When I was in the classroom, I taught Geometry, Algebra 2, and Math Models. Those courses remain some of my passion areas. I also know that there isn’t much out there for many high school teachers. So, as I’m writing some resources for my passion-area courses, I am coming across some really cool (and to be honest, some really irritating) web resources other mathematicians and educators have produced. It is my hope that on this blog post, I can keep it updated with some interesting readings, activities, and resources for Algebra 2 teachers. If you have some ideas, ping me […]
FREE Webinars for Flexible Math Resources
There’s only one thing that’s certain about the 2020-21 school year – how it will “look” is unclear. How do you plan for a school year that may include unprecedented combinations of remote and in-class teaching? Our main focus at Cosenza & Associates is to provide mathematics educators with quality teaching resources in the classroom. However, with the look of next year’s classrooms uncertain, we’ve re-tooled some of our resources to make it easier for you to transition between in-class and virtual school schedules and routines. The method for communicating with your students may not be clear, but we want […]
Rules that Expire
When I work with teachers, I spend a lot of time helping them plan. In a coaching role, we plan lessons together. We plan assessments or instructional strategies. In a workshop setting, we think more like strategic planning. How do topics flow within a unit? What are the pitfalls and challenges of teaching a particular topic? Every now and again, someone will say something like, “I just need them to know that when you add two numbers you get a bigger number.” Then, my heart stops beating momentarily. When NOT to Reach Out and Touch Someone Karen Karp is one […]
The Fish Was THIS Big!
A Fish Story I’ve said this before, but mathematics occurs in the strangest of places. Walking down the street in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, I was admiring the architecture. Lo and behold, suddenly there appeared a tile mosaic of a fish on the side of one building. I’m such a math nerd, so I couldn’t help but notice the square tiles and wonder, how many tiles did it take to make that fish? Or in math speak, “what is the area of the fish?” Then the teacher in me emerged. I’ve been on a kick lately with the “What do you […]
Quadratic Functions and Projectile Motion
Throwing Your Weight Around No, dear, you cannot change -16 to -12 in the quadratic equation because it factors more nicely. –Disgruntled Curriculum Specialist, Could Be Your ISD Ever feel like every quadratic equation has an x-squared term with a coefficient of -16 or -4.9? -16 factors nicely but -4.9 certainly doesn’t. Projectile motion is a great context and is highly relevant both to students and to a variety of careers and situations. Coefficients of -16 and -4.9 are directly related to Earth’s gravity, so it’s hard to change those values so that the curve makes a prettier graph or so […]
