Conic Sections Project – Part Deux

The conics project has produced the most hits of any post on the mathcoachblog to date (including over 25 from the Netherlands….I can’t explain it, but it’s pretty cool).  A few comments and e-mails to me requested a rubric for the project.  To be honest, I don’t have an uber-detailed rubric for this project beyond the file I share below…

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/68005919/Conic%20Sectins%20Drawing%20Rubric.doc

Kevin and I discussed some ideas and modifications to grading for this project, and I give you all these suggestions:

First, as a mentioned before, the peer grade can be achieved by giving all students 5 sticky stars. Have them discuss guidelines for choosing the best works beforehand, then allot their stars and stick them to their favorites. Also, you will notice that I am a bit of a stickler for having students leave their names off their works. This is intended to eliminate some bias from having students select their buddies. Also, if possible, have different sections of students grade other sections of student works.

Next, I would alter the requirement of having students provide all equations they used. Realistically, I never looked at all of the equations anyway. An interesting compromise would be to have students select 3 equations, and provide an explanation for the transformations and stretches needed, and how they play into the overall theme. This would be an improvement over a laundry list.