How do YOU see Real Numbers?

Check out some of the students projects on how visualize the real number system!

What creativity!!

Mrs. McCabe can RAP about Real Numbers

Check out my rap that I created!

Stay tuned to see student creations...
They are AWESOME!!!

Algebrainians At Work

Algebra is in full swing!  

Today we learned about the Real Number System and Absolute Values.

To help us remember the real number categories...
Mrs. McCabe sang us a song.

There was a real lady who swallowed a NAT

I don't know why she swallowed a NAT

Perhaps she'll fall flat.

There was a real lady who swallowed a WHOLE

That wiggled and jiggled and tickled her soul.

She swallowed the WHOLE to catch the NAT

I don't know why she swallowed a NAT

Perhaps she'll fall flat.

There was a real lady who swallowed an INTEGER

Oh what a stir, to swallow an INTEGER.

She swallowed the INTEGER to catch the WHOLE

That wiggled and jiggled and tickled her soul.

She swallowed the WHOLE to catch the NAT

I don't know why she swallowed the NAT

Perhaps she'll fall flat.

There was a real lady who swallowed a RAT (rational)

Imagine that!  To swallow a RAT.

She swallowed the RAT to catch the INTEGER

Oh what a stir, to swallow an INTEGER.

She swallowed the INTEGER to catch the WHOLE

That wiggled and jiggled and tickled her soul.

She swallowed the WHOLE to catch the NAT

I don't know why she swallowed the NAT

Perhaps she'll fall flat.

There was a real lady who swallowed an IRR (irrational)

Oh my dear!  It isn't clear...

She fell on her rear!

Why All the Fish in Math???

Students always comment, "Why all the fish, Mrs. McCabe?"
"How do fish and math have anything in common?"

I'm sure I could come up with a math problem (or two...or three!) including fish,
But this FISH! lesson is more important.
We focus on four FISH! to help us understand the math expectations in Mrs. McCabe's classroom.
And the best part?
These four FISH! ideas are a great reminder for life in general.


If the video doesn't play, you can click here to watch it.

We watched how Pike's Place Fish Market became successful,
And then we took their four ideas and brainstormed how it would look like in math class.

1.  Choose Your Attitude (Focus on Attitude):  Be happy!  Come in a good mood.  Make Every Day A Good Day!  Don't Get Mad, Get Glad!  Look on the Bright Side of Things.  Don't Be a Bummer.
2.  Play (Interject Fun):  Get Involved!  Movement.  Play with Numbers.  Math Games.  Have Energy!
3.  Make Their Day (Serve Others):  Help Others.  Don't Be Negative.  Compliments.  Be Encouraging.  Smile.  Be There.
4.  Be There (Here and Now):  Show Up Ready to Learn.  Keep Together.  Focus on Math.  Communicate about Math.  Engage with Students.

Go Math!

It's Friday.
We started math class today in a huddle.
Go Math!

Math Equate...It's Really Math Scrabble

Can't believe it's been almost a week since our first day of school!

So much has happened since we spent that first day with our new students 

Playing a scrabble-like math game.

Playing with Numbers & Learning Math Practices

Students on Friday and Monday worked on solving the Locker Problem,

But in the process, learned some valuable math skills to use throughout the year.

1.  Persevere when solving problems.  Most of the time our first strategy won't work.  We need to try it again or implement a totally new idea.  Working with others and not giving up helps us to meet our goal of finding the solution.

2.  Use the correct math tools when solving problems.  Math tools come in all shapes and sizes.  The most popular math tools are a simple pencil and paper.  Other math tools can include two-colored counters (shown above), graph paper, rulers...whatever is needed to help the solving process.

3.  Find patterns and shortcuts.  Math is full of patterns and if a pattern can be found a shortcut might not be too far off.  Patterns help us to make sense of our solution and to help us solve even more complex problems!

4.  Be precise.  When sharing our work, using the correct vocabulary adds precision to our explanation.  "Squaring the number" is more precise than "multiplying the number by itself".