Blog post

This week is going well. I did pretty good on my test. The only thing I'm still muddy on is factoring out the whole quantity after you group. Is that quantity you factores out an x intercept and then the other things are also an x intercept?

Blog

I did not understand the grouping method at all. I tried to listen in class but I was just confused. So in order to figure it out I went home and watched a couple of YouTube videos until I finally understood it. Once I started watching the videos I understood the method within fifteen method. Overall I now understand the groupung method and now time to work on the dev.

Week 9

So, I received my second test back today. And I am quite annoyed with the fact that I always feel confident going into the test and then I don't do very well. I am planning to do corrections and retake the first test. I've been talking to a former AP Stats student who graduated last year, and he's been tutoring me throughout the tri but I guess it's time to really buckle down and start focusing more and harder on my math and the understanding of it. As for the polynomials, and the grouping, it's super easy and maybe it's because I remember a lot from that same type of material from when I was younger, but this has by far been the easiest unit. My last two test scores did not reflect my confidence, and that's alright. I'm going to change those grades. But I know that in our closest upcoming test I will do a lot better. I just wish as a freshman I would've tried a little harder, or in any math class at all. I guess I thought the information they were giving me was useless. But it isn't useless because I'm applying it now, and it's bit me in the butt. 

Week 9 - Reflection

I'll be honest: I wasn't too happy with my quadratics test score. I did fairly well, but missed points because I made lots of small mistakes throughout the test. That's where I really struggled. I know the content and how to put it to use, it was just the little things that screwed me up, like subtracting instead of dividing and stuff like that. Making these mistakes is irritating to me because they were such simple things that I shouldn't have missed. I probably should have taken more time on the test going over my answers and that kind of thing. It probably also would have helped if I took the test after school instead of taking it early in the morning (my brain doesn't really turn on until lunch). All in all though, I think I've improved from where I was at the beginning of the tri. I'm just going to keep studying like I have been and just keep trying to reach the goals I have set for myself in this class, and hopefully I'll do as well as I'd like to on the rest of the tests for this tri.

Blog Post

Well, we started a new unit, and just like the last one there's bits and pieces of it that I remember, but it is still a struggle for me to keep what I kind of remember with the stuff that I need to know.  I'm hoping that when we start getting formulas and things like that everything will click and I'll be able to help others as well.

Moment of Clarity

I recently had a potent realization concerning the nature of factored form and how it relates to x-intercepts. While I've always realized how to find the intercepts, I only recently understood that by making one bracket equal zero, the output becomes zero regardless of other brackets. This manifests itself on a graph as an intercept.

graph powers

The simplified equations you are having us do for the graphs are easy for me to understand.  The fact that no matter what number the power is, if it is a linear it goes straight through, if it is a even power it bounces off, or if it is an odd power besides 1 (linear) it curves through the point, It also makes since to me that depending on the degree of the function, which is found by adding all the exponents together, it either goes oppisite ways at the end or each end goes the same direction.

reflection on a particular day

I missed Friday. And Thursday I got it. And was flying through everything. Hopefully I haven't got to far behind. And I still understand. If need be I'll come in for a morning session to be caught back up. But with what I know right know I'm,confident. And really excited for this lesson! :)

New unit

I am feeling very good about this unit so far. This unit has just been coming naturally to me. I am very much looking forward to learning more in this unit and starting the DEV project!

New Unit

I think the Polynomials Unit is my favorite unit so far.  Not only is it fun, but it is a heck of a lot easier than the previous units.  I really really like it.  Factoring is really fun and I can find the factors of an equation very quickly.  I also like the graphing portion.  Memorizing what goes where and how certain things looked was a little difficult at first, but now I have a strong feeling that I've got everything down.  I know what odd/even graphs are supposed to look like and what happens when an x-intercept is supposed to "bounce" or "curve".  However, I am still having a little trouble with what the end behaviors look like.  Other than that, this unit is really cool and if it starts to get hard I just might cry for eternity. That is all. Peace.

Week 8

I worked really hard to prepare myself for our test this week and I'm feeling good about it. However, I was feeling good about the one before and my results were disappointing. This unit is going well so far with the exception of some of the homework this weekend. I just need to ask some questions on Tuesday when you're back at school on how to draw the graphs and then get some help on the factoring with more variables.

so

so the last unit had me stranded and left entirely confused beyond belief. But I like whatever we started.. the long division thing? whatever that turned into, I liked and understood because of some help I got with the understanding the process. So I'm feeling off to a better start. Although I am kind of concerned about this 100 point test grade project. I don't think it'll be easy for me at all.

8th Post

I think I did well on the test. I really understood the material. This new unit is going very well for me. I completely understand how to make the graphs and find the domain. Let's just hope this understanding continues.

trying not to slip

Well this past week has been very interesting. Ignoring what happened on Friday in class i havent felt as pressured as I should. I feel like I finished that unit pretty descent. I doubt thetest would beg to differ since it took me four different times of the week to finish it. However, I did feel my break through coming until the packet we received on friday. I tried to bust through it on friday and was stuck on the front page. I couldnt tell if I was or wasnt doing anything right. So I see it aside. There was no answer key, atleast not at the moment. But if this unit will be as confusing as I just was im sure there are much higher obsticles hoops to jump threw later. Im trynna stay with ya.

Week8

For the test this week I felt pretty good with most of it. When we started to learn polynomials I was a little confused but now I'm getting the hang of graphing. I think the DEV project is going to go well because I already have ideas for a video.

Week 8

So that quadratics test was one of the better feeling assessments taken in this class. Nothing really seemed surprising ir difficult to say the least. However im ungodly slow at taking these tests. The DEV project is going to be a piece of cake this time around. But seriously to those who have not had to this project before, do it in good time it is super stressful to get it done in a week or later. Overall this trimester is coming to a good close.

