It's been a while.  I actually got out of teaching for a year. I'm back, with a vengeance.  I am using SBG in my Algebra and Advanced Math classrooms.  Still figuring a lot of things out, but it is finally clear in my head how I mostly want to do it.  My energy is focused now on methods.  I know there is a much better way to teach.  I think I'll post my glorious idea for a comprehensive, hands on idea for an algebra curriculum (I look forward to ideas):

After a talk with a friend last weekend while LSU was laying the smack down on the seemingly one-armed Aggies, I started cultivating an idea for teaching my remedial math class.  I am not required to do lesson plans for them.  17 students, 12 of whom also take Algebra I.  It's frustrating not to have a curriculum, but also very liberating.  So...

My walls are horrible.  RED as red can be.  I'm going to cordon the walls into non-equal parts and the class into teams.  Each team will have to figure out how much paint they will need to paint their area and we will go from there.  A team won't be able to move forward until all members know how to find THAT answer.  After that, I can add questions, create different scenarios (like adding a pencil sharpener), etc.  I can do ratios, percentages, rates, writing expressions and equations, solving equations, systems of equations, inequalities, graphing, plotting, units, unit conversion, and ???  And I can do it each year!  The motivation will be that I am buying the paint and they can do whatever.

I'm curious to see where this will go wrong, because it will.  I don't mean it's a bad idea, just that the fact that I think I can make a complete Algebra curriculum off of 3 days of thinking about painting my room...  it will go south quick.  I just need to be prepared.

Please tear this apart before the students do...