Mu Alpha Theta info link:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=-x3OL5-ROEmquMR_D8kYLdg8_mECUgNIrV9C4fKWsdBURjNSMVA1S1ZSRE9FMFNKRk5YOFBWNU9MWC4u&sharetoken=oTUbDL8092TH2YcNvJ04
Math Team meeting today link:
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=-x3OL5-ROEmquMR_D8kYLdg8_mECUgNIrV9C4fKWsdBURjNSMVA1S1ZSRE9FMFNKRk5YOFBWNU9MWC4u&sharetoken=oTUbDL8092TH2YcNvJ04
Math Team meeting today link:
Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
Mr. O'Dell's Accelerated Math 2 Website
Update: 5/14, 10:15 AM.
Good morning, students. I hope you’re well this morning!
Update: 5/12, 11:00 AM.
Good morning, everyone! Students, I hope you’re excited about the end of the semester. It’s been a long two months of distance learning, and you’ve done wonderfully. I’m very proud of you! I’m thankful for each of you, and I’m happy that I’ve had the privilege of teaching you this year. If ever you need anything, please let me know.
Your optional final exam will take place on Thursday, May 14th from noon until 9:00 PM. It’ll cover the entire semester. You’ll have 90 minutes to take the exam. You’re allowed your notes and your calculator. Please do not use resources other than these. No family members, neighbors or anybody else should help you with this exam. No cell phones or internet. 100% integrity. (I promise you there are things more important in life than grades.) Also make sure you start the exam prior to 7:30 PM so you’ll have enough time to finish.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Good luck on the exam and have a great summer! I look forward to seeing each of you soon! Make good decisions!
Update: 5/8, 10:00 AM.
Good morning, students! Here it is: the last test of the year! Make sure you study hard for it. Make sure you understand how to do every problem on the review before you begin. It's a very doable test, but you don't want to run out of time due to being overly dependent upon your notes. You have 60 minutes to knock out 13 problems. That's plenty of time for those who know what they're doing.
Student View/Parent View will be updated on Monday. Our optional final exam will be posted on Thursday. Good luck!
Update: 5/3, 4:00 PM.
Happy Sunday afternoon, students!
Hooray! You’re nearing the end! This semester has not been the easiest for any of us, but I want to let you know, once again, how proud I am of you. So many of you have been keeping up with the Algebra and working really hard at it. It hasn’t been easy to do, but the overwhelming majority of you have done it! I really hope you’re well, and I hope you’re helping your parents and siblings. I want to encourage you to continue being the most responsible, mature version of yourself throughout the rest of the school year and the rest of the summer.
Our last quiz is tomorrow and our last test is this Friday. I’ll post an optional final on May 14th. If you take the final exam, I’ll replace your lowest test grade with the final exam grade (up to a 100). Also, I’ll drop your lowest quiz grade for the semester whether or not you take the final exam. Grades will be updated in Student View by the end of the week. Friday’s test grades will be added to Student View early next week.
I’ll be available at 11:00 AM tomorrow morning to answer any questions you may have before our quiz. The quiz needs to be submitted by 9:00 PM, Monday night. I’ll activate the quiz shortly after our 11:00 meeting ends. Don’t wait until the last second to start!
Study hard and enjoy your day!
Update: 4/22, 10:00 PM.
Hi, everyone. Several of you have an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ for the first time this semester (yay!), and because you didn’t have an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ in my class on March 13th, you may be concerned that continuing in my class might drop your grade (boo!). Fear not! It won’t. I will keep a record of your grades after every test post March 13th. At the end of the semester, I will give you the highest post-test grade, whether it be on March 13th or April 22nd or after our logarithms test. Your grade is safe! Just don’t give up. Logarithms are vitally important! If you’re happy with your grade for the semester, I’m genuinely happy for you! You need to realize you’re not working on a letter grade for this semester anymore, you’re working on next semester! (I want you to have an ‘A’ next semester and the semester after that too.) So if you bowed out after our last test, get back on that horse, take care of business and catch up! I hope everyone is well, and I miss all of you!
