Exam” for their calculus teacher (<3)

Made canvas art for their dorm rooms

Made canvas art for their teacher

Donated money to a student from El Salvador looking to pursue higher education

Made French food

Made a wreath for their room

Made food and cards for their teachers

Made shirts for their teammates

Made jewelry charms for their friends

Volunteered time to help coach the pom squad

Worked on a car for free

Made a “College Survival Kit” for friends

Made a poster to celebrate twelve years of friendship

Posted slips around school with motivation sayings for students to take

Made a Father’s Day platter

Bought reading glasses to accompany a family member going on a missions trip

Played the recorder for the class

Made paintings for a newly-married family member

Gave flowers to teachers

Helped at a cultural fair

Taught the class a hip-hop dance (this was a dream come true for me…so fun!!)

More on Reviewing for the AP Calculus Exam

My kids just took a mock AP Exam this Saturday (I use one of the secured exams that College Board posts in the course audit page).  My scores this year were much, much better than last year's mock.  Last year, nine out twenty-four kids passed (37.5%); this year, forty-one out forty-eight passed (85.4%).  I revamped the structure of the course a bit this year, and I think it must have made a difference;  I don't think these numbers are a fluke (I guess we'll find out for sure this summer).

A few weeks ago, I wrote about some of the changes I made in the structure of the course here.

However, I did not include my plan for review (which starts immediately after spring break, giving us about six weeks to review...remember, these are AB kids; not BC...most of them need this time, in my opinion).

This year, I structured our review time quite differently also.  Each week--up until the mock--the kids were responsible for one FRQ topic and one or two MC topics.  The weekly format looked like this:

Weekly Format (until Mock Exam)

Monday (FRQ Day): 4-5 problems due by Friday

Tuesday (FRQ Day): 2 problems in class; grade own; grade sample responses (if time allows)

Wednesday (MC Day): Work on MC problems, due Thurs

Thursday (MC Day): Bonus Problem due; go over MC; corrections due Friday

Friday (Quiz Day): 35-min quiz {10 MC, 1 FRQ}; 10-min discussion (if time allows)

For homework, I graded their FRQs by picking one to grade for accuracy (out of the typical 9 points). For their MC, I allowed them to gain all their points back if they did corrections. I also encouraged them to look up the scoring guidelines for their FRQs (I made a TinyURL, if you're interested: tinyurl.com/ScoringGuidelines). I also posted worked-out solutions for the MC each Thursday afternoon. So, there was no reason not to make a 100% on each weekly homework assignment: all answers were given.

Then, came Friday: Quiz Day. For this, I would pick a free response question (typically from a study book), that was worth 9 points. The multiple-choice, however, came from the kids. They were each allowed to submit one multiple choice question (based off the questions in their weekly packet) for an extra point on their quiz. They also had to have four good distractors (and show the work on why they were good distractors). If their question ended up being one I used for that week's quiz, they got an extra two points (total of three bonus points). The MC questions were worth 1.2 points each (like on the actual exam), so the quiz was out of 21 points.

This did mean that I only had Thursday evening to write Friday's quiz; but, I pretty much just had to choose which ten MC questions I wanted to use and then type them up.

If time permitted, we would go over the quiz after they were all turned in. But, honestly, this only happened the first week. Typically, we had to wait until the following week to go over the quiz.

I think these quizzes were a huge help to the kids because it narrowed down the focus each week, and the students were (for the most part) really able to master the given topics each week.

Here is the review schedule for this year. It also includes what we'll do the next two weeks:

Here is an example of what their Monday problems (FRQs) looked like:

Area Volume Review 2015

For MC, I just grabbed questions from wherever I could find them.  I used Baron's study book a lot because it has MC questions separated by topic.  Typically, each MC packet had about thirty questions in it.  I'd be willing to email you any/everything I used for their homework assignments each week.

I hope some of this is helpful to you.  What kinds of things do you do to review that you find are beneficial to your students?

"Trophies"/commemorative tumblers for the eleven kids who made a 5 on the Mock!

Calculus Flip Book!

Shireen, at Math Teacher Mambo, posted this fabulous flip book that she had her AP Calculus AB kids make last year.  I was in love the moment I saw it.  In the comments, she also posted a link of a video that gives directions on how to make said flip book.

I made my own this week (I changed a few things, but the general format is the same):

I plan to have my kids make this in class next week.  Since I did change a few pieces, and I didn't really want my kids on their phones looking at the video the whole class period, I made written directions:

Flip Book Directions

The kids will write everything (and I do mean everything) that I have in the directions; they will find their own examples for the highlighted portions.

I haven't vetted this yet, so there very well may be typos, but I thought some of you might want this sooner rather than later, since the AP Exam is in nineteen days...but who's counting...? ;)

In which I attempt to defend public educators...

I got a new student today.  Today.  Eleven weeks before school lets out for summer.  At the end of class, the kid told me that was the first time she understood what was going on in math class for as long as she could remember.  Her presence, along with some other things I've been thinking about, prompted me to pull out my computer and write what's been on my mind...

I teach in one of the lowest paid states for public education teachers. I work with unbelievably dedicated people who make daily sacrifices to do what they do for a living: to serve other people's kids.

Sadly, I often hear comments like, "I'm just going to go work at Starbucks. I'll make more money there."

Now, let me be clear: there is no question in my mind that we are grossly underpaid.

Yet...

I understand that we all have frustrating days, where anything sounds better than our current position. But, I also know that--at least for me--the good days far, far outweigh the bad. And if they don't for you, you might want to consider leaving. You're right: we don't get paid enough to be miserable all the time.

But, I imagine most of you became teachers knowing full well the monetary sacrifice you would make. As I recently heard it put so elegantly, you didn't show up for the income, you showed up for the outcomes.

You enlisted because even though we're underpaid and unappreciated by adults, we have kids who adore us and would do just about anything for us.

You kept coming because you knew your kids needed a safe, encouraging, hopeful place. And you are sure as hell going to give that to them. Even if for just one hour a day, a hundred eighty days a year.

You kept reporting for duty because you believe in public education. Who else is going to take the kids who change schools every few months? Who else would take a kid eleven weeks before summer and say, "Hey, we don't know each other yet, but we will. And I will do everything in my power to get you caught up and to be successful in my class."

You continued to show up because you're committed to leveling the playing field. Because you believe every kid should have an opportunity at a quality education--regardless of zip code. Because you're driven by the idea that you want every kid to feel better about themselves leaving your doors than they did entering them. Because you see kids not for who they are, but for who they can be. Because you believe they can make this world a better place. Because you know that they are the hope of the future.  Because you understand that education is key to overcoming poverty, prejudice, and ignorance.  And because you feel this indescribably fulfilling joy every time you're reminded of why you do what you do because of something kind a kid said or did.

Yeah, we don't make a lot financially. But what we do make is not quantifiable.

And so, to all those who recognize this (and that is the vast majority of my fellow teachers), thank you. Thank you for believing in this profession. Thank you for persevering through the bad days, through the media bashing, through the uninformed comments from both loved ones and strangers.

Thank you for choosing to see the positive in public education. For knowing that it's not perfect, but for striving for perfection regardless. Please, keep doing what you're doing. We need you. We need each other.

And your kids need you, more than they'll ever be able to express.