2017 - 2018 Weekly Updates
Trimester 1 Updates
8-25:
Highlights of the week: I am blessed to be a part of the St. Paul of the Cross community and I am grateful to be your child's math teacher this year. It has been nice for me to get to know my students this week and start this year off on such a positive note.
7th Grade- We spent this week reviewing 6th grade skills and began Ch. 1 The Real Number System on Friday, which we will continue learning about this coming week.
8th Grade- We spent this week reviewing 7th grade skills and began Ch. 1 Exponents on Friday, which we will continue learning about this coming week.
9-1:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned how to graph rational numbers on the number line, write rational numbers as decimals, and I introduced irrational numbers. The tentative date for the Ch. 1 The Real Number System test is Tuesday Sept. 12th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned up through Ch. 1.4 to continue our study of real numbers. The Ch. 1 Test is currently scheduled for Friday Sept. 8th after we review on Thursday.
8th Grade- This week we focused on Ch. 1.1-1.3 to continue our study of exponents, on which the students will be quizzed on Wednesday Sept. 6th after we review on Tuesday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned up through Ch. 1.5 to continue our study of exponents. The Ch. 1 Test is currently scheduled for Friday Sept. 8th after we review on Thursday.
9-8:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about the real number system and significant digits, which marks the end of Ch. 1. Therefore, the Ch. 1 The Real Number System test is Tuesday Sept. 12th.
Accelerated: This week we finished Ch. 1 and the students took their test on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 2 on rational number operations, including enrichment problems to provide additional challenge.
8th Grade- This week the students took their quiz on Ch. 1.1-1.3 as well as corrected their work to learn from their mistakes. Then we continued in the chapter and they learned about the power of a product and power of a quotient properties.
Accelerated: This week the students continued to learn about zero and negative exponents as well as squares and cubes, on which they did very well! . The Ch. 1 Test will be on Monday Sept. 11th after we reviewed on Friday.
9-15:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week was centered around the Ch. 1 test, including a review game on Monday and fixing the students test corrections on Friday. They also worked on the recall prior knowledge activity to prepare for Ch. 2 Rational Number Operations that we will begin next week.
Accelerated: This week the students finished Ch. 2.1-2.4 and began section 2.5 on operations with rational numbers as well. The Ch. 2 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 27th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about zero and negative exponents, squares, and cubes from Ch. 1.4-1.6. The Ch. 1 test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday Sept. 21st after we review from Monday through Wednesday.
Accelerated: This week after the Ch. 1 test the students learned scientific notation, including adding and subtracting in scientific notation. They also learned about multi-step word problems, which was an enrichment activity that included setting up and solving equations.
9-22:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week was spent learning about adding and subtracting integers, which is covered in Ch. 2.1-2.2 in the textbook. We will cover Ch. 2.3 on multiplying and dividing integers on Monday and Tuesday, which the students will then take a quiz on Wednesday Sept. 27th (the quiz will be on Ch. 2.1-2.3).
Accelerated: This week the students learned about operations with rational numbers and decimals. The Ch. 2 test will be taken on Tuesday Sept. 26th after we go over the practice test on Monday.
8th Grade- This week was spent preparing for the Ch. 1 test that the students took on Thursday after they took a full-length practice test to help them prepare for the test. Next week we will start the second chapter, which is on Scientific Notation.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about operations with numbers in scientific notation, which they did very with. The Ch. 2 test will be on Tuesday Sept. 26th after we review their practice test on Monday.
9-29:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 2 quiz on Wednesday, which they are finishing making corrections on this weekend. Next week we will continue on with operations with integers and rational numbers (covered in Ch. 2.4 and 2.5).
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 2 Test on Tuesday and then we did an overview of Ch. 3 topics before covering adding algebraic terms from Ch. 3.1, which we ended the week with. The Ch. 3 quiz is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 10th.
8th Grade- This week was spent learning about writing numbers in scientific notation and also adding and subtracting numbers in scientific notation, which is covered in Ch. 2.1-2.2 in the textbook. We will cover Ch. 2.3 on multiplying and dividing numbers in scientific notation next week. The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 11th.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 2 Test on Tuesday, which they did very well on. The rest of the week they learned about solving linear equations with one variable and also converting repeating decimals to fractions from Ch. 3.1.