Let me know if you have any questions! I'm here to help you! :)
Update: 4/13, 12:30 AM Happy Easter!!!
...and Happy Monday everyone. I hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend and a wonderful week away from Cyberschool de O'Dell. I have no doubt your Spring Break was a unique one, and I know the next several weeks will be unique as well. Hopefully, everyone got my email from April 2nd. (If not, please read the entry below this one.) To reemphasize the point: it's imperative that you stick with me over the next several weeks. The material we're covering is vital for PreCalculus next year, and I want you to be prepared. Just stick with me! You can do this! :)
We have our first test this week in this virtual environment. Don't be afraid! You've got this! Details can be found under the Unit 10 page on this website. Today's assignment is going to require some thought. Let's get to it!
Update: 4/2, 10:00 PM. Dear Parents of Accelerated Geometry B/Algebra 2 students:
I hope you all are safe and well during this trying time. Thank you for working with us teachers as we’re adjusting to meet your child’s needs. As you know, we’ve just been given our grading policy for the semester. Whatever your child’s grade, I would strongly encourage your child to stick with my class through its completion. We have topics to cover that are vital for future classes, and I am interested in maximizing your child’s long-term success. As you know, mathematics builds upon itself, and I don’t want a short-term situation to expand into a long-term problem for your child. My goal is to make your child’s transition into PreCalculus as smooth as possible. If you’ll stick with the class, I will do everything I can to make that happen by continuing to provide instruction and opportunities for practice. I will continue to assess with quizzes, but I will also begin adding tests back into the picture. Regarding grades, if you’re happy with your child’s March 13th grade, per policy, that can be their final grade in the class. If you’re not happy with your March 13th grade, I will use these online assessments in addition to pre-March 13th assessments to calculate your child’s final grade. Ultimately, your child’s grade will not fall below what it was on March 13th.
If there’s anything my family can do for yours, please let me know. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here for you and your child. Don’t forget we will not have online instruction next week as it is Spring Break.
Update: 4/2, 10:45 AM. Good morning, students. I miss you, and I hope you are well. Due to Schoology being down this morning, I'm attaching today's work to an email that I sent out this morning. Please submit it as you normally would to Schoology by 11:59 PM. (I have been given assurances that Schoology will be back up and running by the end of the business day.) I'll be around if you need me.
Update: 4/1, 12:30 PM. Thank you to everyone who has reached out letting me know that Schoology is down. I appreciate y'all being on top of things. Schoology seemed to be having issues yesterday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. I suggest trying to submit your homework AFTER it comes back online. In the meantime, I've attached today's homework. Please do not submit your homework to me via email. :)
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Update: 3/28, 3:00. Hello, everyone! I hope you’re well, and I hope everyone is keeping up with making corrections to their homework. Remember, working to the published answers is just as important as the initial attempt for which you typically receive credit! I’ll continue to post our calendar and daily instructions on our main website, but starting today, I’ll be posting all homework assignments, answers keys, etc. on the Schoology platform. We have a quiz on Tuesday. It’ll work very similarly to our last quiz but with only one attempt. It’ll be posted on Tuesday morning. If you have questions, I’m planning on us having another Microsoft Teams meeting at 1:30 on 3/30. I hope to see you then!
(Also, make sure you read the calendar for the week on the Unit 10 page, and make sure you're looking at the Schoology assignments for feedback from me. Some of you need to resubmit some assignments.)
Update: 3/27, 11:30 AM. Good morning! Students, this is just a friendly reminder to finish your PSAT assignment today. Parents, this assignment is a diagnostic tool designed to better prepare your child for the PSAT and SAT. Once they complete this diagnostic, they're able to to practice on personalized PSAT/SAT tests provided by Khan Academy. While I have not spoken to your children much about the SAT, older students will tell you that success on the SAT comes with experience and practice and less to do with "how smart you are." I liken the SAT to a game, and I always preach that students need to know the rules of any game to play well. This tool is our first step in a series of PSAT/SAT prep assignments - other assignments will come in future classes. I believe it's a PERFECT way to prepare. Other math departments, including one of our neighbors, have pointed to these assignments as having made a significant difference in school-wide PSAT and SAT scores. Again, future assignments will come from future math classes, but your child is encouraged to practice on the Khan platform once they've completed their diagnostic responsibilities for my class.
