Mathy Math Mom

September 27, 2016 I have been using number lines to teach negative exponents (I will write another post about this soon!) and the built in conceptual understanding explains to my students WHY a zero exponent yields 1 and WHY negative exponents are not necessarily negative numbers and they never reach zero.  So WHAT could I do to teach rational exponents?  I have used this activity before with my Integrated Math 2 students and it yielded a deep understanding of rational exponents. They understood what the fraction MEANT and we were able to step off from there to the more symbolic representations and procedures. **I've always taught these with blank diagrams because I didn't have fraction bars. Future me will have them draw the diagrams or buy fraction bars.** Here's how I bait the hook... "Start with 64.  What two numbers multiply to 64? 8*8. Okay, so HALF the perfect square factors of 64 is 8 and two 8's multiplied make 64? Int

September 13, 2016 Radicals came up this week in a high school math PLC (that is Professional Learning Community). They were trying to figure out when students would be learning how to simplify radicals. For example: Prior to common core, these guys had a nice chunk of a chapter dedicated to them. First we would remember perfect squares, then depending on the conceptual focus of the text, we would first simplify or learn to multiply and divide, then vice versa. Finally we would add and subtract thus using the simplifying, and finally rationalize the denominator . In every day terms, this means "in a fraction, you cannot have a radical on the bottom". Why you ask? Because it isn't truly simplified. And that was that.  Now, if you are ANYTHING like the students I taught you are thinking to yourself...why? Why do I care what a radical is in the first place? Even IF I cared, why would I simplify, or perform operations on said useless giant check-marks. And if THAT i

September 6, 2016 Here it goes. Starting a blog has been something I have been considering for a while. Its value seems obvious just as we are told to reflect on our everyday. Why tonight? Well this amazing mathematician once told me that he learned more from his experience blogging for himself than for other people. Now I can't fathom having the same experience as him, but it was worth a shot. He posted on twitter that today was his 10 year anniversary for blogging, so starting today seemed like a valid choice. Who you ask? None other than Dan Meyer! I have recently started my new position as a high school math TOSA in Southern California. After living and teaching in Boise, Idaho for 4 years, California was a change. I am originally from SoCal and have only been gone for 9 years, but my experience in education has only happened out of state. It has been difficult to transition home, but also helpful to have a different perspective. Working in Boise has given me an ama