10-6:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about operations with integers and rational numbers, including working with positive and negative fractions (covered in Ch. 2.4 and 2.5). The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 18th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about subtracting, simplifying, and expanding algebraic terms . The Ch. 3 quiz (covering Ch. 3.1-3.4) is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 10th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers in scientific notation. The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 11th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving linear equations with one variable, identifying the number of solutions to a linear equation, and we also started working with linear equations with two variables. The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 18th.
10-13:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about operations with positive and negative fractions and decimals (covered in Ch. 2.5 and 2.6). The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Thursday Oct. 19th. I gave the students a practice test to complete this weekend so that they can start reviewing and studying for this test, which will be very similar to the practice test.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 3 quiz on Tuesday, which I then helped them make corrections on Thursday. Wednesday they learned about factoring algebraic expressions and next week we will start with writing algebraic expressions.
The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 24th.
8th Grade- This week the students reviewed the scientific notation concepts they had learned and took their Ch. 2 test (that they are making corrections on this weekend). On Friday we then began learning about linear equations, which will be the focus of Ch. 3 for the next few weeks.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving for a variable in a two variable linear equation, and we also started working with linear equations with two variables. The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Thursday Oct. 19th after we review next week.
10-20:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took their Ch. 2 test on Thursday Oct. 19th. Tomorrow and then next week we will begin Ch. 3 on algebraic expressions.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about writing algebraic expressions and solving real-world problems with algebraic expressions. The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 24th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about solving linear equations with one variable, including when the equation has fractions. They also learned about converting repeating decimals to fractions and we began working on word problems from Section 3.1 on Friday, which will continue with next week and cover Ch. 3.2. The Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.2 is currently scheduled for Thursday October 26th.
Accelerated: This week the students finished Ch. 3 and we reviewed for their Ch. 3 test on Thursday Oct. 19th. Then on Friday the students worked on enrichment problems to further their knowledge on the Ch. 3 concepts.
10-27:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about adding, subtracting, and simplifying algebraic expressions. The Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.4 is currently scheduled for Friday Nov. 3rd.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 3 test, which they worked on correcting on Friday before we went to the Fun Fair. We also began Ch. 4.1 this week on equivalent equations. Next week we will focus on solving algebraic equations and they will take their
Ch. 4 quiz (on sections 4.1-4.3) on Friday Nov. 3rd.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about solving linear equations with one variable, especially word problems where they set up their own equations. We also worked on identifying the number of solutions of a linear equation. The Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.2 will be on Tuesday October 31st for Period 2 and Monday October 30th for Period 7.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about finding and interpreting slopes of lines, slope-intercept form, and writing linear equations. The Ch. 4 Test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Nov. 8th.
11-3:
Highlights of the week:
IMPORTANT NOTE: The last day that I will accept any test/quiz corrections or work that needs to be turned in for the first trimester will be on Wednesday November 8th. Please plan accordingly and have all work submitted to me by that day. Thank you and have a great weekend!
7th Grade- This week the students learned about simplifying and expanding algebraic expressions. After reviewing the practice quiz on Thursday, they then took the Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.4 on Friday. Please note that on Monday 8th period will finish their quiz in class because the class period was greatly shortened today due to the pep assembly.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic equations and then solving them. The Ch. 4 quiz (on sections 4.1-4.3) will be on Tuesday Nov. 7th before they take the math portion of the MAP test in class on Wednesday Nov. 8th.
8th Grade- This week the students continued practicing solving word problems where the students write and solve linear equations with one variable. They also took the Ch. 3 quiz and worked on quiz corrections to learn from their errors before we begin Ch. 3.3 on Monday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about writing and graphing linear equations, including solving word problems involving linear equations. On Friday the students began reviewing for the Ch. 4 Test on Tuesday Nov. 7th, which they can then finish on
Wednesday before working on enrichment problems for the concepts in Ch. 4.
11-10:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about factoring algebraic expressions and writing them given a word problem. This week they also took the MAP test on Wednesday during class. Please note that the Ch. 3 test will be taken the week after Thanksgiving break.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic equations and then solving them. They took the MAP test on Wednesday and then the Ch. 4 quiz on Thursday. Please note that the Ch. 4 test will be taken the week after Thanksgiving break.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about linear equations with two variables, including solving for a variable in a two-variable linear equation. Then on Friday we began reviewing the practice test to finish preparing for the Ch. 3 test that will be taken on Tuesday November 14th and the students will be allowed to finish their test during class on Wednesday November 15th if more time is needed.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 4 Test, which they did a phenomenal job on! On Thursday and Friday I began teaching the students about systems of linear equations, which we solved using tables of values and the elimination method.