This was assigned several weeks ago, so hopefully your child has been working on it all along. To prove the assignment is completed, your child needs to submit a screenshot showing their name and scores to Schoology by 11:59 tonight. I've attached a screenshot to help guide your child.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I hope everyone is healthy and safe!
Update: 3/22, 4:15 PM. Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying their time at home! I know times are unusual and for some of us, tough! I hope that you're able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, however, and I hope that all of us are doing things that we enjoy outside of 'screen time.' If you're feeling out-of-place, here's one quote that has helped me through this week of relative isolation: "The Greatest Generation was asked to save the world under extraordinary conditions. You're being asked to save the world by sitting on your couch." OK, Couch Warriors, when you put it that way, I have no doubt we'll do what we need to do to keep our family, friends and neighbors safe. (...and if you're not sure who the Greatest Generation was, ask your parents or grandparents. Don't just Google it.)
Almost everyone attempted the quiz on Friday. (Only two didn't.) That's phenomenal! The quizzes look really good too! I'm very proud of the effort the overwhelming majority put in last week. We've got to keep it up though! Check for this week's work on the Unit 10 page and keep in mind that I can, and likely will be, updating the assignments daily. Check for those daily updates!
Also, if you haven't filled out the Google Forms information request I've sent you (twice now), make sure you do so. (Here's a third time: https://forms.gle/xk5swYfbBWse1yXe7) I've had 41 out 62 kids to fill it out so far. That's not so good. :(
NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF: If you'd like to earn up to ten bonus points on your quiz, I have a challenge for you! You must submit a video or picture proving that you did something nice and helpful for your moms, dads or siblings to Schoology by Tuesday night. I don't want any weak sauce either. I want to see you mowing the lawn, folding clothes, rubbing your sister's feet (gross), bathing the dog or something that means something special to a family member. . ...and don't submit anything that you normally do. Don't show me that you do chores. EVERYBODY has to do chores. Show me something out of the ordinary! You're on your honor. Impress your mama and impress me!
Your mission for the week is simple: Check this site and Schoology daily, keep following my instructions, keep attempting your work and making sure you're attempting to and adjusting to the posted answers. (Do I need to say "most responsible, mature version of yourself again?)
I miss all of you, and I hope you're well! ....and please don't send me any pictures of your sister's feet. Seriously gross. Find something else to earn ten points.
Please let me know if you need me. I'll be around to help you! :)
Mr. O.
Update: 3/20, 1:15 PM. Hi, everyone. There was an issue with the quiz; it has now been fixed. As a result, I've opened the quiz for a second attempt. If you're not happy with your first quiz grade, please feel free to give it a second shot.
Update: 3/20, 11:00 AM. I've posted solutions to last night's homework on the Unit 9 page.
Update: 3/20, 10:00 AM. Good morning, kiddos! Our quiz is active. Before you take it, make sure you understand the problems assigned this week i.e. check your homework against the posted solutions. The quiz is light on word problems so don’t worry if you don’t understand every problem on last night’s homework. If you understand the basics of yesterday’s assignment, you should be fine on those problems. The quiz has ten multiple choice problems, and you have 90 minutes to complete the quiz. (9 minutes per problem isn’t bad, right?) Again, the quiz is open notes and open calculator.
Your quiz must be SUBMITTED before 10:30 tonight. Here’s the first problem of the day: by what time are you going to start the quiz so that you have the full time to finish it? A) 9:03 B) 10:00 C) 10:30 or D) none of the above.
The answer is NONE OF THE ABOVE. Why are you trying so hard to figure out how late you can take it? Let’s get going kids. Time’s a wastin’!
Update: 3/19, 4:30 PM. Hi, Everyone. If you will, please click this link and provide me with your contact information. That way, I can communicate better with you in the future.
