I presented Austin with theree literary articles from which to choose andhe selected a readWorks article about a paper airplane contest. Austin knew the vocabulary that was selected as more complex and most challenging, but Austin was able to effectively explain and define the words, using examples, which demonstrated his understanding. We discussed the function of idioms and how they are not to be taken literally. We also read a different genre today - a poem. Austin was challenged by one of the questions but ultimately arrived at the correct answer and stated his rationale that helped him decide on hsis choice. Austin was asked to compare a dream he's had with the poem we read and he demonstrated a good abilty to analyze the two and compare and contrast them logically. Austin requested that we read more in our novel by louis Sachar. We remember where we had left off and read from chapter 12 - chapter 18. Austin commented that he thinks the story is relly good and asked me to read more - even after it was time to leave. He analyzed the relationship of the protagonist and the antagonist in the story as new more complex relationship emerged in subsequent chapters. Austin made insightful comments and predictions as we read, and answered queries about the content and character analyses which demonstrated excellent synthesis and integration of the material.
Today I was out - due to an eye infection, so I met with Aiden on Teams. The first problem set we covered were a review of basic percent problems. The first problem required Aiden to work with a percent less than 1. At first, he got stuck on how to convert a percent to a decimal. We were working with 0.8% and Aiden asked if he was supposed to multiply by 0.8 or 0.008. I reminded Aiden that it doesn't matter what the percent is (over 100 or under 1), we will still need to change it from its percent form to its decimal form before we use it for calculations. For example 0.23%=0.023, 2.3%=0.023, 23% = 0.23, 230%=2.30, etc. Aiden followed. Next, we moved onto percentage change problems. I reminded Aiden how we did the Car's value depreciation problem last class. We reviewed how to conceptually find the problem and then I showed Aiden the formula. Percent Change = (new value -old value)/(old value). We will continue to practice this next class. I'd like for Aiden to understand why this formula can be used.
Today I was out due to an eye infection, so we met on Teams. We reviewed the problems he had on Friday that covered solving systems of equations by graphing and substitution. I had Carson walk me through the steps of graphing lines. He recalled that we start with the y-intercept but had trouble remembering that we use the slope to rise and run from there. I showed him and he understood. We reviewed how the solution to a system is the coordinates of their intersection. I showed Carson an example of two parallel lines and asked him to make a prediction of their solution. He recalled that parallel lines never intersect, so he said they'd have no solution. Next we moved onto Substitution. First I did a problem to remind him of the approach. Then I gave him a problem to work out independently. He asked for some help along the way, but was able to get the correct solution. We will show how these problems relate to real world scenarios next class.
Today PJ and I discussed the order of operations. I first gave him the problem 5-2*6. I asked him to solve it. He said the answer was 18. I showed him that is a common mistake students make is by computing from left to right. However, there is an order in which we have to apply computations. We used the acroynym PEMDAS which stands for Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction. We remember it by, "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally." Then I had PJ do the problem again. He realized he had to multiply before he subtracted. So the correct approach was 5-12=-7. We used his desk and expo markers to come up with expressions with 3 operations. He again had an instinct to complete the problem left to right. I reminded him of PEMDAS and asked him to consider his approach. He was able to make the appropriate correction. We will continue with this concept next class.
Today we continued with the same concept of modeling functions given a data set. We practiced using context clues to "guess" what function type it was. Then we used our calculator to enter values and have it determine the actual equation for it. Next we used the model to help us predict future values. We determined if these values were an over or under estimate. These problems are quite "easy", but the hard part is remembering all of the steps to enter into the calculator. We both need more practice with this concept to become more fluid with it.
Matthew took a Quiz today. He worked the entire period. He paused a few times to ask for clarification. I encouraged him to continue as he was on the right path. He still had about 5 questions left. He will continue the Quiz on Monday.
Today we took notes in 2.5 on Exponential functions and context modeling. Joshua followed along as I explained to him how to read context clues to determine if the given data set is linear, quadratic, or exponential. Then we used computations to determine what type of data set we were given. Next we used our calculator to run a regression. We entered in data values and the calculator estimated the function equation. Tomorrow we will continue with this lesson.
Today Aiden and I discussed a new topic, percent change. We started with the example of how buying a brand new car depreciates in value over time. For simplicity, we said Aiden buys a brand new car for $10,000. Two years later, his car is said to be worth $8,000. I asked Aiden, by what percent did the car's value depreciate. We determined that the value decreased by $2,000. Then we compared it to the original value of $10,000 to see that it decreased by 20%. Then we worked with values that weren't so 'friendly'. We discussed an Alligator that was measured at 32 inches, then a year later was measured at 36 inches. We determined it was a 4 inch increase over the year. To determine the percent increase, we compared the 4 inch increase over the original length of 32. We got 4/32=0.125. Therefore the Alligator's length increased by 12.5%.
He showed me music that he has learned so far. He did a great job. I showed him a few songs I used to know, and he tried to play them. I enjoyed our class!
