Like Terms, do I like them or not….

For this term in Scimatics, we learned about like terms. Like terms are a bit confusing and I had a hard time at first understanding them. Like terms is when you have an Algebraic expression (this is the part where a bunch of numbers and letters are written out with adding, subtracting and multiplying), and you separate out the variables (the letters) by what ones are the same. You solve the variables that are the same first, then you put them back in the expression. Like this:

However, I did learn a lot about them and making an iMovie trailer, which was our final project, helped. I had a lot of fun making my trailer. I decided to make it Survivor themed to make it more interesting to watch because, well, everyone likes Survivor! I wanted to use to Survivor music to really complete the effect, but the editing program for this only lets you use their sound.

You will notice that throughout the video I added images of the key “Like Terms” we worked on. For example, for one of the “challenges” you can see math blocks used to represent like terms in the back ground. If you pause the video, for you math inclined people, you will see that they correctly solve the expression. I reinforced this theme in the scene where two guys hug after winning the challenge to visually represent like terms coming together. Another one of the challenges was to solve a math equation involving like terms (see image above). The whole show is based on getting the right math answer or else you are eliminated. I got this idea not only from Survivor, but also from our Kahoot quizzes in class. A Kahoot quiz is a where we are shown a series of slides with questions on it that are only up on a screen for a short period of time. You get points for how many you get right. Here is my trailer:

One of the core curricular competencies for this unit was using tools and technology to explore and create patterns and relationships to test conjectures. I think I really improved on this competency with being able to use technology creatively to show the math blocks correctly solved as a challenge in Math Survivor.

Another competency was to model mathematics in a contextualized experience. There is no better contextualized experience than Survivor, and I was surprised at how easy it was to create challenges from like terms. This is the part that really helped me solidify my understanding of like terms so I think I really improved on this part.

The Survivor theme also really lent itself to making an original and personalized work with the iMovie trailer. I love Survivor and have watched every season since I was little. I particularly like the challenges more than the drama of the show. I feel I was able to connect the math concepts from like terms to each other and to the love of Survivor by creating “Math Survivor”. By creating “Math Survivor” I improved on the competency of using mathematical arguments to support personal choices.

Overall, I would say that I started out not liking like terms, but finished with a huge improvement for me in that I actually enjoyed them in the context of “Math Survivor” by the end of the project. To finish, I have included my project end mind map below.