Update: 3/19, 10:45 AM. Good morning, Accel Math 2 students. I miss y’all and I hope you’re well! It is imperative that you’re paying attention to the feedback I’m giving you on assignments in Schoology. Go back right now and check each individual assignment you’ve submitted and look at any feedback from me. Some folks are only turning in the first page of assignments. Some are turning in the wrong assignments. Some haven’t turned in an assignment this week. Some are giving me their science homework. Many of you are paying attention to the feedback and are making corrections, but many are not. Please resubmit (or submit) homework according the feedback I’ve given you. Make sure your assignments are turned in as a single PDF. The overwhelming majority are doing this, but I still have a handful that are not.
I will be giving you numerical feedback in Schoology, but I will not be recording grades in Synergy until we get back into the building. As always, refer to this page and the Unit 9 page for information, assignments and answer keys.
We have an optional quiz tomorrow. I’d highly suggest you take it however, as I’m giving you 90 minutes (!) to complete it. Also, you’re allowed to use your notes and your calculator. (!!) Please do not use any other resource, including each other. Remember, I need the most mature, responsible, respectable version of yourself.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and please get your work done so you can get outside today! 80 degrees! (…just make sure you’re practicing correct social distancing. I care about y’all too much. Take care of yourselves and each other.)
Update: 3/18, 10:30 AM. Good morning, everyone. I updated the assignment for Thursday. I thought it was a little too long for us since we weren't all in the same room. I've also included links on this website (Look at the Unit 9 page.)
Update: 3/17, 9:15 AM. Good morning, campers. Make sure you're checking Schoology for feedback from me once you've submitted an assignment. I may be asking you to submit again if something went wrong the first time. :)
Update: 3/16, 12:45 PM. Kids, I need all of the pages of your assignment, not just a single page. See notes posted on the calendar page and on Schoology as to how to combine pages into a single PDF.
A message from Mr. O'Dell (March 15):
Students, hello! First and foremost, I hope you and your family are well! While I miss all of you, I'm glad that we're able to take care of ourselves, our families and each other by carefully listening to and abiding by the information provided by the CDC, other medical professionals, the White House and other government agencies. (This social distancing thing is legit. Do it. Don't rationalize a different plan because it's what you want to do. Be an adult, kiddos.) I know that there is a lot of anxiety surrounding our new learning platform and that's ok! Just do exactly what I ask you to do, be the most responsible, mature version of yourself, and you'll be in the right place when we get back together. Don't give up so easy, use your graphing calculator (or Desmos) to explore and finally, rely on each other! It'll take a little more effort from all of us, but I guarantee we'll pull this off. If anyone needs me for any reason, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].
Parents and students, please know that I'm on double-duty while I'm away. Not only will I be supporting my wonderful students, but I'll be supporting my Kindergartener and Second-Grader with their online school work (Parents, believe it or not, I feel your pain). I'll also be providing for and protecting my entire family. That doesn't mean my students aren't important to me, but I won't be available to you 24/7. In case you're interested, my incredible wife works in the medical-supply-chain industry (quite important these days, no?)
So, what's the plan, O'Deezy? I'm glad you asked. Not much has changed since we spoke on Friday, but we may tweak things as we go along. I've provided an updated calendar to you in the calendar section of this website. I'll post future calendars and all homework here. I'll post videos and quizzes,etc. on Schoology. If you didn't get the Schoology info on Friday, text a friend. If you absolutely can't find it from a friend, shoot me an email. I'll give it to you. The one thing that concerns me is the interactive piece. Due to hardware limitations (specifically my document camera), Skype is out. I think what I'll do is post a daily poll asking you to vote on which problems you want to see done the most from last night's homework. I'll post a follow-up video covering those problems. We'll see how it goes.
Please know that you will be submitting homework DAILY via Schoology. All homework is due by 11:59 PM. Don't be that kid that starts their homework at 11:45 and claims the link doesn't work. Nobody likes that kid. ;) Also, it is an expectation that you begin your work each day before noon. Wake up and get going. Do NOT wait until the late evening to begin. (...the most responsible version of yourself...)
Our first quiz is this Friday, so let's get at it, boys and girls! We've got this.
