Uptown factors (Factoring song parody of Uptown Funk)

Hello and Happy New Year!  I posted this on YouTube months ago, but in case you missed it here's our factoring based parody of Uptown Funk!   Also, keep an out on my blog. I make no promises, but I may make a few blog posts this year!




Lyrics:
Gon’ factor, gon’ factor, factor
Gon’ factor, gon’ factor, factor
Gon’ factor, gon’ factor

Let’s start this lesson
Learn to factor expressions
This one for those students
The blueprints for mastery
Sittin', Gettin’ a factoring education. 
Take a sum or a difference
and make it a multiplication

When you see (x squared)
Without a number in front of it
plus bx (b x)
Standard form for a quad-rat-ic
then plus c (constant) 
that’s x squared plus b x plus c 
Standard form (aw yeah) 
factor that tri-no-mial 
break it down.

x squared plus bx plus c
x squared plus bx plus c 
x squared plus bx plus c 
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Parentheses, x’s and fill in the spots
Multiply and Add up (come on)
Multiply and Add up uh

Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up 
Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up
Hey, hey, hey, oh

Stop, wait a minute
See those spots? Put those numbers in em
Write the signs, then you check
Ms McCool, Bring it back

Write parentheses, x’s
find the pair of factors
multiply to c, and add to b
That’s a skill that you can all master 

When you see (x squared)
Without a number in front of it
plus bx (b x)
Standard form for a quad-rat-ic
then plus c (constant)
that’s x squared plus b x plus c
Standard form (aw yeah). Other video?
factor that tri-no-mial
break it down

x squared plus bx plus c
x squared plus bx plus c
x squared plus bx plus c 
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression 
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Now I’m gon’ factor this expression
Parentheses, x’s and fill in the spots
Multiply and Add up (come on) 
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up
Hey, hey, hey, oh

Before we leave
What if there’s a number with x squared?
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up uh
I said Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up

Take ‘a’ then slide it
to 'c’ and then multiply em
Find the factors then divide em
by a, reduce on both sides and
Bring the bottoms up beside x
When you factor let this guide ya:

Parentheses, xs and fill in the spots 
Multiply and Add up come on!
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up uh
Multiply and Add up
Multiply and Add up
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?) 
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?)
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?)
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up (say what?)
Slide, Divide, Bottoms up

Angry Birds Geogebra

Angry Birds is a pretty popular game with the kids nowadays.  My students brought up the game when we started talking about parabolas and I've been working on a way to bring that connection into a class.  So, I created a lesson using GeoGebra and some screenshots from Angry Birds mixed in with some inspiration from Dan's Will The Ball Hit The Can?

I created 4 GeoGebra files each with a piece of a different Angry birds shot like so:

Using GeoGebra, students worked in groups of 2 on their laptops to place points onto the bird's trail as accurately as possible to create a quadratic models in order to decide if the bird would score a direct hit on any of the pigs.  If you had 4 points labeled A-D, for instance, the GeoGebra command would be FitPoly[A, B, C, D, 2]

Some commands that helped them place their points accurately:
CTRL=  Zooms in
CTRL- Zooms out
CTRL CLICK DRAG  Pans your view

Once students finished their files would look something similar to the file shown here:


Sorry, the GeoGebra Applet could not be started. Please make sure that Java 1.4.2 (or later) is installed and active in your browser (Click here to install Java now)


We then discussed if they thought they scored a hit, what would happen when it hit, and then showed them the big reveal:

Overall, the students were engaged, worked hard to get their answers, and learned how to use GeoGebra to create quadratic models.  If you'd like the files I used you can find them here:  Angry Birds GeoGebra files

PS- I'm muddling through learning GeoGebra, so if you know of a better way to do things than I'm doing, let me know.

Pimp My Catapult

*Fffwwwooooooooooooooooooosssshh* That is the sound of me blowing the dust off of my blog. Welcome back to my little corner of the Interwebs. Between getting married, buying a house and my math programming side project I've had little time to share anything on here, but I'm back in action and ready to start updating more regularly, so here we go...

I've been tweaking my catapult design a bit each year, and think I've finally found the best design to fire accurately(even in student hands).  So if you tried the catapult project last year, but had trouble with student accuracy this post might help if you're willing to give it another shot. If you haven't tried the project yet but want to this year, I would highly suggest using the design and tips below.  Here is the new design:

Highlights:

1)   Mini clothespins give a more appropriate distance and height.

2)   I now make the basket out of a thin strip of paper, complete the circle with a small piece of scotch tape and use a bit of glue to hold the basket on.  Having a basket that is just barely bigger than an m&m laying flat helps accuracy.  Make sure students know to load the m&m laying flat each time. 

3)   Cut off the rounded edge of the popsicle stick behind the basket.  The flat edge helps fire more consistently.

4)   This new firing mechanism allows student to essentially just pressing a button to fire.  There is still room for some error here, so make sure they know to hit the button SLOWLY each time. The back clothespin is positioned so that it just barely overlaps the back of the catapult when it is all the way down.  Here's a close up with the catapult loaded:

 5)   The front of the catapult is tilted forward so that it goes further and not as high.

6)   Okay, so there's no 6 on the picture, but thinking about it now it would make more sense to move the guide rails on the main catapult much closer to the back.

So there you have it. I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any other ideas for improvements in the comments.

Previous catapult posts:
http://sweeneymath.blogspot.com/2009/08/m-catapult-project-pt-1-catapult-plans.html
http://sweeneymath.blogspot.com/2009/09/m-catapult-project-pt-2-project.html


BONUS:  I let one of my classes build their own catapults last year, and after finishing the project one group decided to come in to my classroom during some free periods and make this ridiculously awesome trebuchet.

Quadratic Formula Rap

If there's one thing my students learn by the end of the year and actually still remember in later years, it's the quadratic formula.  The class where I introduce the formula goes down like this:  First I tell them about the quadratic formula in a traditional way. I explain that now with the QF we can solve any quadratic equation, and do it much easier than we could with completing the square.  I show them how to use it and they solve a couple quadratics themselves.  I then tell them that for homework they have to memorize the quadratic formula overnight and there will be a quiz on it at the beginning of next class.(This is not my usual style)  I always receive a chorus of groans.  "But!" I interject "It will be much easier than you think.  I've gotten someone to come in and help you all with this, let me go get him."  I go into the hallway, put my tie around my head, half untuck my shirt and start a live performance of this. (my rapping name is SweenDawg, of course)

The live performance helps make it really fun for them, and I would highly suggest doing it if you decide to use a rap in your classroom.  Any time I do a song in class (there are others) I typically do one "live" and then have a recording so I can play it for the kids multiple times and in later classes to help it stick in their memories.  Now I realize this is not the most groundbreaking or new idea, but I want to stress its effectiveness and fun.  The kids who have been generally uninterested throughout the year usually love this lesson the most and really get into it.  Not only that, but I work in a small school and when I have students in later years they almost always remember how to solve quadratics without any prompting... or maybe just an "op-op-op" to get them started.

I also tend to plug the idea of making their own strategies when they have to memorize something, and how making a song is just one example of a memorization technique.



Shoutout to Mr. Mellor for helping lay down the track.

Have your own fun song that you like to do with your students?  Tell me about it!