algebra vs the cockroaches | strempletechtools

Hot Math: Algebra vs the Cockroaches

Curator: Hilary Pehrson

Name & Link to Tech Tool or Tool homepage: Hotmath - Algebra vs. The Cockroaches - Graphing Lines in Slope-Intercept Form

http://hotmath.com/hotmath_help/games/kp/kp_hotmath_sound.swf

Brief Description of Tech Tool: This interactive game (Algebra vs. The Cockroaches) is a great way for students to practice writing equations of lines in slope-intercept form from a graph. Students are progressing through rounds and each round gets slightly more advanced. The rounds start with horizontal lines, then oblique lines with a y-intercept of 0, and eventually to oblique lines with fractional slopes and whole number y-intercepts. The cockroaches travel along one line which students must be able to identify and write in slope-intercept form in order to fire their designated weapon and eliminate the cockroaches. If students do not respond in the allotted time the cockroaches win that round. This tech tool provides a fun way to practice identifying equations from graphs,

Technical & Cost considerations: This is a free applet. It loaded quickly on my computer, and could easily be demonstrated through the use of a SMARTBoard.

EVALUATION

Description of Learning Activity

I would use this Algebra vs. The Cockroaches game for students to practice identifying the equations of lines when given a graph. The game nature of this activity will surely keep the students engaged. Additionally, the rounds get increasingly more difficult which allows the teacher to easily monitor progress.

1. Learning Activity Types

LA-Practice - practicing for fluencyThis is a great tool for students to use to become fluent at writing equations of lines in slope-intercept form. I can also see that this is a practice that students struggle to master slope-intercept form could use at home for extra practice.

2. What mathematics is being learned?

NCTM Standards

NCTM-Alg-patterns - understand patterns, relations, and functions;

NCTM-Alg-symbols - represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols;

VA SOL Strands

8.16 - The student will graph a linear equation in two variables

Proficiency Strands

PS-procedural fluencyStudents practice writing equations of lines in slope-intercept form. Also, the activity is designed for students to work quickly as more cockroaches appear as time passes.

3. How is the mathematics represented?

The cockroaches roam along a line on a coordinate grid. Students have to identify to points that the cockroaches travel through in order to identify the slope. Additionally, students must identify where the cockroaches cross the y-axis in order to identify the y-intercept. The applet also gives feedback to the students on their correct or incorrect equation by firing the weapon along that line. Students can than easily tell whether the y-intercept or slope must be adjusted to hit the cockroaches.

4. What role does technology play?

Advantages: The technology offers students practice in a game-like fashion. Additionally, students must type in their equation, and if it is incorrect the weapon fires along the incorrect line. This is very helpful in identifying whether the slope or y-intercept was incorrectly identified. Also, students can request hints where the game draws slope triangles along the line so that the slope becomes easier to identify. The game is also nicely structured so that the first couple of rounds only focus on the y-intercept (horizontal lines) or the slope (oblique lines that pass through the origin). This scaffolded practice allows students to be successful in higher rounds when they have to identify both the slope and y-intercept.

Disadvantages: The cockroaches move fairly quickly so it can be difficult when there is only 1 to identify the y-intercept as well as two points that the line passes through. Also, while the hints are helpful, the game does not give any hints about how to identify the y-intercept. Also, after getting the answer wrong several times, the game simply tells the user the answer and that he or she lost that game.

Affordances of Technology for Supporting Learning

Representing Ideas & Thinking -The students are given a visual representation (cockroaches walking up and down a line) and are asked to write equations. The hints help students identify two points on the line. Also, the game quickly moves through horizontal, oblique lines with no y-intercept, to oblique lines with y-intercepts

5. How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning?

I recommend using this Algebra game as an independent practice. I believe this activity would best support learning if students used it as fluency practice. While this activity does not initiate much collaboration or discussion, I imagine the teacher could follow the activity with a writing prompt about what the students learned about y-intercepts and slope. This could then lead into a whole class discussion.

6. What do teachers and learners need to know?

When students type in fractional slopes they can use the "/" key, and the program will write the slope as a fraction. Also, notice that students are just filling in the slope and the y-intercept into the blanks (i.e y = _x + ). Other than those math notation pieces, there are no other technology skills needed to play this game. (One more thing - have students mute the sound! It gets very old quickly :))

7. How could this resource supplement/facilitate PBL?

This resource can be used to supplement PBL. Students can have fun getting rid of the cockroaches that roam each of the lines by practicing writing equations in slope-intercept form.