Update: 5/14, 10:15 AM.
Good morning, students. I hope you’re well this morning!
- Don’t stress and do the best you can. No pressure. This exam can only help you. It will not hurt you. :)
- Trust yourself! You’ve got this! You don’t need to be overly dependent upon your notes. (You likely will not finish if you’re constantly looking up topics in your notes anyways!)
- Make sure your calculator has power.
- Make sure you have scratch paper and something to write with.
- Make sure you've eaten something - not a pop tart and a coke. Not a triple-shot caffeine-crash latte either.
- Make sure you have a quiet place to work.
- You have 90 minutes to complete 26 questions. If you don’t have a calculator, use https://www.desmos.com/.
- No banned resources. (See Tuesday’s entry (5/12) below.)
- Email me if something happens. (You get locked out, etc.)
Update: 5/12, 11:00 AM.
Good morning, everyone! Students, I hope you’re excited about the end of the semester. It’s been a long two months of distance learning, and you’ve done wonderfully. I’m very proud of you! I’m thankful for each of you, and I’m happy that I’ve had the privilege of teaching you this year. If ever you need anything, please let me know.
Your optional final exam will take place on Thursday, May 14th from noon until 9:00 PM. It’ll cover the entire semester. You’ll have 90 minutes to take the exam. You’re allowed your notes and your calculator. Please do not use resources other than these. No family members, neighbors or anybody else should help you with this exam. No cell phones or internet. 100% integrity. (I promise you there are things more important in life than grades.) Also make sure you start the exam prior to 7:30 PM so you’ll have enough time to finish.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Good luck on the exam and have a great summer! I look forward to seeing each of you soon! Make good decisions!
Update: 5/8, 10:00 AM.
Good morning, students! Here it is: the last test of the year! Make sure you study hard for it. Make sure you understand how to do every problem on the review before you begin. It's a very doable test, but you don't want to run out of time due to being overly dependent upon your notes. You have 60 minutes to knock out 13 problems. That's plenty of time for those who know what they're doing.
Student View/Parent View will be updated on Monday. Our optional final exam will be posted on Thursday. Good luck!
Update: 5/3, 4:00 PM.
Happy Sunday afternoon, students!
Hooray! You’re nearing the end! This semester has not been the easiest for any of us, but I want to let you know, once again, how proud I am of you. So many of you have been keeping up with the Algebra and working really hard at it. It hasn’t been easy to do, but the overwhelming majority of you have done it! I really hope you’re well, and I hope you’re helping your parents and siblings. I want to encourage you to continue being the most responsible, mature version of yourself throughout the rest of the school year and the rest of the summer.
Our last quiz is tomorrow and our last test is this Friday. I’ll post an optional final on May 14th. If you take the final exam, I’ll replace your lowest test grade with the final exam grade (up to a 100). Also, I’ll drop your lowest quiz grade for the semester whether or not you take the final exam. Grades will be updated in Student View by the end of the week. Friday’s test grades will be added to Student View early next week.
I’ll be available at 11:00 AM tomorrow morning to answer any questions you may have before our quiz. The quiz needs to be submitted by 9:00 PM, Monday night. I’ll activate the quiz shortly after our 11:00 meeting ends. Don’t wait until the last second to start!
Study hard and enjoy your day!
Update: 4/22, 10:00 PM.
Hi, everyone. Several of you have an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ for the first time this semester (yay!), and because you didn’t have an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ in my class on March 13th, you may be concerned that continuing in my class might drop your grade (boo!). Fear not! It won’t. I will keep a record of your grades after every test post March 13th. At the end of the semester, I will give you the highest post-test grade, whether it be on March 13th or April 22nd or after our logarithms test. Your grade is safe! Just don’t give up. Logarithms are vitally important! If you’re happy with your grade for the semester, I’m genuinely happy for you! You need to realize you’re not working on a letter grade for this semester anymore, you’re working on next semester! (I want you to have an ‘A’ next semester and the semester after that too.) So if you bowed out after our last test, get back on that horse, take care of business and catch up! I hope everyone is well, and I miss all of you!
