1. Algebra the Write Way Journal Writing in Math

2. Overview Journal writing in this math class will include writing assignments that can be used to deepen and further your understanding of mathematical concepts Your writing will improve as you practice and receive feedback The journal will be an opportunity for you to do some self-assessment and reflection on your learning

3. Your Math Journal To receive maximum points for your journal, you must respond fully, carefully and thoughtfully to each of the prompts Journal prompts will be given on Monday’s only On the Friday’s journals are due, you will submit the entire journal at the end of class All journals will be kept in the classroom

4. Guidelines At the top of the page, write the number of the prompt you are responding to and the date Be sure to pay attention to all parts of the prompt Respond to each prompt on a separate page Use complete sentences and paragraphs. It is acceptable to use an occasional mathematical symbol, but you should not use symbols in place of words to explain yourself. Regard your classmates as the audience for your writings in this journal unless the assignment specifically asks you to do otherwise

5. Scoring Rubric for Math Journal 3 Response is coherent and well structured. Ideas are communicated clearly. 2Response is coherent and adequately structured. Ideas are communicated fairly well. 1Response is incomplete. Ideas are somehow incoherent an ambiguous. Ideas are written in fragments. 0No response or ideas are completely irrelevant and inadequate.

6. Prompts 1. 1. Why is it that 0 has no multiplicative inverse? 2. 2. Why is division by zero undefined? 3. 3. What is an algebraic expression? Provide an example with your description. 4. 4. Explain how to add like terms. Give an example. 5. 5. What is an equation? 6. 6. State the addition property of equality and give an example. 7. 7. What is the difference between solving an equation such as 5y+3=4y-8 and simplifying an algebraic expression such as 5y+3-4y-8? If there is a difference, which topic should be taught first? Why? 8. 8. Explain how to solve the equation –x= –50. 9. 9. Describe how to solve a linear equation for y. 10. 10. Explain how to solve a linear equation containing fractions.

7. Prompts 11. 11. Suppose you are an algebra teacher grading the following solution on an examination: Solve: –3(x–6)=2–x Solution: –3x–18=2–x –2x–18=2 –2x=–16 x=8 You should note that 8 checks and the solution is 8. Can you find any errors in the solution? If full credit on the problem is 10 points, how many points would you give the student? Justify your position. 12. 12. Explain how you feel about mathematics now as compared to before you took this class. 13. 13. My best kept secret about math is... 14. 14. Write instructions for a fifth grader to follow when calculating averages. 15. 15. If math could be a color, shape, and sound it would be...because...

8. Prompts 16. 16. Write about something that you learned today that is similar to something you already knew. 17. 17. I want to become better at math so that I... 18. 18. Do you use tables or diagrams when solving a problem? Why or why not? 19. 19. How do you use math in your everyday life? Give five explanations. Do not include ‘taking this class’. 20. 20. You know several ways to factor a polynomial. Which method is your favorite? Why? 21. 21. My best experience with math was when... 22. 22. How important is being neat and organized to you in general, and when you are doing math? 23. 23. My worst experience with math was when... 24. 24. Write your own definition of a... 25. 25. When I study for a test, I... 26. 26. When it comes to math, I find it difficult to...

9. Prompts 27. 27. Write a letter to your teacher explaining what you do not understand about our current topic, and what needs to be clarified. 28. 28. How do you determine whether an ordered pair is a solution to an equation? 29. 29. What is the significance of the y-Intercept of a line? Give an example. 28. 28. What does the graph of an equation represent? 29. 29. How many points are the minimum needed to graph a line? How many should actually be used? Explain. 30. 30. Describe the graph of y=500. Describe the graph of x=-100. 31. 31. What is the significance of the slope of a line? Give two examples. 32. 32. Describe how to calculate the slope of a line passing through two points. 33. 33. What does it mean if the slope of a line is zero?

10. Prompts 34. 34. What does it mean if the slope of a line is undefined? 35. 35. If two lines are parallel, describe the relationship between their slopes. 36. 36. Describe the process to graph a line using the slope and y-intercept. Provide an original example with your description. 37. 37. When I hear someone say math is fun, I... 38. 38. Write all you know about... 39. 39. When I read a math textbook, and see a word I don't know, I... 40. 40. The key idea of the lesson today was... 41. 41. If I were better at math, I would... 42. 42. What kind of math figure are you? (Circle, square, triangle, parallelogram, etc.) Why did you choose that figure? 43. 43. How has journal writing for math class benefited you?

11. Prompts 44. 44. Describe your feelings about showing your work on the board or on homework. 45. 45. Find a shortcut for... 46. 46. How could journal writing be changed to be more effective? 47. 47. Describe what it means to raise a number to a power. In your description, include a discussion of the difference between -5 2 and (-5) 2. 44. 44. Explain the product rule for exponents. Use 2 3 ·2 5 in your explanation. 45. 45. Explain the power rule for exponents. Use (2 3 ) 5 in your explanation. 46. 46. Explain how to find any nonzero number to the 0 th power. 47. 47. Explain how to multiply monomials. Give an example.

