Algebra 1 and Ahimsa (lesson one)by Johnny D. Reyes

Title: Slopes. The Rise over the Run in North Carolina.

Class: Algebra 1High School 9th-12th grade30-35 Students1-2 day(s) lesson

Subject: Algebra 1

Goals and Outcomes: Students will master the required standards in Algebra 1. This mastery of the standards will be supplemented with a positive critical-thinking process incorporating the Ahimsa mission on Nonviolence and Social Change. Peaceful sit-ins of the civil rights movements will be highlighted. Its correlation with a positive line represented by a slope in a graph will be discussed. The lesson will follow the curriculum map, which focuses on events, and quotes in order for students to better understand the personal thought process. Students will develop the ability to make the right choices in life that will affect themselves and others in a positive way.

Objective: Students will be able to define and graph a slope in a coordinate plane and recognize real-life situations presented in a graph. This information will be used to make peaceful decisions and predict an outcome beneficial for themselves and their entire community.

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California State Standards:Algebra 1.3 Apply algebraic order of operations and the commutative, associative, and distributive properties to evaluate expressions.1.4 Solve problems manually by using the correct order of operations or by using a scientific calculator.18.0 Determine whether a relation defined by a graph (slope), a set of ordered pairs or a symbolic expression is a function and justify the conclusions.Language Arts – Reading1.0 Word analysis, fluency, and systematic vocabulary development. Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words.

Summary of Ahimsa lesson: Students will enhance their critical thinking skills by incorporating a nonviolent decision-making process with mathematical order of operations related with the California Content Standards for Algebra 1. Current and historical events resulting in positive social changes along with thoughtful insights will compliment each topic. The Ahimsa and Quality of Life undertaking will be the theme throughout the year and students will respond each month to a quote. See attached

Questions to Consider: What does the monthly quote mean to you? Can you provide an example of a physical slope? What types of information can be represented by a graph of a slope? Is it possible to predict an outcome based on a graph? How is Ahimsa related to a slope?

Materials needed:Textbook, paper and pencil, graph paper, calculator, whiteboard, computer (laptop) and overhead capability.

Note taking (vocabulary development): Cornell notes will be utilized in support of the school wide writing requirement. This will include an early lesson on how to take Cornell notes and websites to help improve student note taking. Students with acceptable note taking skills will be considered in lieu of Cornell notes.

Interdisciplinary approach: Current and historical events will be discussed along with numerical values related to the events of the 60’s. These values will be substituted as variables in equations, graphs and formulas. Student response to the monthly ahimsa quote will prepare students to recognize how nonviolent actions can indeed change the mindset of a community and its citizens.

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Assessments: A letter grade will be assigned for a project. Students will be asked to use the slope formula to determine the slope of a line given coordinates in a plane. They will provide a modern scenario similar to the nonviolent sit-ins with the goal of influencing an organization or government to change an unjust policy or activity. The total possible points that the students can earn is 20. The following is the break down:

20 – lesson notes, sample problems, assigned problems, Ahimsa scenario on using a slope and presentation.10 – lesson notes, sample problems, and assigned problems.10 – Ahimsa scenario on using a slope and presentation.

Instructional Agenda:Teacher Instruction Student response

1. Warm up: one student will respond to the monthly Ahimsa quote on the board. Example “Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that can’t be counted counts.” A. Einstein

2. Lesson Guide: Introduce Standard 18.0, topic of Slope and the daily bjective. Discuss Ahimsa and the sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement.

3. Activity: Define slope, view video clip, practice problems on board, sample unjust global activity. Relate slopes to the Sit-Ins as a timeline. Discuss Ahimsa and Quality of Life.

4. Assign a project worth 20 points.

1. Discuss what the quote means and provide personal examples.

2. Take cornell notes on board information and lecture.

3. Watch video on defining slope. Complete guided three guided practice problems and three independent practice problems. Provide sample situations on the use of slopes represented in a graph.

4. Begin project by asking questions for ideas or research the internet via classroom computers or library.

Reflection: The relation between Math and Ahimsa at first glance may seem as an overwhelming lesson to develop. The commonality is the thought process that takes place. The process is the critical-thinking (deductive reasoning). When variables are substituted with information on Nonviolence, ideas for this type of lesson will begin to open other avenues in math and ahimsa

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Geometry and Ahimsa (lesson two)by Johnny D. Reyes

Title: Irregular Shapes. The Gathering of Shapes and People.

