I love sharing my experiences using the Modern Classrooms Project with you! This week I discuss my third week of implementing the Modern Classrooms Project. We had our first lessons deadline and our first quiz. To review for our quiz, I used this paper chain review activity.
Podcast Transcript
Hi, my name is Erin and welcome to episode 3 of Teaching Math in a Modern Classroom!
In this week’s podcast I will discuss my third week of implementing the Modern Classrooms Project with my high school Algebra 1 class. This week we had our first lessons deadline and quiz. I will also explain how I keep myself organized while using MCP.
My students have been working through unit 1 since the beginning of last week. This week I had our first lessons deadline. Lessons 1.1-1.5 and 1.7 closed the day before my students’ first quiz. All students that had been consistently present in class were able to meet this deadline. I had several students that had been frequently absent or were identified as a close contact and therefore needed to quarantine.
Last year my school was hybrid. Students could choose each day if they were learning virtually on Zoom or if they were coming to school and learning in person. Teachers had Zoom open for all of their classes and taught in-person students and virtually students simultaneously.
This year, we are not hybrid. Families had to make a decision before the school year started if their child was going to a virtual student or an in-person student. Virtual students are in classes with other virtual students. Teachers may have 1 block that is virtual and the rest in-person or they may only teach virtual sections. All of my classes this year are in-person.
This means that when my students are quarantined, they cannot access my class via Zoom this year. My Algebra 1 class is the only class that I am implementing the Modern Classroom Project with and it has been so helpful with this situation. Students that have internet access and technology at home are able to continue on with their lessons. Since we are in the beginning of the school year, some students have not received their Chromebooks yet from the school and have not been able to stay up to date in class. I will work with these students next week, when they return to school.
My lessons for the first part of Unit 1 closed on Tuesday at the end of class to have students prepare for their quiz on Wednesday. I had Tuesday be a catch up day for students that were behind pace and a review day for students that were on pace.
All of my students that were behind pace were able to use this time to get caught up or worked on lessons at home and came in on Tuesday ready for skills checks. For students that were on pace or ahead of pace, I had them complete a paper chain review activity.
A paper chain review activity is very similar to a scavenger hunt. Students are given a stack of papers, in this case 4. Each paper has 4 strips that need to be cut out. Students start with strip A that says START. This review activity was on the operations with polynomials, so the first question had them adding two polynomials. Once they find the answer, they look for a different strip that has the answer on it. Then they find the answer to that strip and continue the process.
Once they answer strip A they make it into a loop, once they find the answer to the next strip, they connect that strip to strip A and begin to make a paper chain. They keep adding the strips until they finish answering all of the questions. You can see images of my students working on paper chain review on my Instagram @erinsessentialequations or on my blog www.erinsessentialequations.com.
This is one of my favorite review activities and its been awhile since I had done it. For the paper chain review activity, I usually have students work in pairs. Students need scissors and a glue stick, stapler, or tape to create and connect the loops. I printed the activity on blue paper. Other times I use different colors to bring some color into my classroom. I hang up the paperchains and use them as classroom decorations.
My students were very engaged. The students that were behind pace were motivated to get on paced because they also wanted to complete this activity.
My PLC decided to have the quiz be a ticket out the door instead because they felt like students were not ready for a quiz so early in the school year. It was 5 questions and completed on our school LMS, Schoology. When students came into class, instead of our regular do now, I had them complete a warm up to help them review the material they had learned in the first 6 must do lessons. This gave students that did not get a chance to complete the review activity an opportunity to review the material prior to taking the ticket out the door.
After the do now, I gave them some time to look over their notes before they took the ticket out the door. Students that finished the ticket out the door quickly were able to begin the next lesson. Most students did well.
The next day in class, I gave any student that was not happy with their score on the formative assessment or who failed was given the opportunity to retake it. Everyone who retook the assessment, improved their grade.
To help my stay organized during class, I have been color coding my skills checks by printing each version on different color paper. This just helps me for when I have multiple students taking the same skills check at the same time at the same table. I will just give students different versions of the same skills check. This also helps me when I scan the room, I know who is working on a skills check versus notes or practice.
If you want to learn more about the modern classrooms project check out their website at modernclassrooms.org.
If you want to see what going on in my classroom, check out my Instagram @erinsessentialequations
This week I launched my website! My website is where you can find my blog, this podcast, resources and more! Check it out at www.erinsessentialequations.com
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Thanks for listening!
