Ms Algebra's Tutoring

  Wednesday, February 7, 2024 by Darlene Anthony | Communication

Happy Black History Month!!! This year is just moving right along. We have made it through January and #ColdMaggedon24. Punxsutawney Phil the Ground Hog has predicted an early spring this year. According to FoxWeather.com, "Phil has predicted 108 continued winters and only 21 early springs as of 2024." Stormax Almanac says this is a 39% accuracy rate for Phil. I don't know about everyone here in Texas, but as for me, I would not mind just a little more cooler weather than we normally get. Last summer was just HOT!!! It seems the prediction is that we will have more of the same hot, dry Texas summer weather.

 Accolades for Mrs. Anthony - A moment in Black History 

Last year or the year before, our staff thought of "gnominating" peers each week to recognize something special that others may not get to see.  Every Friday, the teacher that was "Gnominated" gets to choose the next week's recipient. My neighbor and sweet friend Momma Cos had these sweet words to say and I am grateful for her and her friendship.

I am a firm believer in Changing your Words to Change your Mindset. However, those changes must also come with changes in actions as well. Many of the students I serve also struggle with reading comprehension skills. I love to incorporate some of the things they are learning and using in reading to help them in the math classroom.  As a teacher of the Agile Minds Intensified Algebra curriculum, we see a lot of real world situations and the characters are embedded throughout each lesson. They may get introduced to a family in unit 3 and now that we are wrapping up unit 7, they are revisited to expand the learning for a new concept. 

Reading in Math

Many of the students don't realize that skills learned in one class can be transferred to another such as Algebra. There are many strategies that I use in my class to help make the math more comprehensible for both my struggling readers and Emerging Bilingual students. Today, I would like to share a few with you.

Use Visual Aids

Algebra is such an abstract concept. Visual representations such as diagrams, graphs, charts, and models can provide concrete examples to students for a better understanding of abstract algebraic concepts. 

Provide Scaffolded Text

Sometimes when asked to read a math problem, students will read as if they are just reading for the sake of reading. However, when reading math, there must be a plan to determine what information is relevant or needed. As students read a article or excerpt in reading there are strategies used to make sense of the information. Likewise, in math student must break down the problem into more chunks. The use of what we call the PAT list (pay attention to list) helps to draw attention to important information. In this modern world, hashtags # have become a thing. #smaller #PATlist #manageable

Model Think-Alouds

One of my favorite and beneficial strategies is the think-aloud. This strategy allows me to model for the students the process I use when I approach a problem for the first time. I model the annotations to use as I am reading through the problem. There is a specific cadence that I have while reading that allows me to digest the information that I have read. This has definitely engaged my students in think-alouds as they work on problems within their small groups or individually. 

Encourage Active Reading Strategies 

Have students explore active reading strategies such as summarizing, questioning, predicting, and reasonableness. As they are working through the problem to find the solution, students should engage with the text by asking questions about unfamiliar vocabulary, making predictions about the outcome and the reasonableness of their answers. 

Build Confidence and Persistence

Students that struggle with reading comprehension in the math classroom can benefit from fostering a growth mindset. This can be accomplished by emphasizing the importance of effort, perseverance and resilience...grit. Throughout this process, it is extremely important to celebrate successes, encourage them to embrace the struggles, and help them learn from mistakes. 

Incorporating these reading strategies into my algebra instruction, I am able to help my struggling students improve their reading comprehension skills while also building their confidence in algebraic problem-solving one solution at a time. 

Until next time, Be Right, Be Wrong, Don't Be Nothing! 

~Ms. Algebra

  Wednesday, January 17, 2024 by Darlene Anthony | Communication

ColdMageddon 24 

We made it through #ColdMageddon24!!! WooHoo! Were you able to stay in during the Arctic Blast? I hope each of you were able to weather the storm the last 4 days. It's been bitterly cold here in the DFW and surrounding areas. What's fascinating is the difference a day makes. This first picture was taken Monday Morning.  As I prepared for bed Sunday night, there were a few flurries and a small accumulation. Yet, when I checked the camera footage from my Vivint App while snuggled in my warm bed, I was shocked at the amount of accumulation that we had. 

Picture 1: Monday Morning

Tuesday morning, from the same location as before, I took a peek outside (via my Vivint App ☺). The scenery was completely different. What once appeared to be cold, gloomy, and scary, now appeared warm (though really cold), inviting and safe. The sun was shining bright, blue skies, with no snow accumulation to be found anywhere. 

Picture 2: Tuesday Morning

At times, math can easily be seen like the first picture. Over the years, you may have shut down, been sad, or even apprehensive about math...your body can actually have a physically response from an emotional reaction. However, like the 2nd picture, the sunshine comes along, Ms. Algebra, to help chase the scary math feeling away to bring happiness, excitement and the freedom to do math knowing and understanding errors are ok. Ms. Algebra firmly believes that it is okay to Be Right, it's okay to Be Wrong, but strive to never Be Nothing. 

5 Benefits of Writing in Math

Writing in math is one way to help move you from Picture 1, cold, gloomy and scary to Picture 2, shining bright, happy, and ready to excel. Here, you will find 5 benefits you may receive when you take the time to move from computing math in your mind to taking the time to write it down.

Memory Enhancement: Writing things down in math will allow you to organize your thoughts to help clarify your understanding. It also helps to engage multiple senses and reinforces memory. We must engage every part of us to connect, especially writing. The benefits of writing things down helps to move the new material from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Communication: When you are writing things down in math, you are sending information to your teacher and others. It allows you to share your thought process of your solutions, especially your teacher.  

Problem Solving Strategy:  If you have not noticed mathematics is comprised of patterns. Once you are able to recognize the pattern your understanding will increase. To take that understanding to the next level, create a problem solving strategy that will help you break down the more convoluted problems in a more systematic way. 

Visualization: Though I am not a very artistic person, I am a huge advocate of drawing pictures, graphs, some sort of visual aid that will help you see the problem in a more concrete way. Math can seem so abstract and difficult to grasp. However, visualization provides a way to make it more comprehensible. 

Feedback and Review: Everyday in Algebra I find myself referring back to material we covered 2-3 months prior. Former skills and concepts always have a way of coming back up when learning new material. Written work, such as notes or self-assessments, provides a record for you to track your progress.   

Essentially, writing things down in math transcends documentation; it serves as a catalyst for learning, problem-solving, and communication. This journey enhances understanding that empowers learners to build mathfidence (Math confidence) one written solution at a time. 

Until next time, Be Right, Be Wrong, Don't Be Nothing!!

~Ms. Algebra