Sean Finity of Marion Central Schools sent us a great follow-up lesson to our Unit #6.Lesson #11 – Locus Definition of a Parabola. He introduces the “Standard Form of a Parabola”, i.e. 4p(y-k)=(x-h)^2 You may have never seen this formula before, or perhaps you have. It can be used to generate the formula for a parabola if you know it’s vertex (h,k) and the distance between the vertex and the focus (or equivalently the distance… Read more »
Category: Algebra II
Vertical Stretching and Compressing of Functions
Posted onSo, I’ve been engaged in a great back and forth conversation with Thomas Meininger of the Herkimer CSD about how we should describe the transformation of that occurs to f(x) when it is multiplied by a positive constant, i.e. y=k*f(x), especially when k is between 0 and 1. This conversation was spurred by the fact that in my CC Algebra II lesson on vertical stretching and compressing of functions, I claim that in the case… Read more »
Protected: CC Algebra II Tests for Units #2 and #4 – by James Sposato
Posted onStatistical Simulation in Rochester
Posted onI’m going to be speaking in Rochester tomorrow about the use of statistical simulation in Common Core Algebra II. I think this is a deep topic that we are only beginning to understand. So far as I can tell, inferential statistics has never been taught in a standards system that clearly places simulation ahead of more formulaic approaches. Don’t get me wrong, I completely support the move for more experiential education in probability and statistics.… Read more »
A Little Halloween Problem – CC Alg I and Alg II
Posted onSo, I was driving around with my son Maxwell (Max) and we were discussing giant pumpkins. The whole family loves carving pumpkins each year and we had just seen a television show about the giant squash species. So, he posed the question: “How big do you think the largest pumpkin in the world is?” Well, that made me think of many math problems, from the obvious relationship between the diameter or circumference and the weight.… Read more »
CC Algebra II Standards Map – by Kirk Weiler
Posted onSo, we’ve already published a map showing which units and lessons all of the CC PARCC EOY standards show up in. But, until recently, I hadn’t done the mapping in the “other direction” as I like to think about it. In other words, I hadn’t given a table of contents that showed what standards were hit in each lesson. Well, I’ve got that done now and am presenting it here for your use as we… Read more »
Common Core Algebra II Version 1.0 Now Ready
Posted onSo, what have you been doing on Summer Vacation? Well, I finished the YouTube screencast videos for Common Core Algebra II, all 107 of them, last Friday. Then, I spent the weekend and all of yesterday editing the text, with the help of my editor-in-chief Fraz Lugay. Last night I submitted the final text for CC Algebra II. I will have the proof later on this week and hopefully we will start printing workbooks and… Read more »
Statistical Simulation – Common Core Algebra II
Posted onSo, I’ve been working away at finishing Common Core Algebra II. The last unit is on Statistics and a large part of it is statistical simulation, which is a very new idea not only to New York State statistics at this level, but pretty much everywhere. Here at eMATHinstruction, we’ve been working hard to develop tools for teachers and students to run statistical simulations that are useful in understanding variability, confidence intervals and inferential statistics.… Read more »
Common Core Algebra II – Unit #8.Lesson #4 – The Missing Lesson
Posted onSo, I’ve been in Italy for the last few days, really enjoying so much of this country. Its culture is amazing and its people are even more so. O.k. Enough about my vacation. I was editing the other day and noticed that there was a lesson that I failed to include in the compilation of the Common Core Algebra II text. Specifically, Unit #8.Lesson #4.Fractional Exponents Revisited. I’m not sure how that happened, but here… Read more »
Common Core Algebra II Progress
Posted onSo, I’ve been on “vacation” for two weeks now and have been busy with Common Core Algebra II materials. Primarily I’ve been working on recording the YouTube videos for each lesson. I’m excited to see how these help students and teachers in the coming school year as CC Alg II becomes implemented in New York and other areas. I’ve always found that many students hit a wall at the Algebra 2 level. A student can… Read more »