Week 8- reflection

This past week went really well. I felt a lot more confident going into the quadratics test. There were two specific questions I felt iffy on but other than that it was nice. It helps me to look over my notes and homework and stay on top of the things we're learning. At the beginning of the tri I didn't do that as much and I'd forget how to do some of the things we had learned. I've been doing fine with graphing polynomials and factoring so I feel confident going into this new unit.

Blog post

The new unit isn't as easy as the last one so far. Hopefully polynomials aren't too complicated! Maybe I can start making some programs to help me if something is difficult.

Progress

This new unit  on polynomials is going well so far; I understand how to graph them. The part I am having trouble on is the packet we got over this weekend called Factor(factor)(factor)  but that's only because we didn't really get to go over how to preform these problems in class on Friday.

lately

this week, i really understood the material. i feel like this unit is going to be the easiest to comprehend and im honestly excited for it. and the project, also. i feel  like im finally gunna be able to get my grade up to where i want it to be. its all beginning to come together and its incredible finally being able to do the homework.

Blog Post

I am really enjoying what we are doing in class now.  I think it is really simple and easy, but I'm sure it will get much harder.

Challenges ahead

I can see that this next unit is not going to be as easy as the previous ones, but I'm ready for the challenge !

Grade upped! :D And new unit.

HA!  I did it.  I brought my grade in this darn class from an E to a D- with my sweat, blood and tears…mostly my tears though.
We have begun our new unit not long ago…and it already bugs me a little bit.  I guess I am not that great at deciphering most of those pesky quadratic functions, and drawing graphs just by looking at the function kind of irritates me.  If I am to get a halfway decent grade in this class, though, I guess I don't really have much of a choice but to put up with it.

Week 8

The unit on polynomials seems to be going alright so far, the graphing just makes sense. I thought the unit test went alright, although there were a few points I could have done better on.

This unit is going pretty good so far. We took our test early in the week and I think I did alright on it. There were a few things like completing the square I struggled with a little bit but defiantly did better then the last unit test. This new unit I feel good about so far I understand what we are doing and am feeling good,

This unit is going pretty smoothly, and it seems pretty uncomplicated. That graphs are fun to draw but I am constantly getting mixed up on a positive and negative graphs and where to start them. I might have done my homework wrong and done all of them backwards but I'm still not sure.

tthis entire class has been pretty hard for me, but I think I'm understanding the material a bit better. im actually kind of excitedfor the DEV project because i get to be creative.

Blog post

This week I was very worried on how I did on the test. I never know how to feel about it because I think I did good but I always make little mistakes that mess up my grade. Moving on from the test, I actually really enjoyed math this week. The graphing is really easy right now but I know that as we move on in the unit it will start to get harder. I feel pretty confident so far about the little we have done with factoring but it's just the beginning. To finish off I would like to say I am actually pretty excited for the project. I think it's going to be challenging creating our own problems that work but I know it's not impossible. I think it's cool that we get to teach how to solve the problem and how challenging it actually is to go over all the points. With that said I look forward to the next week of math.
Marissa Pease

Week 8 - What I get

This week I really picked up the ideas of graphing and factoring polynomials.  I don't quite know why, but the ideas behind them really stuck in my head.  They just make sense.  The formulas for factoring were really easy to understand and the graphing was actually kinda fun!

Good week

This week was very good for me. I am making a lot of progress in learning what is going on and I am very excited. I have been really understanding the Mr. Jackson has been teaching. He has fully explained everything and it's all making sense. Although the test was difficult is was easier than the first one. All in all it was a pretty good week. 

reflection on these drawing graph things.

When drawing the graph things (×-3)^6 *(×+5)^3 that stuff<< it seems really simple and easy, but that's only because it's in factored form. I predict Jackson The Terrible is going to give us something similar to standard form and tell us to graph it w/o a calculator just to torture us.

Muddy point

i fell like I did well on the test earlier in the week. Then we got to the graphing polynomials and I was a little confused on how to find the powers. Then I realized it was easy and you add te powers up. Overall I understand it really well and get this unit

Week 8

I felt like this week okay. The test was a little difficult but the graphing I really like I find it very easy.

Week 8 Option 2

Well I'm going to write this about the test day.  For starters, the day before and the morning of I was very anxious.  I had been worried about this test thinking that I would do rather poorly on the test.  Add to the fact that when class started and I was scrambling to get my papers in order, I had a little panic attack thinking my homework would be late since I turned it in a minute after class started.  So I go into the test wondering if my homework is late with the addition of the anxiety of the test and it was not a pleasant feeling.  But after I got the test and was going through it, I found it to be rather easy.  There was one problem that I was very confused at and racked my mind trying to figure out how to do it since it was barely covered in class and only looked at once or twice.  It was the what two values have a sum of like 388 or something and a difference of 388.  I am pretty sure I got the question correct, but other than that the rest of the test was rather easy.  The extra credit was a complete mystery to me but hopefully I won't need it.  And after the fact, my anxiety was even more relieved when I was told that my homework was not late.  Overall I think I was over worrying the test and the day was much better than I had thought it would be.

Week 8

This past week I felt super confident with the new material we learned. I remember all of the polynomial stuff we have went over so far and so it is super easy for me. Of course, I had a couple questions about the powers on the factors because I didn't remember everything, but I feel super confident about the unit so far and it's a good feeling. As for the test, I remember two specific questions I was confused on, which is a lot more than I can say about the previous tests. (one of them was the finding the max area of something, I didn't remember how to do it). Overall, this week was really beneficial for me and I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of everything that's going on currently. 

Week 8

This week I felt overall went really good! I felt pretty confident on the test. The only problem I didn't know how to do was an applied function question. Other than that I thought I could do the other problems. The new material, right now, is coming pretty easy to me. Hopefully that continues.

Week 8

It clicked with me last unit. I did muchg better on the test then the first unit but the one we are on right now is throwing me for a loop. I'm not understanding the concept of what we are trying to accomplish and how exactly to do it. I work on it at home and use diffrent websites but it's all going over my head.

