Anyone have some ideas?

[dayvewc]

I teach high school math (don't hate on me for it. )

Today, I had a student inform me that she will be missing a week of school to go to WDW the second week in November, and wanted to know if that would cause a problem with her school work. (Like I would REALLY think that going to WDW is not a good idea? lol)

I've been trying to think of some activities I can send with her for her to do that will relate to the trip, not take too much of her time, will still qualify as "educational" (for the purposes of her class - Algebra 3), and aren't things she can just google before she leaves.

Anyone have ideas? I've never looked at a trip from the perspective of "what kind of math/algebra questions does this represent" before. Just hoping for some suggestions to work with.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Itinkso]

We did this years ago when we pulled our DDs out of school for our first and what we thought would be our only WDW trip:

She can snap photos of the dining tables during meals and make up algebraic problems in regards to glassware that holds water versus soft drinks versus milk, etc.

Ratio of people in line wearing Disney attire versus non-Disney. I think we also did calculations on the average length of movement in line during a specified amount of time.

It didn't take too much time and it was for 6th grade DD. Second grade DD's teacher told her the homework assignment was to have a wonderful time!

 

[Micca]

Distances from point a to point b? The circumference of Spaceship Earth? Or the biggest puzzle of all: Magic Your Way tickets--the cost effectiveness of hoppers vs. hours parks are open with the variable of how many hours can a family of 5 spend in line in one day before they start shouting at each other?

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

How about the ratio of Standby, FP and FP+ per hour based on the wait/return times?

 

[carrie1626]

I teach high school math (don't hate on me for it. )

Today, I had a student inform me that she will be missing a week of school to go to WDW the second week in November, and wanted to know if that would cause a problem with her school work. (Like I would REALLY think that going to WDW is not a good idea? lol)

I've been trying to think of some activities I can send with her for her to do that will relate to the trip, not take too much of her time, will still qualify as "educational" (for the purposes of her class - Algebra 3), and aren't things she can just google before she leaves.

Anyone have ideas? I've never looked at a trip from the perspective of "what kind of math/algebra questions does this represent" before. Just hoping for some suggestions to work with.

Thanks in advance.

From a parents perspective :

No assignment

 

[dskib]

It's a vacation. Let the kid have fun. Having a student work on his/her vacation is a pain in the butt for everyone.

 

[souris]

I teach High School and have so many students who miss class for vacation. I would agree with no assignment (unless the student requests it)! For me vacation time is family time.. I tell parents and students that it is their responsibility to catch up when they get back. They pick a "study buddy" in the class that picks up handouts for them. They come see me if they have questions. I also teach between 150-180 students at the same time so it would get overwhelming to think up extra assignments every time one is away.

However, I love the suggestions posted by previous posters! I would have loved those kinds of math assignments.

 

[dayvewc]

Thanks for all the ideas everyone!!

We did this years ago when we pulled our DDs out of school for our first and what we thought would be our only WDW trip:

She can snap photos of the dining tables during meals and make up algebraic problems in regards to glassware that holds water versus soft drinks versus milk, etc.

Ratio of people in line wearing Disney attire versus non-Disney. I think we also did calculations on the average length of movement in line during a specified amount of time.

It didn't take too much time and it was for 6th grade DD. Second grade DD's teacher told her the homework assignment was to have a wonderful time!

I really like this. I can see lots of fun to have here.

Distances from point a to point b? The circumference of Spaceship Earth? Or the biggest puzzle of all: Magic Your Way tickets--the cost effectiveness of hoppers vs. hours parks are open with the variable of how many hours can a family of 5 spend in line in one day before they start shouting at each other?

lol. That is an awesome idea, but I don't quite think it would be appropriate. lol

How about the ratio of Standby, FP and FP+ per hour based on the wait/return times?

See below, I'm not sure how much they know about FP and FP+, so not sure how I could phrase this as a problem to do. But I do like the idea.

From a parents perspective :

No assignment

I hear ya, I hear ya!! I'm not planning on giving much or very difficult questions.

It's a vacation. Let the kid have fun. Having a student work on his/her vacation is a pain in the butt for everyone.

I agree, it can be a PITA for all involved. That's why I came here, to look for ideas that might help make the trip more interesting rather than just adding work.

I teach High School and have so many students who miss class for vacation. I would agree with no assignment (unless the student requests it)! For me vacation time is family time.. I tell parents and students that it is their responsibility to catch up when they get back. They pick a "study buddy" in the class that picks up handouts for them. They come see me if they have questions. I also teach between 150-180 students at the same time so it would get overwhelming to think up extra assignments every time one is away.

