In Your Classroom: August 2006 Archive
Don't Be a Dope When It Comes to Slope!
Core Connections
submitted by : Ben Duncan, Math teacher at Stewart County High School, Dover Tenn.
Slope is defined as the ratio of the vertical change of a line divided by the horizontal change of a line. It is a mathematical necessity that is evident in all forms of real-life applications. Whether it is an engineer constructing a new building, a surveyor preparing for a new highway, or even the grounds crew for a major football stadium,understanding slope is required for success in all of these activities. Slope is the gradient change in all straight line shapes, which we refer to in mathematical terms as linear, and is used to measure the steepness and flatness of these lines.
Even though it is often ignored and taken for granted, slope is very closely related to many of our everyday activities. Imagine if all buildings were constructed with flat roofs. Water drainage would definitely be a problem and damaging leakage would more than likely occur within the interior of the structure. All major highways built are constructed with slope taken into consideration. Highways are not flat and in most instances slope is referred to as the grade while being surveyed. Highways, being one of the most critical pieces of American infrastructure have slope assisting in drainage. So whether it is to serve as an assist in the navigation progress, for more simplistic cases such as water drainage, or even to enhance fun activities such as snow skiing or sledding; slope is a critical part of our everyday lives and is extremely visible beyond the classroom.
Related Links
- Ask Dr. Math - Slope, Slope-Intercept, Standard Form, a selection of answers from the Dr. Math archives.
- The Slope of a Line - This tutorial takes the student into linear equations. It looks at the relationship between the slopes of parallel lines as well as perpendicular lines.
- The Meaning of Slope and y-Intercept in the Context of Word Problems - From Purple Math, the plan uses slope in word problems.
- Mathematics Videos on Demand - This website features videos for use in the mathematics classroom. Teachers can download videos from large list.
- Grouping skills for Mastery - Article on planning a thematic unit on slope in everyday life.
- Definitions of slope - A definition list and examples of slope.
Related Lesson Plans, Activities, and Classroom Resources
Fun, Instructional and Easy to Use!!!
Instructional Illuminations
Fun, instructional and easy to use, three things that teachers love to hear about a new application.
Photo Story 3 from Microsoft meets these categories plus many others. An important element for teachers is that it is FREE! Photo Story 3 allows teachers and students to take still photos and bring them to life in interesting and exciting presentations.
Teachers could introduce a unit or tour a site that you could not actually visit with your students . Students can use this technology to create a video of their summer vacation or a topic that they can share with other students. Photo Story 3 lets you create a presentation that includes motion, voice narration and music. Just import your photos, customize them, add pan and zoom effects and your ready to go.
This link is a Photo Story 3 example created by Gena Maley, Art Teacher at Murray Middle School in Murray Kentucky.
Related Links
- Microsoft Photo Story 3 - Article published By Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP In Digital Media about the use of this amazing software.
- Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling - This website is devoted to using digital storytelling for instructional classroom use.
- Create a Story from single Still Photo with Photo Story 3 - Use the panning a zooming effects to create a video using only still photos.
- Create your first photo story - A step by step guide to create a photo story.
- Photo Story 3----Do Amazing Things - Papa John a photography expert has created a website devoted to Photo Story 3. One specific section explains creating page templates to use with Photo Story 3.
Self Assessment and Careers
Core Connections
Submitted by Emily Redden, Graves County Middle School
Teaching practical living and vocational studies can be challenging because of the variety of subject material. The four sub domains are divided into health, physical education, consumerism, and jobs and careers. Although there is a wide range of topics to be mastered, each area has certain characteristics to make the content exciting and challenging to all students. One way to do this is by adding technology in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of lessons.
One area in particular, jobs and careers, has a myriad of websites that offer teachers lesson plans, interactive activities, and career assessments to assist instruction.
When teaching students about different jobs and careers, one of the first components we discuss is how to conduct a self assessment to determine what types of careers are best suited for your personality and capabilities. The Internet is a great resource for this. Many websites offer free career assessment, aptitude tests, and personality profiles. These sites are great opportunities for students to learn more about themselves as well as determine their personality types. The connection between personality and career choice will be evident when completing activities such as these.
Related Links
- Careers in Science--Choose Your Own Adventure - This website features information on careers in science. It discusses how taking classes in the science field can lead to interest in science careers.
- Choose Your Career Channel - CareerMag provides industry specific career channels with a wealth of information tailored to your career goals. Select a career channel to research industry information, search jobs and build your portfolio.
- Career Toolbox - This is a work interest survey to help students determine their areas of career interest.
- The Career Key - Allows students to match their personality to selected careers.
- Explore the Possibilities - This is a game designed to help you match your interests and skills with similar careers. It can help you begin thinking about how your personality will fit in with specific work environments and careers
- Self Knowledge - Online career quizzes.
Related Lesson Plans, Activities, and Classroom Resources
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