#MyFavFriday - First Week Back

Happy Friday!!!  We've made it through another week - HIGH FIVE! :)

This was our first week back from Winter Break and thankfully it was a short week.  We started back on Wednesday, then I had to be absent yesterday as my mom had a heart stent put in (she did great!), then I was back for today.  This weekend is shaping up to be a busy one with several family events and lots of lesson planning! :)  Thankfully I don't have any grading to do yet!

Last fall, I posted about wanting to use #MyFavFriday more as a weekly reflection post, but it kind of fell by the wayside as the semester progressed.  During the #MTBoS12Days challenge, I posted a fall reflection and I recommitted to trying it again, so here we go!

My Favorite Lesson of the Week:

This one is definitely a toss up...

In Geometry, my favorite lesson had to be on Wednesday, when we did several critical thinking puzzles to help ease us back into school-mode, with the main idea of logical thinking to move us into proofs.  These word chain puzzles were such a hit!

Then, today in AP Stat, we did Doug Tyson's Smelling Parkinson's activity to introduce simulations.  It was absolutely all I could do to keep a straight face as some kids swore up and down that the cards had different odors.  I can't wait to tie back to this lesson when we get to hypothesis testing :)


My Favorite Formative Assessment Strategy used this Weeek:

Last semester, one of the books I was reading was Total Participation Techniques and then Angela Watson had a Truth for Teachers podcast episode on the book as well.

One of the strategies mentioned was "Hold Ups".  In the book/podcast, the Hold Ups are more generic, but I've found them to be a great tool for feedback, especially in Geometry.  Today, we were reviewing triangle congruence from first semester and I had 10 or so triangle diagrams.  What I love about Hold Ups is that with quick glance around the room, I can easily tell which problems the students got and which ones we need to discuss more.

My Favorite Exit Ticket Prompt of the Week:
Based on some twitter discussions about a mid-year Teacher Report Card, my exit tickets this week were designed to elicit feedback from my students about what worked (and what didn't work) in the Fall Semester.  Today's exit ticket question was:  1) What was something (activity, structure, etc) that really helped you learn?  2)  What was something that did NOT help you learn?

My Favorite Exit Ticket Replies:
Asking my students for feedback during this short week has really been eye-opening and has given me a lot to ponder this weekend.  Below are some of my favorite replies from the prompt above:

• While I dislike FRAPPYs they really do help you to better understand because you are getting the practice.
• I dislike when we have to watch videos when you aren't here.  
• Having you correct our problems right then was very helpful. [Edited to add:  VNPS]
• Something that didn't:  The Kahoots - They're fun, but only as a tool for review; which is what we used it as.... nevermind! :)
• I dislike getting up and doing problems around the room.  I really need to sit and do math and we had to stand and it was hard to write, etc
• One test I was studying and finally remembered to use the Canvas page - it was like a whole new world!
• Going around the room with whiteboards was awful for me.  I was always afraid that someone would see me doing something wrong.

What were your favorite moments of the week?  Share your post in the comments or on Twitter using the hashtag #MyFavFriday.

Have a great weekend, y'all!