Trimester 2 Updates
11-17:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about writing algebraic expressions given a word problem. Over Thanksgiving break the students were given a Ch. 3 practice test to complete so that they can begin studying for the Ch. 3 test, which is scheduled for Friday December 1st.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving algebraic inequalities, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic inequalities and then solving them. Over Thanksgiving break the students were given a Ch. 4 practice test to complete so that they can begin studying for the Ch. 4 test, which is scheduled for Thursday November 30th.
8th Grade- This week the students reviewed on Monday and took the Ch. 3 Test on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over Thanksgiving break the students have a worksheet on solving multi-step equations to complete. After break we will begin working on lines and linear equations in Ch. 4.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving systems of linear equations using substitution and elimination. We also covered writing systems of equations from word problems and then solving the systems, which they were given a worksheet to complete over Thanksgiving break for additional practice. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday December 6th.
12-1:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed the concepts learned in Ch. 3, especially writing expressions from real-world word problems. They took their Ch. 3 test on Friday and next week we will began Ch. 4 on algebraic equations.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the concepts learned in Ch. 4 before the test on Thursday. On Friday we began working on Ch. 5, which is on direct and inverse proportions.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 4 on slopes of lines, slope-intercept form, and writing linear equations. The Ch. 4 quiz is currently scheduled for Friday December 8 after we review the practice quiz next week. The 8th graders will be on field trips on Monday and Thursday next week, which is why they were given the practice quiz to complete over the weekend so they can ask me any questions they have on it Tuesday and Wednesday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving systems of linear equations using graphing, in word problems and those that are inconsistent and dependent. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Friday December 8th after we review the practice test next week. The 8th graders will be on field trips on Monday and Thursday next week, which is why they were given the practice test to complete over the weekend so they can ask me any questions they have on it Tuesday and Wednesday.
12-8:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations and determining whether two equations are equivalent. Please note that their Ch. 3 test corrections are due on Monday during class and if they need my help with the corrections they can come after school on Friday December 8th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about direct proportions problems, including word problems. Their Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for next Friday and that will mark the end of the first math book that we are using this year.
8th Grade- On Tuesday and Wednesday this week we reviewed for the Ch. 4 quiz that the students will take on Friday. The study guide that I created is the most important thing for the 8th graders to study in preparation for this quiz. The Ch. 4 test is scheduled for the week before Christmas break, the week of December 18th.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the concepts learned in Ch. 5 before the test on Friday. Then next week we will began working on Ch. 6 on relations and functions and the test on that chapter is scheduled for the week after Christmas break.
12-15:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations, including writing their own equations given a word problem and then solving. The Ch. 4 quiz (on Ch. 4.1-4.3) is scheduled for Wednesday December 20th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about inverse proportions, including word problems. This week the students worked extensively in groups to prepare for their Ch. 5 test that they took on Friday. I will collect their first math book and then give the students the second math book that we are using this year (containing Ch. 6-10, which will we begin after Christmas break).
8th Grade- This week the students learned about sketching graphs of linear equations and solving real-world problems involving linear equations. The Ch. 4 test is scheduled for Tuesday December 19th and Wednesday December 20th to ensure that the students have adequate time to solve the problems on the test.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about relations and functions in Ch. 6.1-6.2. Next week we will continue Ch. 6 and the test
on that chapter is scheduled for the week after Christmas break. The students will have the practice test to complete over break.
12-22:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed what they had learned about solving algebraic equations, including writing their own equations given a word problem and then solving. They then took the Ch. 4 quiz (on Ch. 4.1-4.3), which will be given back to them the Monday after break to make corrections to. Over Christmas break they have two worksheets to complete.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed what they had learned in the first math book (Ch. 1-5) using the mid-course test. Over Christmas break they have two worksheets to complete.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 4 test, which they truly worked very hard to prepare for. Over Christmas break they will finish the Ch. 3-4 Cumulative Test packet that they began in class on Thursday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about comparing functions, including linear and nonlinear functions in Ch. 6.3-6.4. The test
on Ch. 6 is currently scheduled for Thursday January 11th. Over Christmas break they have the Ch. 6 practice test to complete.
