Algebra Factoring Simulations and Games—Now On HippoCampus.org!

Algebra tutor simulations and puzzles (including two on factoring!) from NROC’s Algebra 1--An Open Course are now available to everyone on HippoCampus.org! A student can be assigned to complete a tutorial or reach a certain score on a game and send you a screenshot that shows completion.

The puzzle and sim linked to here deal with factoring trinomials. If you’d like to browse more interactive algebra resources, go to the “Algebra and Geometry” section of HippoCampus.org and scroll down past the “Test Prep” in the leftmost frame until you see “Simulations.” Click on “Algebra 1—An Open Course (2011),” and a list will appear.  Click on the “Tutor Sim” or “Puzzle” you wish to view.

Learning Objective(s)

•    Understand how to factor trinomials.
•    Know how to take and submit a screenshot to a teacher.

Assessment Type

This assignment is designed for completion by the students at home. Completing the tutor simulation takes 10 minutes or less; the time spent on the factoring game can be about the same. The resources linked to here deal with factoring trinomials and are best used as part of a review (perhaps in conjunction with or just before assigning a more formal practice test) a bit before a test on the material.

Assignment Details

Students will access the tutorial and games at home via the internet and use them to review factoring trinomials. To show completion, they will send in a screenshot.

For students to reach these online tools, they will need access to an internet enables computer with working speakers. They’ll want to have the browser window maximized and also “maximize” their view of the tutorial or simulation by clicking on the “+ Maximize” button circled in red below. 

On a side note, if you wish to link to a puzzle, simulation, or any presentation on Hippocampus.org click on the little symbol that looks like a link to get the correct URL. It is third to the right after the maximize button circled above, next to the "+". Copy/pasting directly from your browser will not work.


The Tutor Simulation--Factoring: Perfecting the Long Kick in Soccer
The simulation linked to above uses an example where the student factors a quadratic equation with a lead coefficient other than 1. Assign the student to work until they reach the end of the tutorial simulation and receive feedback on their performance. They'll need to take a screenshot of the feedback to show completion. An end-of-sim screenshot example is here.

The Puzzle--Factoring: Math Factors

The puzzle linked to here has students select correct factors for quadratics from multiple possibilities. The format encourages guessing. If you want students to fully solve each problem instead, you may want to require that they turn in a written copy of their work as well as a high score screenshot.

Take a moment to play this game and decide what level or levels you wish your students to play. Assign the student to play until they reach a certain score (100, for example) on a certain level. Once they reach that score, they should use screen capture, and email (or drop box) an image showing the problems still on their screen and their score. You’ll want to see the problems on the screen, not just the score, to ensure they are working at the assigned level. An example screenshot is below with the score circled in red.

Instructor Notes

•    You will need to check that students know how to take a screenshot on their computers. Demonstrating this for them can help, but there are also a lot of online tutorials that they can Google. Here are two I found:    How to take a screenshot on a PC.    How to take a screenshot an a Mac.

•    They'll want to paste their screenshots into an image editor, such as Microsoft Paint, so they can crop them and save them in the correct format. They should take care when cropping their images to exclude any inappropriate or private information in the background of the screenshots they submit.


•    Be sure students understand which file formats are acceptable and how you wish files to be named “LastNameFirstNameFactoringGame.jpg,” for example.

•    If you have a class email list, it may be easiest to send students an email with links to the simulation or game and an explanation of how you wish them to submit their work (email or drop box and what file format) as well as links to the screenshot tutorials.

Rubric

Most students will either complete or not complete this assignment. Very few will submit an item that receives partial credit. If you receive a note like, “I earned 100%!” without screenshot proof, it is up to you as to whether you wish to credit it or not. In general, I recommend you assign total credit as you would for a normal homework assignment that takes about 10-15min to complete.

I hope your students have fun, and let me know what they think!

Tutor Sim: Feedback While Reviewing Functions

The NROC tutor simulations can be used for individual review or whole class game play. As the student(s) answer a series of interactive multiple choice questions, the simulation first provides hints and then, at the end, suggests topics to review. With a little introduction and wrap up, the sims can be powerful review tools. This lesson plan uses the simulation from Unit Three - Tutor Sim: Snowboarding, which reviews the fundamentals of functions and their graphs. This lesson could be used with any NROC simulation. It describes the individual and whole class use of the tutor simulations.

Learning Objective(s)

• Review concepts before an exam.
• Identify areas for future study.
• Review slopes, proportionality, functions and their graphs.

Assessment Type

This assessment can be one of the last formative assessments done while preparing for a summative assessment. If done individually, it can help a student self-assess their learning needs. If done with a whole class, it can be used at the beginning of a class session to help the teacher get a sense of what the class still struggles with.

