Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Great Big Book Of Algebra

Here is an assignment that I am giving my students. I hope it inspires them to learn in a different way.

In other years this would have been called a Growing Post. This year I am calling this blogging assignment The Great Big Book of Algebra. It's inspiration came from a cartoon called Stanley Tiger Tales. Here it goes. Remember only one post for this assignment. You will need to edit often to complete the assignmet.


The Great Big Book of Algebra


Warning this is a long post with lots of information. READ the whole thing before choosing anything to do!!!


This will be one post that you will create over time. You will be expected to do many things and have it published on a certain days. You can do the entire assignment in a few days or really think and do it over the entire period of time.

Blogger Labels will be

1. your blogger name
2. intpoetry
3. greatbigbook


The Great Big Book of Algebra is due on December 19th 9:00. (or at least some parts are!!)

Chapter 1 Integer Poetry.
You need to create 5 Integer poems. The poems topics are:

  • Adding Integers
  • Subtracting Integers
  • Partitive Division
  • Quotative Division
  • The "Rule for Multiplying" integers (Ron's Rule, Pratts Law, Mel's Rockpile etc)


This chapter on Integer Poetry is due on Friday. They must be published not saved in Draft. Make sure you have all the needed materials to complete this assignment.

There are many different types of poems out there. I am going to show you a few. You need to use 3 different types of poetry in your first chapter.

Haiku: Haiku is a type of Japanese poetry which combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. A haiku poem is three lines in length. The first line is 5 syllables: the second is seven syllables: the third is five syllables.

Life Lesson

The fierce wind rages
And I see how trees survive -
They have learned to bend.
Inevitability

Homing geese, still winged,
Sliding down shafts of sunset
To join their shadows.
Understanding

Another form of Japanese Poetry is called Tanka

Tanka: Tanka is another type of Japanese poetry and is almost like an extension of the haiku. The tanka is a 5 line poem.

Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 7 syllables

Adversity

Debris in the wind
Indiscriminately blinds
Eyes searching a path.
To turn one's back to the wind
Reveals but where one has been.

Cinquain: Cinquain poems are five lines in length. There are two main forms.
EXAMPLE 1:
Line 1: One word topic (noun)
Line 2: Two describing words (adjectives)
Line 3: Three action words (verbs)
Line 4: A four-word phrase
Line 5: A synonym or equivalent for the topic

Dragon
Fiery-wild
Growling, feeding, razing
Predator from the ancient past
Monster

EXAMPLE 2:
Line 1: Topic (2-syllable word or words)
Line 2: 4 syllables describing topic
Line 3: 6 syllables expressing action
Line 4: 8 syllables expressing feeling
Line 5: 2 syllables - a synonym for the topic

Similarities
I touch
Two curving things
The barrel of this pen,
The slow uncertain winding of
This verse.


Free Verse Poetry

Free verse poetry is free from the normal rules of poetry. The poet may choose to include some rhyming words but the poem does not have to rhyme. A free verse poem may be just a sentence that is artistically laid out on the page or it can be pages of words. Some forms of free verse separate, or split, phrases and words between lines. Punctuation may be absent or it may be used to place greater emphasis on specific words. The main object of free verse is to use colorful words, punctuation, and word placement to convey meaning to the reader


Heroes Are
sometimes
courageous collaborators,
sometimes
originators of opportunities,
sometimes
champions of coincidence or circumstance.
Sometimes
heroes act through intelligence
and at other times
through ignorance.



Picture: A picture poem, is a poem made of letters or words which create an actual picture or form on the page.

Kite

I
wish
I were a
kite on high
I could fly up to the sky
Up to the blue sky
High a cloud
I wish I were
A kite
High
Up
Up
Up
Up
+
+
+

Diamante: Diamante is the Italian word for diamond. The poetic form takes the shape of a diamond when it is completed. A diamante is a seven line poem.
There are two patterns to choose from. Pattern one develops one topic. Pattern two starts out with one theme and in the middle begins to move toward an opposite theme.
PATTERN ONE:
Line 1: Choose a topic (noun)
Line 2: Use two describing words (adjectives)
Line 3: Use three action words (verbs)
Line 4: Use a four-word phrase capturing some feeling about the topic
Line 5: Use three action words (verbs)
Line 6: Use two describing words (adjectives)
Line 7: Use a synonym for an ending word (noun)

Example 1: This poem expresses one theme about a pop singing star.

Star
Famous, successful
Singing, dancing, shouting
Mesmerizing the adoring audience
Performing, working, reaching
Frenzied, dazzling
Showman

PATTERN TWO:
Line 1: Choose a noun as your title and an opposite word (an antonym) for the ending word of your poem
Line 2: Use two adjectives (describing words) for the title (line 1)
Line 3: Use three verbs (action words or "ing" words for the title
Line 4: Use two words to express the title noun - then two words to express the opposite ending noun. The theme changes in this line.
Line 5: Choose three action words for the ending noun
Line 6: Use two words to describe the ending noun
Line 7: Use one word - the antonym (opposite) you decided upon in line one

Joy
Frisky, buoyant
Warming, sparkling, reveling
Nonsense, comedy -- witchery, absurdity
Haunting, piercing, confusing
Doubtful, lonely
Grief

This will stretch your creative thinking. It is OK to do the picture poem on a piece of paper and hand post a picture of your work.

This ends Chapter one. Good luck and happy poetry writing.

1 comment:

Jess Cimenski Piombino said...

This is such a great idea. I am also a math teacher and I have been looking for student blogging ideas for quite a while. I have been holding back because it is so hard to type math on a computer.

This idea involves no math being typed and it is a cross curricular assignment. I bet you could even team up with an english teacher to make it a co-assignment!

I will be teaching polynomial factoring soon which involves so many rules, this would be perfect to help them really think about the process of factoring. And it will be great for those students who love poetry.

I have actually written a math haiku that was published in usaToday.com back in 2004.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2003-01-poetry.htm

Scroll down to Jan 21st under my maiden name (Jessica Cimenski). I won $20 and a cookbook :) That could be motivation for some students.

I am looking forward to trying this idea out. Thanks!