Saturday, June 20, 2015

I just finished my WebQuest! I had my students plan a road trip, while keeping in mind budgeting for gas, lodging and food. Check it out at https://sites.google.com/a/kent.edu/road-trip/. One of the ideas I use in the WebQuest that I like to do a lot with my students is to have them write out an explanation of their reasoning. In this, I have them write a paragraph about their reasoning for their choices to stay in budget and what strategies they used. To have students write out their thought process can really help a teacher to understand if they understand, not just the process, but the reasons to complete the process the way we do. One of the hardest parts about math for students I always find is that they might understand how to complete a problem the exact way you teach it, but if the situation changes at all, they don't understand what to do. If you have students explain the reasoning in words, they start to really understand the processes more in depth and are able to adapt to different situations better. Another part of this WebQuest that I try to incorporate with my students is to show them real life applications of Algebra. Many of the students would go through this without realizing they are using algebra to solve the issue of staying within budget. Its a way to show them that they use algebra all the time without even realizing it! Hope you like the WebQuest!

3 comments:

  1. Neat idea for a WebQuest, Kasey! Is it possible to make your links active, so students can just click and go?

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  2. I love the idea of you having the students write in your WebQuest. So much of Geometry and the PARCC assessments asks for students to reason and explain their reasoning. The more they write and reason in math, the better!

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  3. I love this! I like all the practical applications you built in, even down to tipping the waiter. This is both fun and informative, and I think students will enjoy working through it. I especially enjoyed the conclusion, which was basically "Boom, you just did math" lol!

    -Katie

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