Blog post

I was nervous for the test, but I studied hard for it! I feel "eh" about it. I was shaky on the perimeter/area stuff. I will probably come in to get help on that so I can fully understand it! I am nervous to find out my test grade. We started a new unit on Wednesday and I completely get it so far. I feel very confident about the polynomial graphs! I don't struggle with it at all and that makes me happy! 

Week 8- Reviewing the test

The test was much easier than I expected it to be. I'm not saying it was easy, but I felt much more comfortable taking this test than the last one we took. I feel very confident about quadratic radicands, as well as completing the square into vertex form and completing the square to find solutions. Factoring is also very easy to me. I'm still shaky about the Farmer Ted problems and I probably should've spent a little more time focusing on those. Overall, I feel like I did much better on this test rather than the previous one, and I am very antsy to find out my grade. Hopefully it's significantly better than the last one. 

Week 8 - Reflections

Reflecting on my progress so far in this class, I can say that I feel like I'm in a better place now than I was when the trimester started. In the quadratics unit, I think I kept up with the material fairly well and made sure to ask questions when I had them. I tried to look over my notes and I spent a long time studying and reviewing for the quadratics test. I think that it was helpful to do these things, and I felt more prepared and confident going into the test because of these things. I felt like the quadratics test went well, so hopefully my work will have paid off! In this coming unit, I will continue to ask questions, come in for help, and keep up with homework. One thing I think I can improve on is how often I look over my notes. What happened to me during this past unit was that I would understand a topic when we were working with it in class, but then I'd forget it if I didn't practice it. Looking over my notes more often will help keep everything fresh in my mind.

Week 8

Today I had a moment of clarity while working through my review packet. I finally understand completely completing the square. I remembered to multiply the "a" value on the outside of the parenthesis by the new "c" value to put on the other side of the equal side. I make sure I make the after taking the square root a plus or minus answer. I am getting the correct answers and it's making it easier to do problems with bigger "a" values.

Blog post for last week

Well my personal muddiest point was with the farmer bob problems and getting maximum or minimum from specific equations. My mind is going blanc while looking at the problems. I looked over my previous notes and just do not understand what I did or was doing. Hopefully in class we will go over one and my mind blank will be gone and I will understand and remember how to do these problems. 

P.S.  Sorry for forgetting to get it written on time. Excuses are excuses and I really should not say one for I had the whole week to get it done. Overall it is my fault that I didn't do it and that is the bottom line. Sorry for not doing it on time. This experience will remind me never to forget a blog post again. 

blog post

This week went very well for me! I feel as though a lot of the things we did in class were helpful and productive! I feel prepared for the test on Tuesday :)

Week something idk

This week has gone pretty well. Factoring quadratics is really easy to me and I'm happy that things are starting to make more sense. I attempted the review but there were still some things that I didn't understand so I will probably just get some extra help tomorrow and ask to go over a couple problems in class. 

Blog post

I thought this week went pretty good. I've gotten a lot better at factoring quadratics and completing the square. Before the test I need to make sure I understand the applied functions. I struggle with that the most. Also, I need to review what I did wrong on the last test so I don't get that wrong again.

Week 7: Muddiest Point

I think this week went great and I'm really happy how this class is going so far. My muddiest point is still the diamond shape for factoring, although I think it's not necessary since I like the "guess-and-check"-method way better and i have way more fun using it. Furthermore I hope this weeks test will go well.

blog post

While doing the review, I realized that this test isn't going to be easy. I feel like the application of multiple functions is going to be my struggle spot. I plan on asking questions on it tomorrow

Week 7

The new content this week has all been easily comprehensible, and radicand quadratics were much easier than they first seemed. I really enjoy factoring, it's particularly fun. I hope that upon reviewing the review on Monday, everything is going as smoothly as I think it has.

math are hard

math are real hard.

I hate that I have to work after school because that's when it would be best for me to come in and get help, since I don't function in the mornings because I don't get sleep because after work in the evenings I have to do things like laundry and feed myself and then try to do homework I don't understand.. so it's extremely difficult. I did, however, spend some time with Jay Bard and she helped me some, but I need a lot of TLC in this class because math are hard and I want to quit when it's something that isn't really easy for me.

weekly blog post.

I love functions. It's so much fun. And expanding your mind looking at problems differently is nice. Knowing there's not always a straight foreward answer to everything. But you have to search for it. I'm looking foreward to what I learn next.

Blog post 7, maybe

So this past week has been relatively easy to understand, conceptwise. Completng squares and solving quadratics have become a breeze and factoring is no longer a struggle at all. This next test that we are going to have is going to go fantastically! The only thing I might mess up on is converting an equation to and from vertex form to standard form. Otherwise, the material makes perfect sense!

Weekly Blog Post

The quadratics we've been learning are relatively straight forward but the only thing I don't like is how the only way to factor quadratics is through guess and check or the diamond method.  I wish there was an algorithm that could be used to solve them.  If there is but it's really complicated I would really like to try to learn it!

as a student who needs you

This past week seemed like alot tbh. But all we did was review. Just seems like you hand us a packet everyday and during class it feels like we go through one warm up problem for like the first 45 mins of the class. I feel like your teaching is kinda reversed. Like you give us a hard problem as warm up and kinda basic ones on the homework. Challenge us more on the hmwrk and instead of going straight to hard problems in the beginning of class maybe thats when you want to hit the basics of the "sorta hard" like level 2 problems. Also i feel like your dragging your teaching out too much,  for example,explaining things for too long! Im not saying dont explain at all, but maybe keep things basic and not so hard to comprehend maybe? A reason for that would be near the last part of class ... our "alone" time of working, YOU should want that to be longer than 15 mins, maybe 30 mins! So we can try to solve problems and ask you (in person) questions and maybe some of our peers could speak in on some strategies. Just the way you use your time of teaching might be more efficient. Im probably not speaking on behalf of the class but Im just speaking my mind. I just rather have more time at the end of class to work on problems and be able to ask you questions without having little time near the end and possibly coming in after or before school.  And maybe more brief, efficient explaining on your part?

