Senior Math Award Gift Ideas
Graduation is in TWO WEEKS, so I spent some time this weekend putting together our department’s Senior Math Award gift bag. Each year, we choose a senior who has demonstrated excellence, perseverance, and growth in mathematics.
My FAVORITE teacher planner!
My beautiful 2023-24 At-A-Glance planner just arrived! I start planning for the next academic school year in May of the prior school year. I am a HUGE believer in PAPER PLANNERS (NOT digital planners) and I truly could not function without my planner.
Senior Prom 2023
Another year is quickly coming to an end, and nothing signals the end a school year more than senior celebrations like prom and graduation. This year’s theme: An Enchanted Evening.
What to do with Seniors after the AP exam?
The internet is chock full of ideas for how to spend the final weeks of school after the AP Calculus exam ends. Here are some academic ideas to continue their learning and some fun ways to spend your final days with your seniors!
Senior Projects + Shadowboxing
Today was day 1 of creating our polar design magnets in class, and, as usual when trying out a new activity, I learned A LOT along the way! Also, I now know what Shadowboxing is?!
Get Rolling with Exponential Decay
One lesson I really enjoy in my Exponential Functions unit is the “10-Sided Dice” lesson. Most Algebra teachers know about the M&M exponential decay lesson, where students get a cup full of M&M’s and roll them.
Polar Project fun
This year, their “final exam” is a project, and I’m trying something new! I saw this idea in the “Desmos Educators” Facebook: creating a magnet using a polar graph design created in Desmos.
Exponential Growth is King
One of the big takeaways I want my students to remember about exponential functions is how powerful exponential growth is. It will outstrip linear growth ALWAYS. It grows faster than any polynomial.
🤑Money talk: Financial literacy
Look, I’m not dummy, I get it - my students will PROBABLY never need to synthetically divide polynomials again in their post-high school future. But you know what they WILL need to be good at? Managing money.
Deriver’s Licenses in AP Calculus
Last year, I began using Deriver’s Licenses as a fun way to recognize students for their mastery of increasingly complex differentiation skills.
AP Calculus Exam day goodie bags!
For the third year in a row, I created goodie bags to hand out to my students on the day of the exam. I love creating these to give them a little morale boost either right before or in the middle of the exam.