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Mr. Roth's Math Page |
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About Mr. Roth
Upon returning to the U.S., I received a Peace Corps Fellowship at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. There, I worked at Landmark High School teaching math (and other subjects) for eleven years. For the seven years before coming to ISS in July 2015, I lived in Brooklyn with my wife, Sarah, where we were raising our two children. Liam (age 8) and Amelia (age 6) now love living in the Dominican Republic and being ISS Hurricanes!
My passions (other than teaching math) are traveling the world, SCUBA diving and swimming. The Flipped ClassroomStudents will not see me standing in front of the class lecturing and giving notes to copy down. This will be done at home, for homework, through the use of videos. This allows us to concentrate on activities during class to help practice and/or apply the concepts taught in the videos while the teacher and other students are around to help.
This method of teaching and learning requires that students have access to a computer with internet outside of school. For more information on the flipped classroom, click here. Mastery Of Learning TargetsI will give specific Learning Targets students need to master for every unit during the year. Very similar to Standards-Based Grading, I will then use a variety of assessments, both formal and informal to measure students' progress toward master of those Learning Targets. This will be done on a daily basis. Once students have shown that they are progressing appropriately toward mastery of the Learning Targets, they will be allowed to move on to the new topics or assignments.
More information on Standards-Based Grading can be found here. Mastery Of Work HabitsAt ISS, our job as a community of students, teachers, parents and other adults in the school is not only to help students acquire the content knowledge necessary to be adequately prepared for their next level of education, but also to teach the habits, skills and character necessary to be a successful life-long learner and productive member of the communities in which they will live.
As such, students will not only be assessed on their progress toward mastery of the Mathematical Learning Targets, but also of their progress toward mastery of the Work Habits that are necessary for success in school and life. The rubric that will be used for the periodic assessment of mastery of these Learner Attributes can be downloaded below. 
GradingClicking Thinkwave at the top of this page will allow you to access a page containing the assessment of progress toward mastery of Learning Targets and learner attributes. However, a numerical grade will only be given at the end of every Unit of Study (approximately every 4 - 6 weeks). The reason behind this, is that when looking at mastery over time, a student may not show mastery of a Learning Target until the end of a unit, which is the appropriate time for mastery of the Learning Target. To give a grade to a student before adequate opportunity to master the material has been given would be unfair to the student and give an inaccurate portrayal of how the student is progressing towards that mastery. All Learning Targets are based on Common Core Mathematical Content Standards.
In addition to the mathematical content, students are assessed on their mathematical practice and thinking, called the Mathematical Habits of Mind. Mathematicians use these overarching strategies, approaches and ways of thinking in order to successfully solve problems. These ways of thinking and practicing mathematics are summarized by the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice. Student transcripts (that will be seen by universities when students apply) will contain a numeric grade based on both mastery of Learning Targets and progress toward Mathematical Practice Standards. For an explanation of how to access and read the Learning Progress document, click here. |
ResourcesDesmos - A dynamic online graphing application.
Plotly - Plot data and run statistical tests. FiveThiryEight - A website using data and statistics to analyze the world we live in. youtube - Don't like the way Mr. Roth teaches? No worries! Try another teacher. Here are some suggestions: Professor Leonard PatrickJMT Khan Academy MOOCs - Interested in learning other stuff? Try Massive Open Online Courses MIT Coursera edX Class supply list (All Classes)A laptop computer that can access the internet over wifi. Students should bring the laptop to class every day they have math. Most days, tablets or smart phones may be used, but some days a laptop will be the most useful.
A graphing calculator is needed for any student wanting to take an AP or SAT II exam. A TI-83 or 84 Plus or TI-Nspire (non-CAS) are suggested. The graphing calculator is optional, but suggested for students not taking these exams. A scientific calculator is needed (if a student is not bringing a graphing calculator) for quizzes and exams, when calculator apps on phones or computers will not be allowed. The scientific calculator should have the trigonometric ratio (sin, cos, tan) buttons. 2 quad-ruled notebooks. If you are taking two math classes, you will need two notebooks for EACH class. Something to write with. Pen or pencil is fine. A backup something to write with. In case your pen runs out of ink, or you lose your pencil. Clear tape - to tape papers into your notebook. One Box of Markers One Box of Colored Pencils Students will also need access to a computer with internet outside of school. | ||||||