Weekly blog post

I think this week went pretty well. I was understanding the content more and more each day and it just started to click and it was really nice. I'm still a little iffy on the applied functions stuff but other than that it was good.

clarity

this week when we learned about quadratic radicands, everything just completely clicked for me. its so relieving finally absolutely 100% understanding a concept when throughout this whole trimester, ive been a little clueless. it was just something fresh and i loved how it was taught to us. this is gunna save my butt on the test.

week 8

before i didn't know how to do the factoring guess and check but after the extra practice with it with the radicals, I actual understand what im doing and feel way more prepared for the test.

''Real World'' Connection

In this unit, we started performing story problems. One of the story problems is about an object being projectile from the top of a building. We do/did problems similar to this in physics so it helped when completing the question. It is very interesting to me how we can apply these particular math problems that are dealing with quadratics by finding the vertex and have it be exactly what we are learning in physics currently.

Blog post 8

This week was a lot easier. The quadrardic radicals were really easy only because the factoring made sense this time around. I think I am ready for this weeks test hopefully it goes better than the last test.

Progress

I think I do fairly well during class when working on problems and learning new concepts.  Also, I think I do good at practicing problems at home.  However, my grade doesn't show that.  I think my grade is poor and it was all because of the first test we took.  I try to complete all my work correctly and I always finish the blog posts on time, but it's just not enough.  I know we recently had extra credit work just a while ago but I thought it was just for students who hadn't done all of their posts.  I think we should have more extra credit opportunities besides the ones we see on tests and quizzes.

Post 7: clarity

I'm really understanding how to factor, find the vertex, and the domain. It all just makes so much sense to me because Mr. Jackson made it easy to understand. The only thing I'm struggling with is finding the area and circumference stuff. I don't understand but I'm determined to get it.

Blog Post

As the week went on I started to get stuff even more. When we worked with quadratics again it was really simple for me.  I actually didn't mind math this week and I hope I continue to understand what we are learning. I feel confident going into the test this Tuesday.
Marissa pease

post x_x

This class really does a number on my head.  I am struggling a bit to get my review done, and I am overall very frustrated with the class.
Well, I am just so excited for the test.  Another one for me to fail and get a lecture for.  I still believe the sole purpose of this class is to screw everybody over.  Physics does that as well.

This week I had a moment of clarity!  I finally got it!  The applied functions are making sense now.  I realized that I was really just overthinking the whole thing. Also, the assignment entitled "Quadratic Madness" made a lot of sense too.  Creating equations with the vertex point and x intercept was easily understood.

Moment of clearity

When we first started going through finding the domain of a quadratic when it is under a radical i was totally lost. As we practiced it i realized it was the easiest thing we have done all year. I liked it when you gave us a practice packet with room to do the problems on it. I do not like having to do it in my notebook  when you give us a bunch of problems on one page because i tend to mess up the problems and do the same one over.

Week 7

Factoring is going super well for me, and I figured out how to do them by guess and check because before I didn't understand either way of doing it, and the diamond and square thing just confuses the heck out of me. I don't really understand the farmer area kind of problems or really any of the problems like that, but I have the review and time to work still. So I should be ok for the most part. 

Getting Better

I'm really starting to make the pieces come together. I feel faster, and better with quadratics. The test won't be a issue! 👍👌

Reflection

This week I really feel like I'm struggling with all of the work given to us. It is piling up and after we learn something new I feel like we move into the next thing too fast. I think we should've spent a lot more time explaining and working out the word/farmer problems. I understand the factoring for the most part which is good. I'm really nervous that I'm not going to remember all of this work for the test on Tuesday.

I am struggling in this unit right now. I kinda get it but I kinda don't, and this week has just been a bad week for me so that really doesn't help.

Moment of clarity

Today i realised how much the short cut for finding the vertex can help speed up the prossess of finding the y variable.  Even though this now makes sense to me I plan on going through the long prossess of completing the square because it makes more sense to me.

Moment of clarity

Today I had a moment of clarity with the domain and range of radicals with quadratic radicands! This notes sheet was extremely helpful and now the concept is a lot less muddy.

Reflection in class

Today in class we learned how to find the domain and range of quadratic radicands. I can say that I am very confident with these so far, especially when the "a" value is one. I find this to be the something in this class I feel very okay with this section of this unit! It makes a lot of sense and the learning it through the steps you showed us made it very easy! 

Moment of Clarity

Today's concept in class, "qaudratic radicands" I really understand. Mr. Jackson explained it very well and I totally understand it to the point where I feel like I could teach it. I'm very excited. 

Week 7 - Something I thought was "cool"

Out of everything we have studied so far in this unit, the applied functions have been my favorite. I'm not totally sure why, but the concepts really made sense to me and I actually liked doing the problems! I think that I like solving the applied functions because they're the first thing that I've completely and totally understood in this unit. I think it's cool how there's no real number solving going on, it's just rearranging variables and numbers so we can use the new equation to our benefit. It's manipulating the old equations to get a new one that will do exactly what we want it to do.

I picked up the applied function concepts really quickly, and I'm pretty surprised! I just wish I understood everything else in this class as quickly as I understood this!

Week 7: Moment of clarity/figuring out what's wrong

My moment of clarity was today in class. It was a small moment, but I felt like I knew what I was doing. We did one of the more challenging problems ("level 3") and I actually did most of it by myself before we went over the answer and the work I did was correct. I noticed that there is a point where I get stuck and it's usually at the point of finding the "c" value. I can find the c value but it's just figuring out what to do afterwards that I have trouble with. 