1-12:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about solving algebraic inequalities, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic inequalities and then solving them. On Friday the students were given a Ch. 4 practice test to complete so that they can begin studying over the weekend for the Ch. 4 test, which is scheduled for Thursday January 18th.
Accelerated: This week we began Ch. 6 on finding angle measures, including complementary angles and supplementary angles. The Ch. 6 Test is currently scheduled for Tuesday January 23rd.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 5 on systems of linear equations, which we solved using tables of values and the elimination and substitution methods. The Ch. 5 Quiz is currently scheduled for Friday January 19th.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed what they learned about relations and functions from before Christmas break. They then took the Ch. 6 test on Thursday and had no class on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 7, which starts with the Pythagorean Theorem.
1-19:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed for the Ch. 4 test on Friday, including reviewing with partners by completing problems on white boards. There are several students who still need to finish the test and they will do so on Monday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about interior, exterior, and corresponding angles. The Ch. 6 Test is scheduled for Wednesday January 24th after we review on Monday and Tuesday.
8th Grade- This week the students learned how to solve systems of linear equations using the elimination and substitution methods. We spent several days on writing systems of equations from a given word problem and then solving them. The Ch. 5 Quiz is scheduled for Wednesday January 24th after we review on Monday and Tuesday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about the Pythagorean Theorem, including using the Pythagorean Theorem to solve real world problems. The Ch. 7 test is currently scheduled for Friday February 2nd.
1-26: I am looking forward to seeing those of you who are planning to come to Open House on Sunday from 10 - 12.
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students began learning about direct proportions from Ch. 5 as we started with direct proportion equations. The Ch. 5 quiz is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 6th.
Accelerated: This week we began by reviewing for the Ch. 6 Test on Wednesday, which the students did an excellent job on! Then we started Ch. 7 on geometric constructions, including constructing angle bisectors. Please note that the students need a compass and protractor for classwork and homework throughout this chapter.
8th Grade- This week we began by reviewing for the Ch. 5 quiz on Wednesday, which included using systems of linear equations to solve word problems. Then we began Ch. 5.4 on solving systems of linear equations using the graphing method. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 6th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about using the Pythagorean Theorem to solve problems involving solids, including finding the volume of composite solids. The Ch. 7 test is currently scheduled for Monday February 5th.
2-2:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students participated in a variety of math activities, including three MARS tasks on Thursday and Friday which truly gave the students a great opportunity to use their critical thinking skills. Next week we will focus on Ch. 5 once again and the Ch. 5 quiz is currently scheduled for Monday February 12th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about constructing perpendicular bisectors and they also did a few other math activities. The Ch. 7 quiz is currently scheduled for Thursday February 8th.
8th Grade- This week the students got more practice using systems of linear equations to solve word problems, including using the graphing method. On Friday we started Ch. 5.5 on inconsistent systems and on Monday I will teach the students about dependent systems. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Monday February 12th.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the topics in Ch. 7 including the Pythagorean Theorem and volume of composite solids. The Ch. 7 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday February 7th.
2-9:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about representing direct proportions graphically and solving direct proportion problems. The Ch. 5 quiz is currently scheduled for Wednesday February 14th after we spend Monday and Tuesday reviewing and going over the practice quiz that is homework this weekend (a very important resource when studying for the quiz).
Accelerated: This week the students learned about constructing triangles and then took their Ch. 7 quiz on Thursday. Next week we will focus on constructing quadrilaterals and understanding scale drawings. The Ch. 7 Test is currently scheduled for Thursday February 22nd.
8th Grade- This week the students solved a variety of problems involving systems of linear equations, which they took a mini-quiz (quick check) on in class on Thursday and the scores were very strong. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 13th and Wednesday February 14th (likely will be postponed another day for Period 2 to allow for more time to review). Also, this week I gave each 8th grade student a review packet that we will be working on in class and that I will be assigning problems from for homework in order to help the students review for the high school math placement tests that they may be taking in the coming weeks.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the topics in Ch. 7 and every student earned an A on the Ch. 7 test, which was outstanding! Next week we will begin Ch. 8 on Geometric Transformations. Also, this week I gave each 8th grade student a review packet that we will be working on in class and that I will be assigning problems from for homework in order to help the students review for the high school math placement tests that they may be taking in the coming weeks.
