Cornell Notes for Graphing Inequalities on a Number Line

Graphing Inequalities is a simple topic, that students struggle massively with (or at least my students do), for some unknown reason. I have tried a lot of different things including:
-Playing matching games
-Creating matching games
-Smartboard Activities
-Basic Notes
-Foldables

You name it...I have probably tried it. The challenge with this unit is that we cannot afford to spend much time on it. 1 week max...and that is pushing it. It is not a heavily tested item...and lets face it, whoever has to graph inequalities when they become adults.

That being said I want the students to understand this topic and I have found two activities that the students seem to do well with.

The first is a Cornell style notes that highlights key vocabulary and practice questions. This activity helps organize a students thinking while still keeping them connected to real world application.

The second is a Google Docs activity where the students practice graphing with video game labels. This is a great activity for 6th graders because it is fairly easy, involves technology, and has a high interest because of video games.

It also provides them some quick videos to review before they begin working on their assignment. I have them using Pixie, however you can also use Microsoft paint or even paper and pencil.

Post-It Note Notes

 

The messages for those students were almost always the same, "I know you will have a great day. Show this substitute how amazing you are." However, I had to leave messages for all of my students so that I wasn't singling anyone out.  The first time, I found this surprisingly hard. What do I say to these kids that are always good. I didn't want it to be some generic message, I wanted them to know that I care that they have a good day and that I was invested in them even when I was not in the classroom. I wrote some messages such as, "You are going to have a fantastic day," and "I want to hear all about today when I get back tomorrow." I even wrote "If the sub needs help, I know I can count on you to step up and help her/him out." These messages had a great effect on my border kids. You know who these are. These are the students that are typically behaved, however can easily be persuaded or follow the wrong students when you are not there.  However, for my troublemakers it only worked for some of them.  I found that because I had not personalized it, they blew me and my note off.

  

When I first began teaching (it seems like a distant memory...) I stumbled upon this idea of a post-it note note....trust me, it is a better idea than its name describes...

I found that whenever I knew I was going to be out, for a data day or a planning day or even a doctor's appointment/sick day I would leave my students little notes on their desk. When I began this, I had some troublemakers in the class. They were not mere disruptive students or rambunctious full of energy students, but rather students that had a THICK folder with a lot of suspension letters in them. (Example: the year before me, one of my students was suspended for standing up in the middle of a sub's good morning message and called her a 'crack baby.')


The second time I tried it, I tried a different approach. I wrote their name on the sticky note with a connection or a topic that we had previously discussed. I also wrote how proud I was of how they were performing in class or how great it was to seem their follow all of the classroom rules. For each sticky note, I tried to write something POSITIVE and something PERSONAL.  I will not lie to you that the day was perfect. In fact, if I recall correctly this was the time that one of my students decided to leave class and walk home without telling anyone. The sub of course did not tell anyone until 45 mins. later....yeesh. However, despite this one REALLY BAD issue, my class was STELLAR compared to previous times. When I would walk by the classroom the majority of them were on task and speaking quietly. No one was yelling, cursing out the sub, or throwing chairs at each other (yes this did happen two times.)

I started incorporating this sticky note idea every time I had a sub, and it consistently paid off. I also found that my quiet students (the ones you never have to worry about) loved to get those messages. They were being recognized and felt validated for the hard work that they did. I even had one student (a border kid) keep every note I gave him that year in his agenda book. He would tape them in and I would see him look back at them whenever he was having a bad day.

It wasn't until this year, that I started doing this for days that I didn't have a sub. Days when I just felt like my students needed a pick me up. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out...maybe it is because all of the responsive classroom training my school is shoving down my throat (another article, another day) but these little notes that do not take that long to write, make a huge difference to my students. Every year, the response is a little different. Some students love them, some students blow it off, others hide them away for another day, but I like to think that when all the stress gets to me and my fuse is short that day, they still know that I care and I am invested in their successes.
 

Meeting Kids in Their Interest

We as teachers are selfish individuals. You can't really blame us. We spend all day with 28 students hanging off our every word, doing what we ask of them, talking to them about things we want to talk about, etc. When we plan our lessons we do things that we want to do.  Yes, we think about our students and what is going to interest them, but we always pick things that we like. I think this is a big flaw in our pedagogy. We shouldn't use things that interest us, or that we love because we have a sentimental attachment to it. We should use things that interest the students, that will get them talking and asking questions, that will have them connect to what we are teaching. I recently witnessed a language arts lesson that talked about effectiveness of digital media. The teacher had some great questions and ideas for her lesson but she used a commercial that came out when she was a little girl. It was an amazing sight to see as an outside observer. As soon as the song started playing, half of the students rolled their eyes and tuned out of the lesson. I wonder if the reaction would have been different if she had used a modern commercial or radio ad.
 Furthermore, I don't think I would have noticed this reaction if I was teaching the commercial. Often when I am teaching my mind is going a-mile-a-minute and I am not paying attention to my student's reactions but more if they all look like they are paying attention. Seeing this teacher in action really helped me reflect on my own practice. Here is this veteran teacher that has great rapport with her students and has some really great lessons, but it showed me that our choice of material really is critical.