Sunday October 12 @ 11:52p

"muddiest point"
so the whole ' finding the square ' thing. ..its mostly just calculator stuff, so at face value seems quite simple. however, for me at least, I can get to o the point where it becomes blah=a(x^2-bx+blah) right after that my mind always forgets how to go to the blah=(this part)^squared. can't do it.  don't know why but that just doesn't stick in my mind.  so all in all, memory is a main problem, and I completely forgot about this so I hope this counts at 11:58.

Blog post 6??? 5???

This past week has been another solid one. I am finally getting how to use that square thing to solve for x intercepts. Its really weird but takes just about as much writing as it would take you to think and re write your thoughts. Another thing that has gone pretty well is solving equations in terms of a different variable. The one that has beeb lurking in my mind is how good/bad I did on the quiz but it all evens out with the test and these blog posts so even if I fail I wont freak out as much.

Weekly Blog Post

I realized this week how significant one small mathematical error can throw off a whole problem on the quiz. Even though I have had this class before, it doesn't make anything easier. I think I need some more practice on the basics just to make sure I've got it all set in stone.

pretty muddy

a lot of this newer stuff I just am having a really hard time understanding. I feel like the whole "as a function of" concept is actually really easy but it just hasn't clicked for me yet and so im struggling with it. I like the pace of the class a lot more now though.

Reflection

I understood most of the things at the beginning of this unit but the newer stuff isn't really clicking for me. Most of it is pretty easy for me but the three sides triangle problem that we were asked to try just didn't really make sense. Hopefully everything clears up before the test. 

Reflective comment about my progress

I'm pretty happy how this class is going until now. I don't have to many difficulties understanding the problems we are discussing in class. I am really looking forward to the next precalc functions hours, since I find this class pretty enjoyable and I hope I can maintain my modest level.

Three sided rectangle

The three sided rectangle formula made since to me.  The idea of how if you change the side lengths you end with a different area makes since because you are not multiplyimg ny the same numbers.  A=(P-2x)x  The (P-2x) part of the formula helps you find the length of the side by itself, this happens because of the fact you have three sides and you are subtracting the two sides that are the same length.  So if you made the sides that are the same length longer, the remaining side would be forced to be shorter.  This side shrinks at a two to one ratio in comparison to the other two sides.  This two to one ratio causes the area to change as well along with the length of the sides.  For example if I have a shape that has two congruent sides (same size) that are 5 meters and one side that is 10 meters by itself and the last side is one that is made by something else that does not mater because there is no limit to it, the perimiter of the three sides would be 20 meters and the area would be 50 meters squared.  With the perimiter of 20, if two sides are 6 meters long and one is 8 meters long, the area would be 48 meters squared.  Also with the same perimiter of 20 meters for the sides that we can control the length of, if we have two sides of 7 meters and one side of 6 meters, the area would be 42 meters squared.  In all of these examples for every time the length of "x" increased by 1 the length of (P-2x) decreased by two and this uneven change in varialbes causes the product to change.

I understood the beginning of this unit but the stuff we are just now learning is not clicking for me! I try to do problems at home but I'm still struggling. 

muddiest point

At the beginning of this new unit I didn't fully get how to complete the square. There are so many steps in completing the square I didn't know what to do and when. I've got it down know and I think it's going pretty well. 

Reflection on the week

This week was alright! I did a lot better on this quiz then I did on the last one. At the beginning of the week I was doing very well and understood everything. Towards the end of the week I struggled a little. I am currently confused on what we are doing and struggled on the homework this weekend.  This week was also very busy for me in terms of soccer. We had 2 very important must win games and I believe that effected my focus in class a little. Over all not a bad week but early next week will be important that I catch up and understand what we are doing!

Blog Post 6

I feel like I understand completing the square and vertex form really well. The instructions on how to do them are thoroughly explained and make it easier to remember. I like how often we go over and go through how to do each problem as well, but cause it give sme the time to further understand what I'm doing.

Light bulb/muddy point

So this week when I got my quiz back I was very pleased with my score. I feel pretty confident for solve the square and vertex form. But, I do feel as if I'm struggling a little with the newer material. I feel like we should slow down in class a tad and explain more of the why then the how. Maybe then I will fully understand.

Light bulb with solving the square

This week in class I found a easier way to solve the square. And it has worked really well so far

Week 6 option 1

Well overall I have been rather understanding of this new unit.  Still though the whole fact of guessing and checking is rather frustrating for me.  The other method just doesn't truly make sense to me and I doubt it ever will because of how I was taught to do the process with guess and check.  Just taking random numbers that may possibly work and seeing if they truly do work is just hard to wrap my head around.  For all the time I have been in school, math is always a structural thing that has set ways to do things.  But it is a learning thing to know that math is not always a definitive way to do things, but it has many different ways and methods to do things and even then some of the methods which are the only way to do some things are not perfect.  It is not a set equation and will take a new look to figure out the problem.

Reflection

As we started this new unit on quadratics, I understood, for the most part, everything. I know how to factor expressions using the diamond, completing the square, and solving equations by factoring. I comprehend how to find the vertex and the domain and range of quadratic functions. I do not, however, understand this new idea of  "Express ______ of a shape as a function of its _____." I realize that we must find a common variable between them and plug that in to the equation to find it. However, I don't know why some of the answers work for different problems. For instance, on the Applied Functions packet, numbers 1-5 I can understand. It is the problems after that that I do not understand. I believe that my issue may be that it is just worded differently than what I am used to.

6th blog post

I think the unit we are in now is a little bit easier than the last. What I do have some trouble with is figuring out what the independent and dependent variables are. I feel like it's supposed to be a pretty simple thing but for some reason I just can't really figure it out. 

reflective day

I had a reality check the other day. I thought the quiz was easy and aced it. Turns out I didn't. I don't know why but now it's gotten to me. And I haven't been focused. I have never bombed a math test. I've always gotten 100s or high 90s. And to fail a quiz. I don't know what happened. Now I got worried about that And stopped paying attention in class. Now I'm kinda confused In class. But I'm not sure what to do about it. I've never asked for help. And I probably won't. I just had a bad day. Its it's really getting to me. Hopefuly I can get myself back together again. What you are teaching isn't hard. I wrap my mind around it really easily. So I don't understand my quiz. I just need to take it a little slower or something. I'll try to figure it out.