Let me know if you have any questions! I'm here to help you! :)
Update: 4/13, 12:30 AM Happy Easter!!!
...and Happy Monday everyone. I hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend and a wonderful week away from Cyberschool de O'Dell. I have no doubt your Spring Break was a unique one, and I know the next several weeks will be unique as well. Hopefully, everyone got my email from April 2nd. (If not, please read the entry below this one.) To reemphasize the point: it's imperative that you stick with me over the next several weeks. The material we're covering is vital for PreCalculus next year, and I want you to be prepared. Just stick with me! You can do this! :)
We have our first test this week in this virtual environment. Don't be afraid! You've got this! Details can be found under the Unit 10 page on this website. Today's assignment is going to require some thought. Let's get to it!
Update: 4/2, 10:00 PM. Dear Parents of Accelerated Geometry B/Algebra 2 students:
I hope you all are safe and well during this trying time. Thank you for working with us teachers as we’re adjusting to meet your child’s needs. As you know, we’ve just been given our grading policy for the semester. Whatever your child’s grade, I would strongly encourage your child to stick with my class through its completion. We have topics to cover that are vital for future classes, and I am interested in maximizing your child’s long-term success. As you know, mathematics builds upon itself, and I don’t want a short-term situation to expand into a long-term problem for your child. My goal is to make your child’s transition into PreCalculus as smooth as possible. If you’ll stick with the class, I will do everything I can to make that happen by continuing to provide instruction and opportunities for practice. I will continue to assess with quizzes, but I will also begin adding tests back into the picture. Regarding grades, if you’re happy with your child’s March 13th grade, per policy, that can be their final grade in the class. If you’re not happy with your March 13th grade, I will use these online assessments in addition to pre-March 13th assessments to calculate your child’s final grade. Ultimately, your child’s grade will not fall below what it was on March 13th.
If there’s anything my family can do for yours, please let me know. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here for you and your child. Don’t forget we will not have online instruction next week as it is Spring Break.
Update: 4/2, 10:45 AM. Good morning, students. I miss you, and I hope you are well. Due to Schoology being down this morning, I'm attaching today's work to an email that I sent out this morning. Please submit it as you normally would to Schoology by 11:59 PM. (I have been given assurances that Schoology will be back up and running by the end of the business day.) I'll be around if you need me.
Update: 4/1, 12:30 PM. Thank you to everyone who has reached out letting me know that Schoology is down. I appreciate y'all being on top of things. Schoology seemed to be having issues yesterday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. I suggest trying to submit your homework AFTER it comes back online. In the meantime, I've attached today's homework. Please do not submit your homework to me via email. :)
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Update: 3/28, 3:00. Hello, everyone! I hope you’re well, and I hope everyone is keeping up with making corrections to their homework. Remember, working to the published answers is just as important as the initial attempt for which you typically receive credit! I’ll continue to post our calendar and daily instructions on our main website, but starting today, I’ll be posting all homework assignments, answers keys, etc. on the Schoology platform. We have a quiz on Tuesday. It’ll work very similarly to our last quiz but with only one attempt. It’ll be posted on Tuesday morning. If you have questions, I’m planning on us having another Microsoft Teams meeting at 1:30 on 3/30. I hope to see you then!
(Also, make sure you read the calendar for the week on the Unit 10 page, and make sure you're looking at the Schoology assignments for feedback from me. Some of you need to resubmit some assignments.)
Update: 3/27, 11:30 AM. Good morning! Students, this is just a friendly reminder to finish your PSAT assignment today. Parents, this assignment is a diagnostic tool designed to better prepare your child for the PSAT and SAT. Once they complete this diagnostic, they're able to to practice on personalized PSAT/SAT tests provided by Khan Academy. While I have not spoken to your children much about the SAT, older students will tell you that success on the SAT comes with experience and practice and less to do with "how smart you are." I liken the SAT to a game, and I always preach that students need to know the rules of any game to play well. This tool is our first step in a series of PSAT/SAT prep assignments - other assignments will come in future classes. I believe it's a PERFECT way to prepare. Other math departments, including one of our neighbors, have pointed to these assignments as having made a significant difference in school-wide PSAT and SAT scores. Again, future assignments will come from future math classes, but your child is encouraged to practice on the Khan platform once they've completed their diagnostic responsibilities for my class.
