Prisms and Pyramids

After spending a couple of days on the differences between prisms and pyramids, I was not satisfied with my students ability to distinguish between the 2 solids smoothly and with ease.  I decided to backtrack and try another approach.  I pulled out some stencils with basic geometric shapes, some pink paper that had been cut years ago, and construction paper.  
I placed students in groups and let them experiment with the stencils.  The groups came up with as many prisms and pyramids as possible and glued them to the appropriate column on their "ancient" pink paper.  They also kept the prisms and pyramids  that didn't work and wrote about these solids and explained why they didn't work.  I am so glad I went back and tried again.  My students now have a "solid" knowledge of the shapes and can classify the prism and pyramid now!

Graduate School

One of my partners, also a very good friend, decided to work on our Specialist degrees this last summer.  How hard could it be we thought?  After all, it would only be 1 year and then we'd be done.  So...we innocently, with pure hearts, signed up for the courses that made promises of only taking 5 hours per week of our precious time.
This graduate course has been absolutely one of the most difficult, time consuming, stressful things I have done in a very long time, if ever!  I believe through the process though, I have developed a patience I never knew I had.  Plus, the good news is I only have 3 months!  I can do it!  I can do it!  I can do it!