Class: Geometry High School 9th-12th grade30-35 Students1 day lesson

Subject: High School Geometry

Goals and Outcomes: Students will master the required standards in Geometry. This mastery of the standards will be supplemented with a positive critical-thinking process incorporating the Ahimsa mission on Nonviolence and Social Change. This lesson will introduce irregular geometric shapes and at structures with meaning. The Inca doors of Machu Picchu symbolized peace in that the doors had no barriers just an entry way. Doors with barriers were introduced by the Spaniards which were “despised” by the Incas.

Objective: Students will be able to find the area of irregular polygons and shapes. They will recognize appropriate formulas in order to solve areas of several inclusive shapes. Ahimsa will be shared to help students shape their decision making skills through critical-thinking.

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Standard: Algebra 1.3 Apply algebraic order of operations and the commutative, associative, and distributive properties to evaluate expressions.1.4 Solve problems manually by using the correct order of operations or by using a scientific calculator.18.0 Determine whether a relation defined by a graph (slope), a set of ordered pairs or a symbolic expression is a function and justify the conclusions.Language Arts – Reading1.0 Word analysis, fluency, and systematic vocabulary development. Students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words. Geometry10.0 Compute areas of polygons, including rectangles, scalene triangles, equilateral triangles, rhombi, parallelograms, trapezoids and irregular shapes.

Summary of Ahimsa lesson: Students will enhance their critical thinking skills by incorporating a nonviolent decision-making process with mathematical order of operations related with the California Content Standards for Geometry. In this lesson, students will compare the doors of the Inca and the Spaniards. A brief video will discuss the difference in use and the students will create their own door based on a symbolic use of a door.

Questions to Consider: Why do people have doors “in” their houses? Does a door say something about the people on the inside? The outside? Could Inca doors be used today? Explain. How would you design your Ahimsa door?

Materials needed:Textbook, paper and pencil, graph paper, calculator, compass, protractor, ruler whiteboard, computer (laptop) and overhead capability.

Note taking (vocabulary development): Cornell notes will be utilized in support of the school wide writing requirement. This will include a lesson on how to take Cornell notes and websites provided to help students improve their note taking skills. Students with acceptable note taking skills will be considered in lieu of Cornell notes. Students will relate illustrations with terms, theorems and postulates along with the use of correct units of measure.

Interdisciplinary approach: Information from current and historical events will be discussed along with structural and geographical issues. A relation between these topics and Geometry will be complimented with Ahimsa and Quality of Life train of thought. Doors as symbols of peace or violence will compliment this lesson with visual examples from the environment of the students.

Assessments: A letter grade will be assigned for lecture notes, practice problems, assigned problems and the construction of a door with meaning. Students will provide

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accurate dimensions and creativeness into their doors. The doors must have a symbolic meaning for those inside and outside.

20 – lesson notes, sample problems, assigned problems, Ahimsa door and presentation.10 – lesson notes, sample problems, and assigned problems.10 – Ahimsa door and presentation.

Instructional Agenda:

Teacher Instruction Student Response1. Starter: One daily verbal response to

the monthly warm-up quote. Example. “The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is the way they become.”

2. Lesson Guide: Introduce Standard 10.0 finding Areas of irregular polygons and shapes. Do guided practice questions on three shapes.

3. Activity: Define irregular polygons and shapes. Revisit formulas for areas of shapes. Show video and discuss Inca city of Machu Picchu and its overall structure and the concept of its doors. Compare and contrast these doors with the doors of the Spanish people. Students will construct their doors of “meaning”.

4. Assign 6-10 homework problems.

1. Discuss what the quote means to you and provide any personal experiences relating to the quote.

2. Take notes on standard and complete sample problems. Ask questions for understanding.

3. Combine simple shapes to create irregular shapes and find calculate areas for these shapes. Respond to the video by discussing the Inca doors and if this concept can be used today. Explain.

4. Create an Ahimsa door with meaning. Be prepared to discuss its meaning relating to their own environment.

Reflection: Creating a lesson connecting Geometric shapes and Ahimsa may seem overwhelming. The commonality is the thought process that takes place. The process is the critical-thinking (deductive reasoning) coupled with symbolic meaning. Structures represent culture and provide symbolic meaning for its people. Comparing historical and existing structures can help in developing future structures based on the premise of creating harmony with the environment and society.