Week 6

I didn't really understand completing the square on the homework until Mr. Jackson went through one of the problems.

Blog Post

Something we learned that I thought was cool is writing formulas to find various solutions while given certain values such as writing a formula to find the area of a circle when given the circumference.  A lot these formulas are variations of what I like to use to make calculator programs. I look forward to learning more shortcuts to finding these formulas because they are very efficient and will be useful in other classes.

My muddiest point this week would probably be the applied functions and completion of the square.  Getting that quiz back was rough too.  All in all, this past week was very confusing.

Blog post

I started off the week understanding the new material pretty well, but as the week went on I became a little more confused about what we were supposed to be doing and the purpose of it all. I guess I just get even more confused when people are asking questions because I understood it and then people are talking about different ways they did the work and it confuses me. I like one set way on how to solve  or simplify stuff and with everyone trying to explain different ways it confuses me. Hopefully I don't confuse the different ways and just stick with the one I am comfortable with. I think that I need time to process everything that we have learned because it can get pretty confusing sometimes!
Marissa Pease

Week 7?

At the beginning of the week I really didn't get completing the square so I started practicing at home and now I get it.

Week 6

When I received my quiz back I was very happy with the grade I earned, but with that said if it would've been a closed note quiz I would've struggled a lot more. Right now, with completing the square and putting the function into vertex form, I am very dependent on my notes. I need to keep looking over the notes every night so I can do the problems without them.

week 6 blog post

I'm still waiting for my moment of clarity in this class. I'm seriously so stuck that I don't know why I even bother going to math anymore. I don't blame anybody except for whatever's making me draw such a huge blank. I tried getting help once and it worked for like five minutes, then it was back to everything looking like ancient Egyptian. All I want is to pass. I don't even care how low the grade is, I just want to pass.

The muddiest point

The muddiest point for me was the guessing and checking thing. I don't understand when to use it and I don't fully understand the square thingy. Im pretty good at completing the square. sometimes I make a few silly mistakes but I understand what I do wrong and I fix it. But the guessing and checking thing I just have no idea what im doing wrong or how to fix it/

Week 6

This week went super well except for the making new equations with the independent and dependent variables, the applied functions worksheet. I have a really hard time knowing the original equations that we are supposed to start from and knowing which variable is dependent or independent. Once I figure out that, I can solve without a problem and go from that to finding a vertex or whatever need be, but the actual starting of the problem is what gets me. I have a really hard time starting. I get confused and mix up the two (independent and dependent) because I read the question wrong or over analyze the problem or something. I cannot find a way to differentiate the two. 

I miss friday and I'm kinda freaking out because I'm afraid I'm going to end up pulling my hair out in frustration. I hate missing school and I hate missing math class. I really hope what we did friday was not anything super new.

Stickyness

I'm having a tough time with some if the problems on the homework this weekend, I feel as if don't know what to do

Reflection on a Day

When we got our quizzes back, I was hoping that I would've done a better job on it than I had on our previous test.  After Mr. Jackson  handed me the quiz, I flipped the paper over and a big smile spread across my face. I did a really great job on the quiz.  I think I performed well on the quiz because I remember how to do certain problems from classes that I had taken before.  But I still need to practice problems on my own because I remember that I needed to look back at my notes a lot throughout the duration of the quiz.  Many things happen during each problem and it's hard to remember how to do each step.

so

So this completing the square thing is still complicated to me. I think putting the problems into more real life situations, like the farmer trying to find how much fencing he needs, will help me to better understand how all of the "completing the square" works. I'm hoping that I can find someone to help me understand this class outside of school and get a better grade. It's possible.

Another post

Man I hate this class.
Seeing as how I can't do anything right in this class, I have doubts of ever coming back out of a failing grade.  People think it can be so simple to come out of something like that.  My parents think I can go to class, wave a magic pencil, and pull my grade up.  Ha.  Ha.  That's real cute.

Post

the combining equations we have been doing in class I find interesting. At first I thought it was hard, but after mr Jackson spend the day going over I understand it now. Overall, this week in class has been easier than in weeks past.

Blog post week 6

Today we received our quizzes back. I had thought I did very well but then I got it back and realized I actually made a lot of silly errors that I can easily correct for the future. Today we also worked with the applied functions and I think I am understanding them well. Shay and I were able to work through a few together until we both got the hang of it. 

Week 6 - Reflection on Tuesday, Oct. 7

I really liked how the class was structured yesterday (October 7th). I liked how we had time to try to work through and solve problems ourselves and work with the people at our table to do so. Normally, we go through problems with Mr. Jackson on the board, which is helpful, but I think it was also nice to have time to work with my peers on the math problems. The people I work with explain things to me in a different way than Mr. Jackson does to help me further understand how to find the solutions. I also think that it's helpful to have this independent work time because Mr. Jackson can come around and help with individual questions if there are any.

Also, at one point Alex came to the board and she explained to the class how she solved one of the problems we were working on. I thought that it was really helpful to see her do this, and I think we should do more of that sort of "peer-teaches-class" sort of thing. I think that it would not only allow the students to gain a better understanding of concepts and ideas through different explanations, I think that it would also benefit the "student teacher" because it will solidify the content in their mind.

I thought that these things were a big help when it came to understanding the concepts and I liked how they were implemented that day. I gained a better understanding of completing the square because of the way the class was set up that day and I'd like to see more student collaboration work time and student teaching if possible.