However, I love the suggestions posted by previous posters! I would have loved those kinds of math assignments.

The only problem is that she is the top student in the class. Fairly sure the averages will go down while she is gone.

Actually, she is an exchange student and her sister is also here (in a different district) as an exchange student. Her sisters host family is taking both of them to Disney as a treat while they are here. She has probably already done everything I'll teach in the class, but I was thinking some questions about specific rides / attractions where she will need to talk to some CM's might make the trip more interesting for all of them. It will give her (and her host family) an excuse to be nosey about WDW. I know I'm always looking for reasons to ask weird questions.

 

[onelugnut]

so glad to catch this thread and sorry to go off topic, but
I am stressed because we are pulling the kids for third week in November to go to DW
Never pulled them for a full week before, but as the kids get older the schedules are getting more and more hectic with school and sports, it has become impossible to schedule.

there have been many debates here and the teachers usually say no go on these types of vacations.

But my kids are straight A students and work hard to get them.
My way of encouraging and rewarding is my task, and DW is one that works very well for us and I think it de-stresses them.

They know this makes me uncomfortable but they assure me they can make up all work and maintain the grades.
The kids swear other students take time off all the time.
I do wonder how the various teams seem to go on away trips and do not have their grades suffer.

I hope their teachers are as understanding as the teachers on this thread.

Now we are debating on "tell" or "not to tell" the teachers.

please no judging my writing (I hate writing when I know a teacher is going to be reading it, makes me nervous)

 

[souris]

so glad to catch this thread and sorry to go off topic, but I am stressed because we are pulling the kids for third week in November to go to DW Never pulled them for a full week before, but as the kids get older the schedules are getting more and more hectic with school and sports, it has become impossible to schedule. there have been many debates here and the teachers usually say no go on these types of vacations. But my kids are straight A students and work hard to get them. My way of encouraging and rewarding is my task, and DW is one that works very well for us and I think it de-stresses them. They know this makes me uncomfortable but they assure me they can make up all work and maintain the grades. The kids swear other students take time off all the time. I do wonder how the various teams seem to go on away trips and do not have their grades suffer. I hope their teachers are as understanding as the teachers on this thread. Now we are debating on "tell" or "not to tell" the teachers. please no judging my writing (I hate writing when I know a teacher is going to be reading it, makes me nervous)

Students are pulled out of my class all the time for vacations or sports trip. It sometimes can impact their averages... A lot happens in HS in a week! What frustrates me is some parents will expect me to prepare work ahead of time. I've had requests for up to a months worth of work. Some expect me to tutor after school so their child can catch up. Now, I love my students and offer extra help, but I cannot reteach. I wish I had the time ! I would suggest telling the teacher about your vacation. I start to worry if a student is away for a few days in a row and will call home. What makes me super happy is when a student tells me "I will be away for a week . My friend X who is also in this class will be picking up my work and helping me catch up when I get back. I will come to you if I need further clarifications." Happy teacher, and your child will be able to catch up quickly when he/she gets back!

 

[ShayBells]

No offense to you. But if I was that student I would fight you on that. It's kind of not fair to make her do homework during vacation that other students don't have to do.

I missed more school than I was there and I graduated with high honors.

A week of school shouldn't be that much work. I would just give her the same work the other kids will be doing that same week. To me that's fair.

It's why I never told anyone I was going away until I got back so I got the same work everyone else had. And I caught up quickly. That's me though.

This is just my opinion though. You are the teacher and she is your student.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Softball Mom]

You sound like a great teacher!
We took our daughter out of school for week last year at this time. It was a hassle for our daughter. Teachers wouldn't give her the work to do and told her to make it up when she got back. We were going on a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. There were plenty educational opportunities to be found. The only teacher who took this opportunity was her Spanish teacher since we were going to Cozumel.

Anyway....

How about calculating the cost per minute/hour of time in the World? She could compare posted wait times to actual wait times. How about equation about the ratio of adults to children in line for Small World and or figuring out how many people could get onto a ride in a whole day?

I'd love to know what assignment you give her and what her answer are

 

[dayvewc]

so glad to catch this thread and sorry to go off topic, but
I am stressed because we are pulling the kids for third week in November to go to DW
Never pulled them for a full week before, but as the kids get older the schedules are getting more and more hectic with school and sports, it has become impossible to schedule.

there have been many debates here and the teachers usually say no go on these types of vacations.

But my kids are straight A students and work hard to get them.
My way of encouraging and rewarding is my task, and DW is one that works very well for us and I think it de-stresses them.