References:

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1. What is a Slope? www5.unitedstreaming.com/index.cfm

2. Counter Sit-Ins www5.unitedstreaming.com/index.cfm

3. Slope = rise/runwww.mathwright.com/ca_preview/txt_book/sec24a_files/image004.gif

4. Coordinate plane www.math.com/school/subject2/images/S2U4L1GLgrid.gif

5. Martin Luther King, Jr. www.pastoralreport.com/archives/mlk.jpg

6. Algebra 1: Applications, Equations and Graphs. McDougal Littell Inc., 2001.

7. California State Standards www.cde.ca.gov

8. Gandhi: The Traditional Roots of Charisma. The University of Chicago Press, 1967, 1983

9. Passion for Peace . Stuart Rees, University of New South Wales Press, Ltd., 2003

10. Notes, Handouts and Lectures: Nonviolence and Social Change Summer Institute with Dr. Tara Sethia, July 18-30, 2005

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Ahimsa and Quality of Life

To act in a nonviolent manner is the choice of every individual. It is an individual

responsibility that ultimately unites all. It is a maturation process that begins with the

caring of an infant to toddler, elementary to secondary education and continues on

through adulthood. It recognizes a diverse society and decisions are based on a

thoughtful process. The understanding of basic needs of oneself and others results in

nonviolence.

Math and Ahimsa Curriculum Map

Month Theme Quotes and Song

September Nonviolence and Courage Gandhi

October Self-Restraint Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

November Social Change Albert Einstein

December Love Black Eye Peas – “Where is the Love”

January Respect Martin Luther King, Jr.

February Caring and Compassion Mother Teresa

March Citizenship Abraham Lincoln

April Fairness Scott Peck

May Responsibility Maya Angelou

June Transformation Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

List of sample quotes and song

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“The needs of society determine its ethics” Maya Angelou

“Share our similarities, celebrate our differences” M. Scott Peck

“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” Abraham Lincoln

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love” Mother Teresa

“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new” Albert Einstein

“In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher” Dalai Lama

“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding” Gandhi

“The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Where is the love?” Song by the Black Eyed Peas

What's wrong with the world, mamaPeople livin' like they ain't got no mamasI think the whole world addicted to the dramaOnly attracted to things that'll bring you traumaOverseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorismBut we still got terrorists here livin'In the USA, the big CIAThe Bloods and The Crips and the KKKBut if you only have love for your own raceThen you only leave space to discriminateAnd to discriminate only generates hateAnd when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeahMadness is what you demonstrateAnd that's exactly how anger works and operatesMan, you gotta have love just to set it straightTake control of your mind and meditateLet your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'Children hurt and you hear them cryin'Can you practice what you preachAnd would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help usSend us some guidance from above'Cause people got me, got me questionin'Where is the love (Love)

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Where is the love (The love)Where is the love (The love)Where is the loveThe love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchangedNew days are strange, is the world insaneIf love and peace is so strongWhy are there pieces of love that don't belongNations droppin' bombsChemical gasses fillin' lungs of little onesWith ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die youngSo ask yourself is the lovin' really goneSo I could ask myself really what is goin' wrongIn this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'inMakin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividendsNot respectin' each other, deny thy brotherA war is goin' on but the reason's undercoverThe truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rugIf you never know truth then you never know loveWhere's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'Children hurt and you hear them cryin'Can you practice what you preachAnd would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help usSend us some guidance from above'Cause people got me, got me questionin'Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)Where is the love (The love)Where is the loveThe love, the love

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulderAs I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colderMost of us only care about money makin'Selfishness got us followin' our wrong directionWrong information always shown by the mediaNegative images is the main criteriaInfecting the young minds faster than bacteriaKids wanna act like what they see in the cinemaYo', whatever happened to the values of humanityWhatever happened to the fairness in equalityInstead in spreading love we spreading animosityLack of understanding, leading lives away from unityThat's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' underThat's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' downThere's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' underGotta keep my faith alive till love is found

People killin', people dyin'

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Children hurt and you hear them cryin'Can you practice what you preachAnd would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help usSend us some guidance from above'Cause people got me, got me questionin'Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)Where is the love (The love)Where is the love (The love)

Where is the love (The love)Where is the love (The love)Where is the love (The love)

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