Sunday, March 29, 2009

What Topics are Most Important?

With the regents and June just around the corner, I though it would be useful to start a post on the most important/least important topics in Integrated Algebra. Even though all the topics are important, depending on the amount of time that is left it may be necessary to omit some of the less important topics to ensure an adequate amount of time is spent on the topics that are the most important. The strategy that I have been using is to look at jmap.org. Since I'm using the Pearson Integrated Algebra textbook and jmap breaks down the regents questions into the corresponding chapters and topics of this textbook, I can look at which chapters and sections have been covered the most on the regents exam because they will have the most past regents questions listed. I skipped some topics altogether because I realized that they had no corresponding past regents questions which prompted me to check the standards and realize those topics are not required until Algebra 2/Trig. I'll get back with the exact topics I'm talking about but I know completing the square, the quadratic formula and using the discriminant will not be covered. Just be careful when you look at the number of past regents questions next to each topic because although some may show only a small number of past questions they may be all part III's and IV's and would be worth more points than the part I multiple choice. I will try to compose a list of the topics from the Pearson book that could be on the regents and I'll try to list them in order based on their importance. Please help with ideas and/or comments! Thanks and have a great one.

4 comments:

  1. I agree, Eric. Thanks for making this post. I am pretty confident that the quadratic formula, discriminant, and completing the square will not be covered. There is actually a .pdf file called "Integrated Algebra Crosswalk" that gives a break down of what we are required to teach as Algebra teachers. I think some of the topics I'm going to skip will fall in the Statistics strand (mainly because of time reasons). As I am not there yet, I can't give you a specific break down. I should be there in roughly 2-3 weeks. I hope it doesn't take me that long!!!

    Here is a link to the crosswalk:

    http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emsc.nysed.gov%2F3-8%2FCrosswalk_Algebra.pdf&ei=Tc_PSefnF9ftlQf-wKTxCQ&usg=AFQjCNG53Khh2mqIaZJAQiqRLh0lL6YmqQ&sig2=gEbvSlSXefvgkiWoFs-iXQ

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  2. A resource that I have found to be very useful is the New York State Library's listing of all the past regents. By browsing through the past test it becomes quickly obvious which topic appear and which are generaly avoided. This link is great for any regents class.

    http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/regentsexams.htm

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  3. Mr. Yanez you do have a point about certain topics appearing on the regents over time being on this year's. However, there might also be a surprise on the exam. A topic that is often overlooked might appear. Think about everything. Expect the unexpected and prepare for the expected just to be safe.

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  4. Thanks for the links to the great resources and all the great ideas. I've reading the standards much more closely lately and found that the only thing the Integrated Algebra students must know involving radicals is how to simplify radical expressions without variables in the radicand and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide these types of radicals. This definitely cuts down a lot of the material from ch 11 of the pearson textbook. I have to go back and reteach these few topics because I tried to cover way too much material and my kids bombed the test. Any advice or tricks that you know about for teaching these topics?

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