This was assigned several weeks ago, so hopefully your child has been working on it all along. To prove the assignment is completed, your child needs to submit a screenshot showing their name and scores to Schoology by 11:59 tonight. I've attached a screenshot to help guide your child.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I hope everyone is healthy and safe!
Update: 3/22, 4:15 PM. Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying their time at home! I know times are unusual and for some of us, tough! I hope that you're able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, however, and I hope that all of us are doing things that we enjoy outside of 'screen time.' If you're feeling out-of-place, here's one quote that has helped me through this week of relative isolation: "The Greatest Generation was asked to save the world under extraordinary conditions. You're being asked to save the world by sitting on your couch." OK, Couch Warriors, when you put it that way, I have no doubt we'll do what we need to do to keep our family, friends and neighbors safe. (...and if you're not sure who the Greatest Generation was, ask your parents or grandparents. Don't just Google it.)
Almost everyone attempted the quiz on Friday. (Only two didn't.) That's phenomenal! The quizzes look really good too! I'm very proud of the effort the overwhelming majority put in last week. We've got to keep it up though! Check for this week's work on the Unit 10 page and keep in mind that I can, and likely will be, updating the assignments daily. Check for those daily updates!
Also, if you haven't filled out the Google Forms information request I've sent you (twice now), make sure you do so. (Here's a third time: https://forms.gle/xk5swYfbBWse1yXe7) I've had 41 out 62 kids to fill it out so far. That's not so good. :(
NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF: If you'd like to earn up to ten bonus points on your quiz, I have a challenge for you! You must submit a video or picture proving that you did something nice and helpful for your moms, dads or siblings to Schoology by Tuesday night. I don't want any weak sauce either. I want to see you mowing the lawn, folding clothes, rubbing your sister's feet (gross), bathing the dog or something that means something special to a family member. . ...and don't submit anything that you normally do. Don't show me that you do chores. EVERYBODY has to do chores. Show me something out of the ordinary! You're on your honor. Impress your mama and impress me!
Your mission for the week is simple: Check this site and Schoology daily, keep following my instructions, keep attempting your work and making sure you're attempting to and adjusting to the posted answers. (Do I need to say "most responsible, mature version of yourself again?)
I miss all of you, and I hope you're well! ....and please don't send me any pictures of your sister's feet. Seriously gross. Find something else to earn ten points.
Please let me know if you need me. I'll be around to help you! :)
Mr. O.
Update: 3/20, 1:15 PM. Hi, everyone. There was an issue with the quiz; it has now been fixed. As a result, I've opened the quiz for a second attempt. If you're not happy with your first quiz grade, please feel free to give it a second shot.
Update: 3/20, 11:00 AM. I've posted solutions to last night's homework on the Unit 9 page.
Update: 3/20, 10:00 AM. Good morning, kiddos! Our quiz is active. Before you take it, make sure you understand the problems assigned this week i.e. check your homework against the posted solutions. The quiz is light on word problems so don’t worry if you don’t understand every problem on last night’s homework. If you understand the basics of yesterday’s assignment, you should be fine on those problems. The quiz has ten multiple choice problems, and you have 90 minutes to complete the quiz. (9 minutes per problem isn’t bad, right?) Again, the quiz is open notes and open calculator.
Your quiz must be SUBMITTED before 10:30 tonight. Here’s the first problem of the day: by what time are you going to start the quiz so that you have the full time to finish it? A) 9:03 B) 10:00 C) 10:30 or D) none of the above.
The answer is NONE OF THE ABOVE. Why are you trying so hard to figure out how late you can take it? Let’s get going kids. Time’s a wastin’!
Update: 3/19, 4:30 PM. Hi, Everyone. If you will, please click this link and provide me with your contact information. That way, I can communicate better with you in the future.
