JMA Algebra class publishes 'Brain Aneurysm in a Book'

  • JMA Algebra class publishes
    JMA Algebra class publishes
  • Students in Nathalie Boelen’s ninth-grade Algebra 1 class at John Milledge Academy celebrate their newly published book. COURTESY OF JMA
    Students in Nathalie Boelen’s ninth-grade Algebra 1 class at John Milledge Academy celebrate their newly published book. COURTESY OF JMA
  • Students flip through the word problems inside Brain Aneurysm in a Book. COURTESY OF JMA
    Students flip through the word problems inside Brain Aneurysm in a Book. COURTESY OF JMA

    Nathalie Boelen's ninth-grade Algebra 1 class at John Milledge Academy (JMA) recently published a book that will be used as a learning tool for the future.

    Boelen is a math teacher at JMA and has been teaching a class of 23 ninth graders for the past semester. Going into Algebra 1, Boelen said she wished to offer her students a different approach to learning and make use of real-world applications.

    “I’ve seen book publishing be used by many teachers to have students write narratives and turn that into a book. I wanted to give my students the opportunity to do something different and give them an option to create something that could be published, too,” said Boelen.

    “I introduced the unit with systems of equations as it has a lot of real-world application and explained to them that through learning the unit and using realworld examples we could publish our own book with practice problems rather than a written narrative.” The book that her class published is titled Brain Aneurysm in a Book and is full of problems that could be solved using either the elimination or substitution method for systems of equations. It culminates all they have learned for the systems unit.

    “We spent most of our time doing the unit and completing the different steps of graphing, three different algebraic methods and more. Then, rather than a test, students had to create their own problems and graphs,” said Boelen.

    “By being able to create their own problems and then peer edit them and critique each other, the students showed they were able to apply what they learned and be able to reteach it to their peers,” added Boelen. “Rather than memorizing what was taught, it showed them how to apply what they learned to a variety of problems and also fix errors in a problem presented to them. That shows they have mastered the unit.”

    According to Boelen, it took about two weeks through the block schedule for her class to complete the book. Each student had to submit two story problems to her for approval that were peer reviewed and then reviewed by her. Students also worked together to illustrate the pages of the book. Students Aiden Adams and Bernhad Maisonneuve designed the cover. The end product was completed with 30 problems inside 60 pages.

    “One page is the word problem with an illustration and the next page is the solution to the problem. It shows the reader how to solve the problem step by step and puts the answer in a complete sentence,” said Boelen. “Each student had at least one problem published.”

    Each student in the class received a printed copy of the book and John Milledge Academy purchased extra copies to be housed in the library. These copies will be used to help students study, practice, and learn the unit as needed.

    “The book will be used to reinforce skills and will be a memento to what the students accomplished in their first year of high school. Since the project was such a big hit with my students, I also plan to do something similar next year with my college prep algebra classes and hope to have this book project be a keepsake for each class,” said Boelen.