2-16:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed direct proportions and took the Ch. 5 quiz, which the students did very well on. Then on Friday we began inverse proportions (Ch. 5.4), which we will continue working on next week and we will review for the Ch. 5 test that is currently scheduled for Monday February 26th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about constructing quadrilaterals and solving problems involving scale drawings. The Ch. 7 Test is currently scheduled for Friday February 23rd after the students learn how to create their own scale drawings through an interactive project Thursday during class.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 5 test on systems of equations. Also, this week we worked on the review packet for the high school placement test and I taught the students skills such as factoring quadratics and expanding using the FOIL method. Next week we will continue reviewing algebra concepts found in the review packet and supplemental materials.
Accelerated: This week the students began Ch. 8 on Geometric Transformations. Their quiz on translations, reflections, and rotations is currently scheduled for Thursday February 22nd after they complete a practice quiz at the beginning of next week. Also, this week we worked on the review packet for the high school math placement test.
2-23:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about inverse proportions (Ch. 5.4) and then reviewed both direct and inverse proportions, including working in small groups on a practice test. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Monday February 26th. On Tuesday I will collect the first math book and give the students their second math book with Ch. 6-10 that we will use for the rest of this school year.
Accelerated: This week the students solved a variety of problems involving scale drawings and geometric constructions to help them review for the Ch. 7 Test on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of solids.
8th Grade- This week the students began Ch. 6 by learning about types of relations and functions. Next week after we finish Ch. 6.2 we will review for the Ch. 6 quiz that is currently scheduled for Wednesday February 28th. This week we also continued reviewing algebra concepts found in the high school placement test review packet.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed for the Ch. 8 quiz on Thursday and their transformations projects. Their work on the projects was very impressive! Next week the Ch. 8 test is currently scheduled for Friday March 2nd.
3-2:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- After the Ch. 5 test we began Ch. 6 in the second math book on angle properties. The students learned about complementary, supplementary, and adjacent angles. This chapter involves setting up equations to solve for missing angle measures, which ties in to the concepts learned in Ch. 4 on solving equations.
Accelerated: This week the students solved a variety of problems involving area and circumference of circles and surface area and volume of prisms. Next week we will begin Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of solids.
8th Grade- This week the students prepared for the Ch. 6 quiz on Wednesday and then they learned how to identify linear and nonlinear functions. Next week the Ch. 6 test is currently scheduled for Friday March 9th. This week we also continued reviewing the concepts on functions found in the high school placement test review packet.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about dilations and comparing transformations. We also reviewed for the Ch. 8 test that they will take on Monday March 5th.
Trimester 3 Updates
3-9:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about angles that share a vertex and make 360 degree angles. The students then took the Ch. 6 quiz on Friday, which they did a wonderful job on!
Accelerated: This week the students learned about surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders. Next week we will continue Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of pyramids and cones and review for the quiz on Friday.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about comparing two functions and then they took the Ch. 6 test on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 7 on the Pythagorean Theorem and they will also learn about the distance formula next week.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 8 test on Monday and then they began Ch. 9 by learning about congruent and similar figures. Next week we will continue Ch. 9 and the test is currently scheduled for Wednesday March 21st.
3-16:
Highlights of the week: Thank you for bringing in the pies this week to help us celebrate Pi Day on Wednesday!
7th Grade- This week the students learned about alternate interior, alternate exterior, and corresponding angles. Next week we will finish Ch. 6 and review for the Ch. 6 Test that is currently scheduled for Monday March 26th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about surface area and volume of pyramids and cones, which they will take their Ch. 8 quiz on during class on Monday March 19th. Next week we will continue Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of spheres and composite figures. The Ch. 8 Test is currently scheduled for Wednesday March 28th.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 7 on the Pythagorean Theorem, including drawing diagrams to help them solve word problems using the Pythagorean Theorem. Next week the students will learn about the distance formula and we will review for the Ch. 7 Test (on sections 1 and 2 in Ch. 7) scheduled for Friday March 23rd.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about congruent and similar figures, including relating them to transformations they learned in the previous chapter. Next week we will review for the Ch. 9 test that is currently scheduled for Wednesday March 21st.