Update: 3/19, 10:45 AM. Good morning, Accel Math 2 students. I miss y’all and I hope you’re well! It is imperative that you’re paying attention to the feedback I’m giving you on assignments in Schoology. Go back right now and check each individual assignment you’ve submitted and look at any feedback from me. Some folks are only turning in the first page of assignments. Some are turning in the wrong assignments. Some haven’t turned in an assignment this week. Some are giving me their science homework. Many of you are paying attention to the feedback and are making corrections, but many are not. Please resubmit (or submit) homework according the feedback I’ve given you. Make sure your assignments are turned in as a single PDF. The overwhelming majority are doing this, but I still have a handful that are not.
I will be giving you numerical feedback in Schoology, but I will not be recording grades in Synergy until we get back into the building. As always, refer to this page and the Unit 9 page for information, assignments and answer keys.
We have an optional quiz tomorrow. I’d highly suggest you take it however, as I’m giving you 90 minutes (!) to complete it. Also, you’re allowed to use your notes and your calculator. (!!) Please do not use any other resource, including each other. Remember, I need the most mature, responsible, respectable version of yourself.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and please get your work done so you can get outside today! 80 degrees! (…just make sure you’re practicing correct social distancing. I care about y’all too much. Take care of yourselves and each other.)
Update: 3/18, 10:30 AM. Good morning, everyone. I updated the assignment for Thursday. I thought it was a little too long for us since we weren't all in the same room. I've also included links on this website (Look at the Unit 9 page.)
Update: 3/17, 9:15 AM. Good morning, campers. Make sure you're checking Schoology for feedback from me once you've submitted an assignment. I may be asking you to submit again if something went wrong the first time. :)
Update: 3/16, 12:45 PM. Kids, I need all of the pages of your assignment, not just a single page. See notes posted on the calendar page and on Schoology as to how to combine pages into a single PDF.
A message from Mr. O'Dell (March 15):
Students, hello! First and foremost, I hope you and your family are well! While I miss all of you, I'm glad that we're able to take care of ourselves, our families and each other by carefully listening to and abiding by the information provided by the CDC, other medical professionals, the White House and other government agencies. (This social distancing thing is legit. Do it. Don't rationalize a different plan because it's what you want to do. Be an adult, kiddos.) I know that there is a lot of anxiety surrounding our new learning platform and that's ok! Just do exactly what I ask you to do, be the most responsible, mature version of yourself, and you'll be in the right place when we get back together. Don't give up so easy, use your graphing calculator (or Desmos) to explore and finally, rely on each other! It'll take a little more effort from all of us, but I guarantee we'll pull this off. If anyone needs me for any reason, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].
Parents and students, please know that I'm on double-duty while I'm away. Not only will I be supporting my wonderful students, but I'll be supporting my Kindergartener and Second-Grader with their online school work (Parents, believe it or not, I feel your pain). I'll also be providing for and protecting my entire family. That doesn't mean my students aren't important to me, but I won't be available to you 24/7. In case you're interested, my incredible wife works in the medical-supply-chain industry (quite important these days, no?)
So, what's the plan, O'Deezy? I'm glad you asked. Not much has changed since we spoke on Friday, but we may tweak things as we go along. I've provided an updated calendar to you in the calendar section of this website. I'll post future calendars and all homework here. I'll post videos and quizzes,etc. on Schoology. If you didn't get the Schoology info on Friday, text a friend. If you absolutely can't find it from a friend, shoot me an email. I'll give it to you. The one thing that concerns me is the interactive piece. Due to hardware limitations (specifically my document camera), Skype is out. I think what I'll do is post a daily poll asking you to vote on which problems you want to see done the most from last night's homework. I'll post a follow-up video covering those problems. We'll see how it goes.
Please know that you will be submitting homework DAILY via Schoology. All homework is due by 11:59 PM. Don't be that kid that starts their homework at 11:45 and claims the link doesn't work. Nobody likes that kid. ;) Also, it is an expectation that you begin your work each day before noon. Wake up and get going. Do NOT wait until the late evening to begin. (...the most responsible version of yourself...)
Our first quiz is this Friday, so let's get at it, boys and girls! We've got this.