Algebra II

Journal Prompts 2001-2002

Write in your Journal at least once per week and respond to all prompts. Include the question and your answer, along with the date written. You may email your Journal writings to me at (), but you should collect all your writings, throughout the year, and submit the complete set of writings each time they are requested.

  1. Journal Prompt for the Week of August 20, 2001:
    What do you think Algebra II is? Give an example and explain why you feel this way. Tell how you think it is different from Algebra I. from Geometry.
  2. Journal Prompt for the Week of August 27, 2001:
    What are the three ways that you can determine if you have a Direct Variation in a set of ordered pairs/data?
  3. Journal Prompt for the Week of September 3, 2001:
    Explain how your Quiz 2.3 score counts toward your Algebra II grade.
  4. Journal Prompt for the Week of September 10, 2001:
    Reflect on your first examination. What was hard about it? Easy? What are your expectations for the next one?
  5. Journal Prompt for the Week of September 17, 2001:
    Reflect on your first Portfolio for Algebra II. What was the hardest part? The easiest? How did you do?
  6. Journal Prompt for the Week of September 24, 2001:
    Some people would think it inappropriate to give you a review sheet like the ones we give you before an examination. What do you think and why? Why do you think some would take offense?
  7. Journal Prompt for the Week of October 1, 2001:
    Compare and Contrast Examination I and Examination II.
  8. Journal Prompt for the Week of October 8, 2001:
    How and when did you come to know that your next Portfolio is due on October 17, 2001? Explain.
  9. Journal Prompt for the Week of October 15, 2001:
    Free Write (Note: Occasionally you will be given a "Free Write" prompting you to write about your current thoughts as they relate to Algebra II.).
  10. Journal Prompt for the Week of October 22, 2001:
    Compare and Contrast Exponential functions and Linear functions.
  11. Journal Prompt for the Week of October 29, 2001:
    Compare and Contrast the three methods to solve linear equations (TII, Solver, Hand).
  12. Journal Prompt for the Week of November 5, 2001:
    Why Logarithms?
  13. Journal Prompt for the Week of November 12, 2001:
    Reflect on the Chapter 4 Review Worksheet.
  14. Journal Prompt for the Week of November 19, 2001:
    Compare and Contrast the two parts of the Chapter 4 assessment.
  15. Journal Prompt for the Week of November 26, 2001:
    What did you do last week to prepare yourself of the Fall Final in this course? Why?
  16. Journal Prompt for the Week of December 3, 2001:
    Why do you think I believe that there is a Quadratic in the bounce of a ball? Why do you think we could not find one in BBI and BBII?
  17. Journal Prompt for the Week of December 10, 2001:
    What one thing would you like to see on the final, if you choose to take it? Why? What one thing would you like NOT to see on the final? Why?
  18. Journal Prompt for the Week of December 17, 2001:
    What are your expectations for the Spring Semester in Algebra II? Why?
  19. Journal Prompt for the Week of January 7, 2002:
    Free Write.
  20. Journal Prompt for the Week of January 14, 2002:
    When you form a team, is it more important to have someone on the team who has a clue, or to have one of your friends on your team? Why?
  21. Journal Prompt for the Week of January 21, 2002:
    Why do we factor polynomials?
  22. Journal Prompt for the Week of January 28, 2002:
    Describe the graph of the difference of two cubes and relate the graph to its factorization.
  23. Journal Prompt for the Week of February 4, 2002:
    Compare the My First Video Project with the My First Video Examination in the context of your ability to work as part of a group.
  24. Journal Prompt for the Week of February 11, 2002:
    What’s up with all the worksheets?
  25. Journal Prompt for the Week of February 18, 2002:
    Of the 5 parts of the RatExpress experience/Examination – which did you find easiest? Which hardest? Explain.
  26. Journal Prompt for the Week of February 25, 2002:
    What’s up with standard deviation?
  27. Journal Prompt for the Week of March 4, 2002:
    Free Write.
  28. Journal Prompt for the Week of March 11, 2002:
    How long is the 150-centimeter tape strip? Why?
  29. Journal Prompt for the Week of March 25, 2002:
    Which of the Pi or Big Al Links did you think most worthwhile? Which was the least? Explain.
  30. Journal Prompt for the Week of April 1, 2002:
    What parts of the ACTM Test did you own? Which parts left you clueless? Explain.
  31. Journal Prompt for the Week of April 8, 2002:
    Which parts of the next examination (Sections 7.4-7.5; VideoPoint II;  from a Circle; or The Trip to Tulsa) do you feel will be the easiest for you? The hardest? Why?
  32. Journal Prompt for the Week of April 15, 2002:
    Assuming that you got the Review sheet, how could it be that you found out that you could not do a problem on the test? Explain.
  33. Journal Prompt for the Week of April 22, 2002:
    Reflect on the Purging of your Portfolio. How did it make you feel? Why?
  34. Journal Prompt for the Week of April 29, 2002:
    Why do we care about Domain and Range?
  35. Journal Prompt for the Week of May 6, 2002:
    What mathematics do you plan to study this summer? Why?
  36. Journal Prompt for the Week of May 13, 2002:
    Why do you imagine that we have i? Explain.
  37. Journal Prompt for the Week of May 20, 2002:
    What advice would you get an Algebra IIer who has Mr. Young next year?