Assignment Details

Before beginning this with your class, take the time to run yourself through Unit Three's "Tutor Sim: Snowboarding." I recommend you get some answers wrong on purpose, so you can see how the simulation reacts. Upon completion, you'll also see the feedback given by topic at the end.

The two timed lesson plans below assume a 55 minute class session in a high school classroom.

If students can work individually with internet enabled computers:

1. 10 min– Warm Up. I have a warm up that I call, "Easy, Medium, Hard." Basically, as students enter the room I invite them to choose one easy, one medium, and one hard question from their homework and to write those three problems on the board for everyone to solve. After a few minutes working on the problems we share and discuss answers. If you have a trusted student or TA, it might help you to have them go around to each computer in your classroom and make sure the web page for the tutor sim is loaded and ready to go.
2. 15 min—Have students get out their note paper and introduce them to the NROC Tutor Sim: Snowboarding then have them work through it at their own pace on their computer. I recommend that you require them to summarize each question (draw any graph given, write down key data and what you're asked to find), and to show both their work and answers (not just the letter of the answer). They need to work through the sim honestly (not just guess and check) because at the end of the tutoring session the sim will use their wrong answers to identify areas is which they are having difficulty.
3. 15 min-- Having completed the tutor sim, students should copy down the suggested review sections as headings on a new sheet of paper, skipping 10 lines between each heading. They can then either fill those blank lines in with three example problems worked from their textbooks or with notes from going to and reviewing the presentations and problems from the NROC lessons dealing with the topic they had trouble with. If a student has no trouble, allow them to begin on their practice test or homework right away.
4. 10 min—Gather the class together for a discussion of what topics are still giving them the most trouble. Provide some review on topics with which many students are struggling.
5. 5 min—If you've not already done so, pass out any practice test or take home review sheet you have for students to complete. I often also offer 5% extra credit for 10 additional worked problems chosen by the student specifically to help them fill gaps that they realized they had today.

If one internet enabled computer and projector setup is available:

1. 10 min– Warm Up. Do the "Easy, Medium, Hard" warm up described above. If you have a trusted student or TA, it might help you to have them get the projector setup and working while you help students with the warm up.
2. 15 min—Have students in teams of four with one volunteer student running the sim for the whole class. As each question is presented, the teams should work together to solve the problem for a set amount of time. When time is called, the teams should show their answer to the student at front. Whichever answer appears the most, that is the answer picked. If your students like to be competitive, you can keep score. Require that the person writing down the answer switches with each question and remind students that all team members need to understand and agree on the answer.
3. 5 min – Check in with the class about the topics covered with the sim and take a moment to summarize concepts and field questions. Now is a good time to pass out a practice exam or to introduce a set of review questions.
4. 20 min—Allow the students to work in small groups on the review questions. If you've noticed a subset of students struggling on a particular topic, you can pull that group aside to work with you or on one of the NROC lessons. If another group finishes early, you can encourage them to play a math game from the section.
5. 5 min—Check in with students before they go. Ask them to reiterate and summarize some of the key concepts on their test. They can write on a slip of paper the topic they plan to study most and one strategy (flash cards, choose extra problems from the book, work in a study note, review online) they can use to study their chosen topic.

Instructor Notes

• Warning: The simulation does not have a back button. If needed, one can reload the web page and begin again.
• Students will want to test the sim--meaning give wrong answers on purpose--to see what the sim does. Such curiosity is great! I would encourage students to do so AFTER going through the sim once earnestly.
• If a student answers all sim questions correctly and has no topic that needed more work, they should show you the completion screen. You can then initial their paper so you know that they did not just skip that part of the assignment and can give them full credit.
• One could make an assignment asking students to design their own tutor sim. Students could present the answer options as a flow chart and even look into creating a basic simulation using linked web pages.

Rubric

If students worked individually, have them turn in their notes and problems from the tutor sim along with their completed practice test.

10 Point Scale: Tutor Sim Notes

2pts – Problems from the tutor sim are numbered and organized clearly.

2pts – All problems are written out with key data and answers shown.

3pts – Follow-up topics are identified OR student showed you they'd made no errors on the tutor sim and had you sign off on their paper before leaving that day.

3pts – All follow-up notes or problems (three per topic) are written out and solved correctly OR your signature shows they were not required to do the follow questions.

Total= 10pts

10 Point Scale: Practice Test

5pts – Practice test is complete, readable, and received. Work is clear and understandable. Give an approximate percentage of 5 points based on what percentage of problems meet this criteria.

5pts – Answers are correct. Give an approximate percentage of 5 points based on what percentage of problems meet this criteria.

Total= 10pts