They know this makes me uncomfortable but they assure me they can make up all work and maintain the grades.
The kids swear other students take time off all the time.
I do wonder how the various teams seem to go on away trips and do not have their grades suffer.

I hope their teachers are as understanding as the teachers on this thread.

Now we are debating on "tell" or "not to tell" the teachers.

please no judging my writing (I hate writing when I know a teacher is going to be reading it, makes me nervous)

I can't speak for all teachers, but let me say in my experience it is more helpful to have parents involved and communicating with teachers than not. Spelling and writing errors and all. I won't even begin to list the number of emails or letters I've sent out and THEN found pretty obvious mistakes. When I get called on them, I just stress that I teach math and not English for a reason.

Having said that, I would come down on the side of "tell the teachers". If you don't feel comfortable telling them where you are going, just tell them when you will be gone and that it is family business. It is usually a lot easier, as a teacher, to provide material beforehand and then answer specific questions the students may have than to try to go back and reteach everything after they have returned. Again, this is my experience.

 

[Itinkso]

so glad to catch this thread and sorry to go off topic, but I am stressed because we are pulling the kids for third week in November to go to DW

If your kids also have vacation all of Thanksgiving week, it may be best to let the teachers know so that they can give your kids their assignments to work on after you return from WDW.

If their semester ends before Christmas, they have enough time to complete assignments before finals. If their semester ends in January, that's even better.

 

[dayvewc]

No offense to you. But if I was that student I would fight you on that. It's kind of not fair to make her do homework during vacation that other students don't have to do.

I missed more school than I was there and I graduated with high honors.

A week of school shouldn't be that much work. I would just give her the same work the other kids will be doing that same week. To me that's fair.

It's why I never told anyone I was going away until I got back so I got the same work everyone else had. And I caught up quickly. That's me though.

This is just my opinion though. You are the teacher and she is your student.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I understand what you are saying, but since she is a particularly special case, the work is not "extra work" but "instead of". One of the big changes to current student learning standards is how the theory is used in real-world situations. So, a chance for her to utilize the same concepts as the other students but in a real-world setting as opposed to just practice problems would, IMHO, be a much better assignment.

And a week of school work can be a lot or a little. It all depends on the timing and scheduling during the year.

 

[JenSop]

When we were kids, our grandparents always wanted to take us out of school for our annual Disney trips - so we could go when it wasn't as crowded. But our dad (the teacher) wouldn't allow it. I was an A student who finished near the top of my class. I don't think it would have hurt me to miss some class time. Seriously.

I personally would say no work on vacation. Maybe this is the only time the parents can get off of work. They want to spend time with the kids, not have the kids sitting at the desk working on an assignment.

I mean, looking back, how many of us can say, "Wow I learned so much that one random week back in school, it has effected my entire life now!" Not me.

Anyway, just my overall two cents.

 

[Cynister]

What about putting something together that incorporates finding some squished penny machines:
http://www.presscoins.com/listings/#newlistings
http://www.pennycollector.com/Locations.aspx?area=14

Or something with a number of hidden mickeys:
http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/HiddenMickey.html
http://www.hiddenmickeyguy.com/

Or maybe something with geocaches, waymarks & benchmarks:
http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=8d82f41a-4962-4dd5-bee3-2302139355a6
http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=04b1c722-9c70-46f8-8f7d-53bc8b5f9e8b&lat=28.393619&lon=-81.538684&t=3&id=lake%20buena%20vista%20fl&r=50&ct=2&st=2
http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=ff71a485-d188-4310-b330-6851d8fee215
http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=5c369838-d6b4-4285-adfe-3ff32f5a8cd8&st=2

 

[nansmama]

The surface area of Spaceship Earth.

 

[onelugnut]

Wow, I agree, you both sound like excellent teachers.
i appreciate you sharing your points of view and think I will follow to the letter.
My kids have great teachers and I almost hate to do this to them, but as my children get older I realize how valuable these vacations are to us and I can't help feeling we are running out of time. (Next year we will probably be planning vacation around college tour)
For the record, I am a better writer and typer than this, but these darn tablets are tough.

 

[Dustin & Shelby's Mom]

Since your student is an exchange student and would probably already be doing exchanges between their home country and the US, how about something where they provide enough receipts to equal the number of countries in EPCOT and calculate the exchange rate to show what the item(s) would have cost in the currency of that particular country. The item doesn't need to be from that country, just use the total to determine the cost. The exchange rates could be Googled online prior to the trip and the calculations could be done on the trip home. They could keep the receipts in an envelop for safekeeping and turn them in once they return to school. Any personal information could be removed.

Just a thought. Nothing to extensive, but keeping with the math theme.