12. Prompts 48. 48. What is a monomial? What is a polynomial? What is a binomial? What is a trinomial? Provide an example of each with your explanations. 49. 49. Explain the process used to subtract polynomials. 50. 50. Explain how to multiply a monomial and a polynomial that is not a monomial. Give an example. 51. 51. Explain how to multiply two polynomials when neither is a monomial. Give an example. 52. 52. Explain the difference between performing these two operations: 2x 2 +3x 2 and (2x 2 )(3x 2 ). 53. 53. Explain how to multiply two binomials using the FOIL method. Give an example with your explanation. 54. 54. Explain how to square a binomial sum. Give an example with your explanation. 55. 55. What is factoring? 56. 56. What is a prime polynomial?

13. Prompts 57. 57. Does mathematics or math class scare you in any way? Explain. 58. 58. When you get a test back, do you ask questions? Why or why not? 59. 59. My three personal goals for this semester are... 60. 60. Describe practical uses for... 61. 61. How do you read your math textbook? 62. 62. Describe how today's math class will affect your day. 63. 63. Compare and contrast the terms... 64. 64. What did you like most about your previous math class? What did you like the least? 65. 65. How should we use class time to the best advantage? 66. 66. My math grade now is...because... 67. 67. Write an explanation about the differences between... and... 68. 68. Write possible test questions for your next test.

14. Prompts 69. 69. This is how I feel about Algebra: 70. 70. What is the most significant thing you learned this week? 71. 71. Write a sentence that uses the word “factor” as a noun. Then write a sentence that uses the word “factor” as a verb. 72. 72. Explain why x 2 -9 is factorable, but x 2 +9 is not. 73. 73. Your friend says that the polynomial 4x 2 +100 is a sum of squares and thus is not factorable. Why is your friend wrong and how can it be factored? 74. 74. You notice that your friend has on his paper that x 2 -25=(x-5) 2. Explain (gently) to your friend why he is wrong. 75. 75. What have you done to prepare yourself to be successful in this class? 76. 76. What are your most effective study strategies (or study habits)? What are your least effective study strategies (or study habits)?

15. Prompts 77. 77. How much time (daily) have you set aside to study for this class? 78. 78. What are your responsibilities regarding your success in this class? 79. 79. Have you gotten off track this semester in algebra? Identify issues that were in your control or not. Did you need to change your goal to reflect issues out of your control? 80. 80. Have you had to change your behavior in order to stay on track? 81. 81. Do you need to change your expectations or goals for this class? Do you need to change you learning/study strategies? Explain. 82. 82. In one paragraph, describe how you will prepare for your next exam. What is your strategy for taking the test? How do you feel going into the test?

16. Prompts 83. 83. In one paragraph, describe how you feel about your performance on your last test. Were you prepared for the exam? Did you study adequately? What will you do the same to prepare for the next test? What will you do differently to prepare for the next test? 84. 84. One mathematics activity I really enjoy is...because... 85. 85. Why can't you divide by zero? 86. 86. What questions are still unanswered for you this week? 87. 87. This is how I used math last week (outside of school)... 88. 88. Explain how you can improve your communication and cooperation in the mathematics classroom. 89. 89. Draw a cartoon of the 'Math Monster' and write what the 'Math Monster' is saying to you.

17. Prompts 90. 90. Describe any discoveries you make about mathematics (patterns,relationships, procedures, etc.). 91. 91. Write a letter to a student who will be taking this class next year, giving some advice about this class. 92. 92. How do you simplify...? Describe the process you undertook to solve this problem. 93. 93. Design two mathematical bumper stickers, one funny, one serious. 94. 94. Write WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, and HOW across the top of your page. Answer these questions based on today's class. 95. 95. My parents feel that math is... 96. 96. Why is it necessary to know how to...? 97. 97. Describe the graph of... as if you were explaining it to a friend over the phone.

18. Prompts 98. 98. Write a 4-line rhyming poem about… 99. 99. How could you prove that… 100. 100. I could become better at math if… 101. 101. The most difficult part of class today was… 102. 102. Write a short song about… to the tune of “…” 103. 103. How does… relate to… 104. 104. Create a chart showing the everyday meaning and mathematical meaning of two math words or terms. 105. 105. Explain the value and absolute value of a number. Give an example. 106. 106. On your previous homework, locate a problem that you did not get correct. What did you do wrong? Why did you do that? What else could you have done? What could you have done differently?

19. Prompts 107. 107. Read the last journal response of a classmate. Is the response to the prompt communicated clearly? Does it need more clarification? 108. 108. Explain the definition of… in your own words. 109. 109. Write a sentence using a math word in it’s everyday meaning and another sentence comparing the same word in it’s mathematical meaning. 110. 110. Create a chart with 4 columns and 11 rows. In the each column on the first row, write the headings Prefix, Everyday Meaning, Everyday Example, and Mathematical Meaning. List the prefixes for the numbers 1-10 in the column under Prefix. Fill in the remainder of the chart with words that fit the criteria of the column headings. 111. 111. When you do not understand what you read in your math book, what do you do? 112. 112. When you do not understand what your teacher taught in class, what do you do?

20. Prompts 113. 113. Explain using standard English and text messaging how to… 114. 114. Write a note to one student who missed the last class. Select one concept to explain to this student. Include an example. 115. 115. What confused you about today’s homework? 116. 116. Solve… Show all work. Then, explain how you got your answer. 117. 117. Write a paragraph that connects concepts from chapter... 118. 118. Write a riddle using at least three words from this lesson. 119. 119. Describe something you read in the newspaper or saw on tv that involved math. 120. 120. I am able to relate the current lesson to… 121. 121. Explain one way you can use math in each of your other classes.