Moment of clarity

I had a family friend that is in college come and tutor me on "complete the square and factoring". I understand it 6000x better now. She taught me methods that are much more clear. I feel much more confident with these problems. I wish I would have known this before the quiz yesterday. 

Light bulb

I got some help outside of class from my college aged cousin and she helped a lot! I now fully I understand completing the sqaure and finding the vertex and range! I'm so happy that I finally truly understand completing the square! Ahh I'm so excited! 

6th post: Understanding

So I'm feeling pretty confident about the quiz. I understand how to factor using the square and diamond method and I understand how to complete the square and solve! Before I understood how, I couldn't quite get why we did certain things when solving, but I really tried hard to pay attention and listen carefully and I get it now. But then again I was feeling confident about the extra credit and I wasn't even close. Since I first posted this I didn't know my quiz score. We got out quizzes back and I'm so proud of myself because I did really well and I'm so happy.

I thought I got all the information that was on the test. Even after I thought I did really well but I found out that I did terrible. I normally never struggle with math and I deffinetly have never done so bad on a test before. I don't know why I did so poorly burg thought I understood everything!

5th post

I understand the content of this week a lot more then the last unit. I am still a little confused on a couple of the concepts in this new unit. Last unit did not go well at all but this unit I will do better.

5th Post

I finally understand things. I understand how to complete the square and I didn't really get that before. I'm so happy that things are starting to make sense.

Blog Post 5

This past test was an eye opener for not only me but for everyone else too. I believe that if we want to make sure we have better grades, we need to make sure we pay attention in class

Blog Post 5

So this week went relatively quickly. The material we have learned so far isnt that challenging except for when it comes to extreme factoring. My first test in this class was just fine better than I expected and I could complain. Overall another solid week.

Good Week

This weeks material was much more easily digested than that of the last unit. The new class pace made things easier to grasp. I particularly enjoyed the step by step directions in the info packet. I am confident going into tomorrow that I understand last weeks material.

everything is a muddy point

So... this entire class is a muddy point to me and I want to cry of confusion. I feel like the "completing the square" thing is a lot of work for nothing... the other method of just trying numbers seems better and much less confusing. I'm trying to understand to the best of my ability, but I don't learn quick enough to be able to say I fully understand what's going on all the time. Or any time. But before the "completing the square" thing came up, I felt fairly comfortable in what we were practicing.

Perfect square

Completing the square was confusing at first because there are many steps in doing so. It really helped going through on Friday and doing some practice problems and making sure we thoroughly know what we are doing. 

What I learned

This week I learned about how to complete the square. At first it was hard but then I go the hang of it and it got really easy

The week seemed to start off slow after getting our tests back, but it slowly picked up. I like the fact that we're taking things a lot slower in class. I feel like I'm actually really understanding all of the material instead of just talking about it for 10 minutes and then moving on. I'm happy that Mr. Jackson actually accepted our feedback and changed some things during class time that seems to be helping a lot of us!

week 5

Im finding this unit much easier than the last.  The one problem I have is I feel like Mr. Jacksons moves on to the next thing right then i am staring to understand the first thing then I just get confused.

Muddy point

So after we got our test back and everyone was really bummed. At first I thought that I would never be able to come out of this feeling of dissatisfaction, but then we had a big group talk and went over a lot of the problems and I understood what I needed to work on to get a better grade. I think spending a little more time in class going over new content would really help me and other class members improve overall.

Clickity Clack!

Finally!! Things are clicking and working. Some help and tips from friends, have really helped me put all the pieces together. Completing the square??? More like get it done it 2 seconds and take a nap!!!

Progress!

When we began factoring the quadratics where the a value was not 1 were very difficult for me to grasp. But after trying the square and diamond technique it started to make sense and after I stayed after with Tara and talked about it with her it made complete sense to me. I also think that I'm getting this unit's material a lot easier due to the slower pace in class!

lets get this A baby!!!!!

Its weird and a long process for the completing the squares lesson. I havent ever done problems like this before. I woll eventually master however. When the "a" value isnt 1 I can do that with no problems. When "a" IS 1, I struggle. Although the practice packet for over this weekend has helped me TREMENDOUSLY because I challenged myself to do them without looking at the steps. Without the steps I wouldnt be able to get past the first problems. Thank you :)

Blog Post

This past week was stressful for many people, including me. After getting the test I think it was a wake up call for a lot of us. We were shocked with our results but after going over the test I started to learn from the small mistakes I made. As the week went I started to understand more. When we started learning the new material I really focused on understanding the material instead of just trying to memorize everything. Hopefully the next test will go better for all of us now that we learned from our mistakes!

Completing the square

In coordinate geometry we did a lot with completing the square to simplify, but I never realized that it can be used to find the solutions.  I thought it was really cool that completing the square can be used instead of the quadratic formula to find x values.

Something Cool

When we started to Complete the Square & Factor, I thought it was cool that I had learned how to do some of the simpler problems in Algebra 2A with Mrs. Bosman.  Knowing how to complete some of the problems from previous learning makes this part of the unit a lot easier for me to understand.  I thought it was cool how I remembered how to use the square to complete some of the problems. I also thought it was cool that I even remembered how to use the square because it feels like Algebra 2A was a bajillion years ago.

Progress

I feel like ever since we had the class conversation after receiving the tests back, everything is so much less stressful. now that weve all come to the group decision to slow things down, learning new material in this class will be so much easier to learn and retain. because of the heartwood trip Thursday however, the whole "perfect square" concept is a little difficult to me seeing as I didn't receive class time to learn it, but because of the new approach we established I feel as though ill be able to understand the material quickly.

Wow, that is too cool!

We started this new unit about quadratics and the very first assignment was the Fun with Quadratics! packet. The first couple of problems were a breeze! Then I got to the questions with an "A" value not equal to zero. The guess and check approach just wasn't efficient enough for me. As the class went on, Mr. Jackson demonstrated a new procedure. It was the "picture" process which the younger students learned. It blows my mind on how it works. I never heard of this way until now, but I love it!