3-23:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about interior and exterior angles and took the Iowa Algebra Aptitude test. The students worked together on a Ch. 6 practice test to review for the Ch. 6 Test that they will take on Tuesday March 27th. Then on Wednesday and Thursday next week we will work with percents, including solving word problems that involve percents.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 8 quiz and the Iowa Algebra Aptitude test. They then learned about volume and surface area of spheres. Next week we will continue Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of composite figures and the Ch. 8 Test will be the week after spring break.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about the distance formula and we will reviewed for the Ch. 7 Test (on sections 1 and 2 in Ch. 7) that will be taken on Monday March 26th. Next week we will work with angle properties, including writing equations to solve for missing angle measures.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 9 test on Wednesday then completed the enrichment problems to apply their learning to more challenging problems. Then on Friday we began Ch. 10 by working with scatter plots and we will work on writing equations for lines of best fit before we begin spring break.
3-30:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 6 Test on Tuesday and then on Wednesday and Thursday we worked with percents, including solving word problems that involve percents. After spring break we will begin Ch. 7 on geometric constructions, for which each student will need a protractor and a compass in order to complete classwork and homework.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about volume and surface area of composite figures. The Ch. 8 Test will be on Wednesday April 11th after we review on the Monday and Tuesday after we return from spring break.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 7 Test on Monday and then we began working with angle properties, including writing equations to solve for missing angle measures. The test on angle properties is currently scheduled for Friday April 13th, at which point we will begin Ch. 8 on geometric transformations.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about modeling linear associations (i.e. writing equations for lines of best fit) and two-way tables. We will finish Ch. 10 once we return from spring break and the Ch. 10 test is currently scheduled for Friday April 13th.
4-6: I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and a nice spring break!
4-13:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students began Ch. 7 by learning how to construct angle bisectors and perpendicular bisectors. Next week I will teach them how to construct various types of triangles and the Ch. 7 quiz is currently scheduled for Friday April 20th.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 8 Test and we began Ch. 9 by learning about quartiles and the interquartile range. Next week we will cover stem-and-leaf plots, box plots, and mean absolute deviation.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about writing equations to solve for missing angle measures and then took the test on angle properties on Friday. Next we will begin Ch. 8 on geometric transformations, starting with translations and reflections.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about two-way tables, which marked the end of Ch. 10 that they were tested on Thursday. Then on Friday they learned about probability, including tree diagrams, from Ch. 11. On Monday I will collect the textbook that we have been working from and we will transition to the Algebra 1 textbook, where we will work on factoring quadratics.
4-20: ACT Aspire Testing Week
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned how to construct various types of triangles, including special cases where two triangles can be formed using the given dimensions. The Ch. 7 quiz is on Monday and then we will cover constructing quadrilaterals and then understanding scale drawings.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about stem-and-leaf plots, box plots, and mean absolute deviation. Next week we will finish Ch. 9 by covering random sampling methods and then making inferences about populations. The Ch. 9 test is currently scheduled for Monday April 30th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about geometric transformations, including translations, reflections and rotations. Next week we will cover dilations of figures and the Ch. 8 test is currently scheduled for Thursday April 26th before many of the students leave on the D.C. trip.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about operations with polynomials, including multiplying using the FOIL method and multiplying special cases. Next week we will cover factoring quadratics before many of the students leave on the D.C. trip.
4-27:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 7 quiz on Monday and then learned how to construct quadrilaterals, including rectangles, parallelograms, and rhombuses. Next week we will focus on scale drawings and then review for the Ch. 7 test that is currently scheduled for Monday May 7th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about random sampling methods and then making inferences about populations. The Ch. 9 test is currently scheduled for Monday April 30th. Then next week we will begin Ch. 10 on probability.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about dilations of figures and then reviewed for the Ch. 8 test that they took on Thursday. After the 8th graders return from their D.C. trip then we will begin Ch. 9 on congruence and similarity.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about factoring quadratics, including challenge problems. After the 8th graders return from their D.C. trip then we will finish Ch. 9 in the Algebra 1 textbook.
5-4:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about scale drawings and then began reviewing for the Ch. 7 test that will be on Tuesday May 8th. Next week we will be finding area and circumference of circles and then finding the surface area and volume of prisms before we begin Ch. 8 the following week.
Accelerated: After the Ch. 9 test this week the students learned about finding the probability of events, including finding sample spaces and outcomes of events. Next week the students will continue to learn about probability and relative frequency.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 9 by working with scale drawings and congruent figures, including the tests to show that triangles are congruent. Next week we will be working with similar figures and then we will review for the Ch. 9 test on Tuesday May 15th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about factoring quadratics, including special cases and factoring by grouping. The test on Ch. 9 in the Algebra 1 textbook is on Tuesday May 8th. Then we will being Ch. 10 in the Algebra 1 textbook on graphing quadratics.
