Math Error

7th Graders have been working on plotting points and graphing functions.  To introduce the idea students were to create a picture out of points on a coordinate plane and list the ordered pairs.

This is far more than a mere coloring exercise!  Students had to plan, design, and implement their vision of 100+ dots on the coordinate plane.  Plotting ordered pairs is a very simple idea, but an important one when it comes to making charts and graphing lines.

Kaleb, Jonathan, Ty, and Nathan went above and beyond with their vision!

Way to go, guys!

Kaleb (5th Period)

Jonathan (4th Period)

Ty (5th Period)

Nathan (5th Period)

We have had a very wet year!  In fact, as of 9:00 AM this morning, according to KATV:

We are now only .72′ ‘ away from breaking into the top 10 wettest years on record. This will more than likely happen sometime today.

How does that compare to what we have seen this year?  I am glad you asked!

You will notice that most of Arkansas is in the red…which means we have had between 60 and 80 inches this year…That is between 5 and 6.6 feet!  That is more rain than most of us are tall!  WOW!

It does not appear to be letting up any time soon, either.  Lets take a look at the immediate forecast:

This is a problem!  Mrs. Rohnda told me the other day that she heard on the radio, that there has only been one nine day streak this year where we have not had rain!  That means that the ground has not had much time to dry out.

The National Weather Service issued the following statement yesterday:

… PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE COMPLETED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE…

SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL SYSTEMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION OUT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING SLOW-MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE SYSTEMS WILL INTERACT WITH THE SLOW FRONT… AND THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SEVERAL WAVES OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL TO OCCUR ACROSS A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.FOR THIS REASON… A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.

AS MUCH AS 5 TO 7 INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS TODAY THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. THE HEAVIEST RAIN WILL OCCUR IN AREAS MAINLY ALONG A LINE FROM SALEM… TO LITTLE ROCK… TO CAMDEN. IN AREAS EAST AND WEST OF THIS LINE… AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE COMMON… WITH ISOLATED TOTALS APPROACHING 6 INCHES.

NEAR-RECORD RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IN A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. THERE HAS BEEN VERY LITTLE TIME FOR ANY SIGNIFICANT DRYING… WITH THE GROUND SO SATURATED. MANY STREAMS… CREEKS… AND RIVERS ARE ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS FOR LATE OCTOBER… WITH SEVERAL POINTS ALONG THE WHITE… CACHE AND OUACHITA RIVERS ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THERE WILL SIMPLY BE NOWHERE FOR THE WATER TO GO.

WITH ALL THE EXPECTED RAINFALL… AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS WILL BE LIKELY. MANY LOW-LYING ROADS WILL BE FLOODED… AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS WILL BE IMPASSABLE. STREAMS THAT HAVE A TENDENCY TO RISE RAPIDLY DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL TEND TO FLOOD THE QUICKEST. ANYONE CAMPING ALONG THE BANKS OF A STREAM OR RIVER… PARTICULARLY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARKANSAS SHOULD MAKE PLANS TO LEAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE OR AT LEAST MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

COMMUTERS DURING THE EVENING DRIVE ON TODAY AND THE MORNING DRIVE FRIDAY SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS. IF YOU DRIVE ACROSS AREAS NEAR BODIES OF WATER SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING… MAKE PLANS FOR AN ALTERNATE ROUTE.

PLEASE STAY INFORMED BY MONITORING THE LATEST FORECASTS AND INFORMATION FROM YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED… YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND ON IT.

This is bad news for people living in low lying areas such as Augusts, Arkansas, which is along the White River.

Keep in mind that Flood Stage for this location is 26 feet.  Notice that they are already above flood stage and beginning to rise!  This is bad news for land owners and farmers…but good news for duck hunters.

Have a safe and (not so) dry Halloween!

Previous screen shots taken from NOAA.

See who voted for what HERE!

Make an informed decision and check out the team stats :

Arkansas Razorbacks

Florida Gators

UPDATE:
Congrats to Dustin H. in 4th period! His prediction was the closest! He is the proud bearer of a $5 My Sonic Card!

…in this case there are at least three!

Consider the following two ways to solve the problem.

The first way is the way I learned to add fractions with different denominators some 15 years go.  This method teaches you to find a common denominator by either finding the LCM or by simply multiplying the denominators together then writing the equivalent fraction.  Then add and simplify if needed.

The second way was demonstrated by a student in class.  I find it rather interesting.  First you convert any mixed numbers into a fraction.  Then multiply each fraction by 1 (in terms of the second fraction’s denominator).   Then add and simplify if needed.

Let me brag on one of my students for a bit.  “K” is a very laid back student.  Most of his peers would not label him as a “thinker.” But I am! “K” has surprised me and the math coach several times so far this year.  Just when I think that he is not paying attention and daydreaming…wham! He comes up with a way of doing things that is much, much more simple than the way that I am trying to explain it.  He is a thinker.  Here is how he did the same problem in his head!  The drawings are my interpretation of his words as he was explaining how he did the problem.

Way to go “K” I am proud of you!  I bragged on you all day Monday and promised that I would blog about it.  Sorry it took so long to get around to it!

Readers, what creative ways can you come up with to solve this problem?

Changing Fractions, Decimals, and Percents…

In recent months and years I have developed a passion for gadgets.  Most recently though, I have fell in love with the Apple iPod Touch.  The touch is so much more than an mp3 player…it is more like a mini-computer.  The list of things it can do could go on and on…

• Listen to music
• Watch videos
• Send e-mail
• Surf the net
• Play games
• Research
• Update your Facebook status

One thing that you can do with it that many people leave out is LEARN!  The iPod Touch as a learning platform has some real potential.  I have compiled a list of apps to that end.  Some of them I have on my personal device, others I have read reviews and seen screen shots of them.  Many of them have Lite Versions, i.e. free, so don’t pay for it unless you have to.  I always recommend previewing the lite version before purchasing ANYTHING.

DiaMath FREE – A fun math game that reviews your mental math as well as how numbers relate to each other.  This game can work for a 3rd grader or senior in high school.  There are multiple levels to challenge any user.

g-Flash FREE – A flash card game.  This game comes loaded with several sets however, you can create your own sets using Google Spreadsheets!  The app keeps track of the cards you missed and cycles them back through when you finish the deck!  I have developed several sets…if you are interested in them, let me know.

Card Math FREE -  This game is very addicting!  you are given a set of 4 cards each with a number value (i.e. J = 11, Q = 12, K = 13, and A = 1).  It is the users task to arrange the cards and operations [ ( ), X, /, +, - ] in order to make them total 26.  A very challenging game to review order of operations!

Without having my device in front of me, these are the most memorable that I have…Below you will find apps that I wish to download.  I have listed the url so you can check them out.  Remember to search for a lite or free version before paying for the full version.

Pop Math $0.99
http://www.iphonefootprint.com/2008/11/touch-to-teach-math-to-your-kid/

Web Apps FREE
http://www.apple.com/webapps/

WalkCounter – A pedometer

Air Sharing – an app that allows you to share documents over the air

Pi Cubed $9.99
http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com/picubed

Math King $0.99
http://www.appsafari.com/appstore/7965/math-king/

By the way, on their 09.09.09 event, Steve Jobs, Co-Founder and CEO of Apple, announced a new model of the iPod Touch that is UNDER $199…what a great christmas present!

What are some of your favorite iPod Touch apps?

Quiz Friday…Students will be given a study guide with the answers and where to find example problems in the book on THURSDAY.