"How will Graph of the Week help my students?"
This assignment not only helps our students to become lifelong critical and analytical thinkers, but also benefits them in the following ways:
•Improve academic literacy
•Develop civically engaged students through oral discourse
Giving students a platform to share their voice and serve their interests
•Link mathematics to real-world situations
•Develop students’ Habits of Mind
•Improve written communication
•Give students current events awareness
•Build community among all grade levels
•Improve SAT, SBAC and Common Core assessments
You can get GOW started at your site...
If you are interested in implementing the Graph of the Week at your school or district, or how to make it department-wide, send an email to [email protected]. I can help your department, or staff through the process. Graph of the week is cross-curricular. I can work with any department that needs to incorporate more writing into the curriculum!
If you are interested in implementing the Graph of the Week at your school or district, or how to make it department-wide, send an email to [email protected]. I can help your department, or staff through the process. Graph of the week is cross-curricular. I can work with any department that needs to incorporate more writing into the curriculum!
The Birth of GOW
As a first year teacher in 2000, "Math in the Real World" (now known as GOW), was a writing assignment I created that allowed students to explore the relevance and importance of the mathematics that existed beyond the textbook, outside the classroom. I not only wanted them to be able to tell me what the graph was about, I also wanted to make them aware of current events, as most of the graphs I selected were from the newspaper that week. I had a set of questions for each graph for the students to answer.
Since the internet was fiercely expanding over the next several years and we were becoming inundated with statistical data, it was the best window of time to show them the importance of graph analysis skills to become knowledgeable not only about current events but to also be proactive, informed citizens of the United States.
Because I wanted to share the benefits of GOW with other teachers, I felt the need to launch a website: Turner’s Graph of the Week. I have Robin Turner, Kelly Gallagher, Chris Shore, and Penny Kittle to thank for insipring me and helping me with the success of GOW.
Thoughts on the Grading aspect...
Many math teachers have often asked me about how I grade GOWs. They are a bit fearful of even attempting to try the assignment because they imagine having to read through a daunting heap of written responses. But, here's my take on it:
Yes, it takes about 45 seconds to 1 minute to read through one paper at first (the math teacher in us is now trying to calculate the total amount of minutes this is going to take, right?) , but the more you read, the faster you will be at picking up on whether they understood what they were analyzing. Trust me when I say it will get easier.
I make each GOW worth 10 points (my math HW assignments are 5 points each, just to give you some perspective). I generally assign GOW on Mondays and collect them on Fridays. In between that time, we may have time to discuss the topic in groups or pairs. I typically grade them that weekend. Sometimes, I have the students grade each other's papers on Friday. It could take about 20 minutes of class time, but as I mentioned before, I believe this is valuable time.
On a personal note...
I find that reading the GOWs is a window into my students' opinions and lives outside my math classroom, and that alone fascinates me. You may be delightfully surprised at how well they write, how insightful they can be, or how passionate they feel about a particular topic. I strongly believe the simple act of writing actually stimulates and ignites quite a bit of thinking in our students. Giving them the opportunity to do a GOW allows them to explore their own ideas or create new opinions they thought they never had. It's amazing stuff. For me, reading these responses helps me connect with my students on a much deeper level.
Last year, a student in my AP Calc class told me that she started off her paper feeling one way about gun control, but towards the end of it, she changed her stance. That blew my mind. I am completely convinced that giving a small assignment like GOW may seem like you've invested your precious time for diminished returns. But, there are long-term benefits for your students on how it shapes and helps them grow as informed individuals.
As a first year teacher in 2000, "Math in the Real World" (now known as GOW), was a writing assignment I created that allowed students to explore the relevance and importance of the mathematics that existed beyond the textbook, outside the classroom. I not only wanted them to be able to tell me what the graph was about, I also wanted to make them aware of current events, as most of the graphs I selected were from the newspaper that week. I had a set of questions for each graph for the students to answer.
Since the internet was fiercely expanding over the next several years and we were becoming inundated with statistical data, it was the best window of time to show them the importance of graph analysis skills to become knowledgeable not only about current events but to also be proactive, informed citizens of the United States.
Because I wanted to share the benefits of GOW with other teachers, I felt the need to launch a website: Turner’s Graph of the Week. I have Robin Turner, Kelly Gallagher, Chris Shore, and Penny Kittle to thank for insipring me and helping me with the success of GOW.
Thoughts on the Grading aspect...
Many math teachers have often asked me about how I grade GOWs. They are a bit fearful of even attempting to try the assignment because they imagine having to read through a daunting heap of written responses. But, here's my take on it:
Yes, it takes about 45 seconds to 1 minute to read through one paper at first (the math teacher in us is now trying to calculate the total amount of minutes this is going to take, right?) , but the more you read, the faster you will be at picking up on whether they understood what they were analyzing. Trust me when I say it will get easier.
I make each GOW worth 10 points (my math HW assignments are 5 points each, just to give you some perspective). I generally assign GOW on Mondays and collect them on Fridays. In between that time, we may have time to discuss the topic in groups or pairs. I typically grade them that weekend. Sometimes, I have the students grade each other's papers on Friday. It could take about 20 minutes of class time, but as I mentioned before, I believe this is valuable time.
On a personal note...
I find that reading the GOWs is a window into my students' opinions and lives outside my math classroom, and that alone fascinates me. You may be delightfully surprised at how well they write, how insightful they can be, or how passionate they feel about a particular topic. I strongly believe the simple act of writing actually stimulates and ignites quite a bit of thinking in our students. Giving them the opportunity to do a GOW allows them to explore their own ideas or create new opinions they thought they never had. It's amazing stuff. For me, reading these responses helps me connect with my students on a much deeper level.
Last year, a student in my AP Calc class told me that she started off her paper feeling one way about gun control, but towards the end of it, she changed her stance. That blew my mind. I am completely convinced that giving a small assignment like GOW may seem like you've invested your precious time for diminished returns. But, there are long-term benefits for your students on how it shapes and helps them grow as informed individuals.