Week 5

I think that the test kind of dampened some spirits but after going over parts I understand what I did wrong. The things we are learning now I find to be pretty complicated and would appreciate it if we did more examples in class before moving on to even harder concepts. I learn better when we do more examples with the class.

Muddy Point #5

I feel that our week started off hard with getting the test back, but once we had a class discussion and began to slow the pace down it's becoming easier to understand! I think when we take the time to talk about how to do a certain type of problem, it makes it easier and faster to do!!  The completing the square technique is really helpful for factoring out the quadratic a with A values more than 1

Blog post

My muddiest point would probably have to be when we got the tests back. There were a lot of things with finding inverse functions that I thought I did right but we're completely wrong, and I had no idea what was wrong.

week 5

This week has been pretty blurry for me. I feel like all my lightbulbs are being burned out. The whole factoring thing is fine but I really don't understand the factoring diamond thing. I would much rather guess and check because I already know how to do that.

My muddiest point this week was probably working with the diamond method.  It honestly reminds me of the forgiving method for division they taught us in elementary school which made absolutely no sense and in the long run had no effect on any part of my mathematical career.  "Guess and check" is also not something that makes sense to me because there is no set algorithm of how to get the correct answer.  Rough week I guess.

Week: 5 option 5

Okay, well I had a hard time understanding the whole concept of quadratics and the factoring or distributing by guessing.  I kept thinking over and over that there must be some other way, some structured way to do it but turns out, there really isn't.  I mean there is that strategy that the younger generations use, but to me it doesn't always make sense and it still is mostly guessing.  I guess it wasn't just one little spark that I was able to recognize this fact, but happened over the gradual time we were learning this in class.  For me it feels confusing since usually there are structured ways on how something can be done and not simply left to guessing, but I have learned to accept that for this instance there simply is not a rule by rule way to follow.

Week 5

 My muddiest point this week was probably when Mr. Jackson was explaining the diamond method for factoring. That made no sense to me. I was only able to factor when the guessing and checking method finally clicked.

5th post

I thought I did pretty well on the test but it turns out that I didn't. I still feel like I understand the material though. I realized that there were a few little mistakes I made that I caught when I was looking back over the test. I definitely could have fixed these mistakes if I paid closer attention. 

Blog post

I would just like to say that today went very well. I feel like the way you taught today was very helpful and I was able to retain the information given to us. You definitely listened to what we had to say yesterday and you applied it into today's class. I was extremely disappointed and shocked with my test score when I got it back considering I had thought I understood the material and got help on the only part i thought I was struggling with. However, after today's class I am feeling better about my future in this class and I feel as though this unit will be a turn around for me as I really need to raise my grade to an A. Thank you for a good class today, I have gained back a little confidence and am ready to move past the last test. 

Today Went Well

Yesterday, we received our tests back and I did absolutely terrible which is not how I felt I did while taking the test. That is perfectly fine because since then I have went to math labs and gotten help to further my understanding of the course. I would just like to say, that today, you (referring to Mr. Jackson) taught a little different than you normally do. You listened to what we had to say yesterday and applied it while in class today and I wasn't confused once the entire hour today. I'm not too sure this counts as my blog post because it isn't really about how I've progressed or whatever but I just wanted to say thank you. You slowed down the lesson and I understood everything at more than just a surface level. So again, thank you. 

Week 5 - Reflection on Thursday, Oct. 2

I thought today was very productive and went at a pace that was comfortable for most (if not all) of the class. I thought having the step-by-step directions on the 'Completing the Square' worksheet was really helpful. Then, going over the questions in class helped solidify those new ideas in my mind and I really liked how the pace wasn't too fast but it also wasn't too slow.

I think today was a very beneficial day because everyone (both Mr. Jackson and students alike) made an effort in the classroom. From my observations, Mr. Jackson slowed down in his explanations and had us really look at what was happening in the problems we were doing. I also noticed that students were really trying to understand the concepts in class by asking questions and asking for clarification when needed.

Overall, I thought that today was very productive. I feel like I learned a lot today. I feel confident in the material we're learning and I hope there will be more days like this one!

That first test though...

Oh man.  I really messed up big time on our first test.  I don't think I've ever done quite so bad in a math course before.  My parents really expect a lot from me, so I thought I was going to really get it when the news reached them.  I did a little, but not as bad as I had envisioned.  So now, my plan of action is probably going to re-take this failure, and lock down for the following tests so this doesn't happen again.

When you're me, you tend to keep your real thoughts and opinions locked away where nobody ever finds them.  But at the same time, I'm screaming for some kind of outlet to release them.  I guess I'm able to let a little bit of them out through this blog.  I just wish I was able to let everything I think out at once and show the world.

But I can't.

Something like that will get me nowhere.  All I'd probably get is "you can't talk to me like that" or something.  That's how this world works nowadays.  Submission to those above you, and anything else gets you in trouble with the man.

Oh man, listen to me ramble, right?

Week 5 blog post-first test

I am extremely disappointed with my test grade. I studied very hard and worked really hard and didn't get the outcome I wanted at all. It would really benefit me if we could learn at a slower pace so we can thoroughly learn things. It would also benefit me if we had more steps to solve problems and modeled a problem or two. I don't feel that I am learning or retaining information when we are learning something new everyday. I think it would help everyone if we spent 2-3 days perfecting and really learning a single topic rather than spending one day on it and then just going on to the next thing when we aren't ready to move on. I know that this class has a reputation to be more difficult but I think there are ways that could make it much easier and we should figure out what that is and execute those plans. 

Light Bulb/Struggling Point

Yesterday in class I really understood what we are doing with the factoring of quadratics and other exponentials. I took really good notes to aid me while doing the homework and they really helped. The test was not so pretty but that just means I have to work hard this unit and bring my grade back up.