5-11:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 7 test and worked on creating a scale drawing of a room of their choice (and their scale drawings were very well done!). Then we began working on finding area and circumference of circles and then finding the surface area and volume of prisms, which we will continue working on this coming week before we begin Ch. 8.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about finding the probability of events and approximating probability and relative frequency. On Friday we did an activity in which the students selected counters, recorded their results, and then calculated the experimental and theoretical probabilities. Next week we will finish Ch. 10 and review for the test on Friday May 18th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about congruent and similar figures, including the tests to show that triangles are either congruent or similar. Next Monday we will review for the Ch. 9 test on Tuesday May 15th. Then Wednesday through Friday I will give the students the study guide for the end of the year test and we will work through those problems to review. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 9 test on polynomials and factoring (from the Algebra 1 textbook). We then worked on graphing quadratics from Ch. 10 in the Algebra 1 textbook. Next Monday and Tuesday we will continue working on graphing quadratics. Then Wednesday through Friday I will give the students the study guide for the end of the year test and we will work through those problems to review. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time.
5-18:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about area and circumference of circles and then finding the surface area and volume of prisms. On Friday I taught the students about volume and surface area of cylinders, which we will finish next Monday before we begin reviewing for the quiz on circles, prisms, and cylinders that the students will take on Thursday May 24th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about developing probability models and we reviewed for the Ch. 10 test that the students took on Friday. Next week we will work on enrichment problems before we begin reviewing for the end of the year test that the students will take the last week of school.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 9 test and then we reviewed for the end of the year test. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time. Each student was given a study guide and a list of the topics we covered this year.
Accelerated: This week the students finished learning about graphing quadratics and then we reviewed for the end of the year test. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time. Each student was given a study guide and a list of the topics we covered this year.
5-25:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about finding the surface area and volume of pyramids and cones. On Thursday the students took the quiz on circles, prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones. Next week we will review for the end of the year test that the students will take the last week of school and they have the Day 1 study guide to complete by Tuesday.
Accelerated: This week the students worked on enrichment problems and we reviewed for the end of the year test that the students will take the last week of school. The students have the Day 1 study guide to complete by Tuesday.
8th Grade- This week the students finished off the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I wish each of you the best of luck in high school!
Accelerated: This week the students finished off the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I wish each of you the best of luck in high school!
6-1:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed for the end of the year test Tuesday and Thursday during class. The students will take the end of the year test on Monday June 4, Tuesday June 5, and Wednesday June 6. I would highly recommend using this weekend to study for the test!
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed for the end of the year test Tuesday and Thursday during class. The students will take the end of the year test on Monday June 4, Tuesday June 5, and Wednesday June 6. I would highly recommend using this weekend to study for the test!
6-8:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students finished the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I look forward to next school year!
Accelerated: This week the students finished the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I look forward to next school year!
8-25:
Highlights of the week: I am blessed to be a part of the St. Paul of the Cross community and I am grateful to be your child's math teacher this year. It has been nice for me to get to know my students this week and start this year off on such a positive note.
7th Grade- We spent this week reviewing 6th grade skills and began Ch. 1 The Real Number System on Friday, which we will continue learning about this coming week.
8th Grade- We spent this week reviewing 7th grade skills and began Ch. 1 Exponents on Friday, which we will continue learning about this coming week.
9-1:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned how to graph rational numbers on the number line, write rational numbers as decimals, and I introduced irrational numbers. The tentative date for the Ch. 1 The Real Number System test is Tuesday Sept. 12th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned up through Ch. 1.4 to continue our study of real numbers. The Ch. 1 Test is currently scheduled for Friday Sept. 8th after we review on Thursday.
8th Grade- This week we focused on Ch. 1.1-1.3 to continue our study of exponents, on which the students will be quizzed on Wednesday Sept. 6th after we review on Tuesday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned up through Ch. 1.5 to continue our study of exponents. The Ch. 1 Test is currently scheduled for Friday Sept. 8th after we review on Thursday.
9-8:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about the real number system and significant digits, which marks the end of Ch. 1. Therefore, the Ch. 1 The Real Number System test is Tuesday Sept. 12th.
Accelerated: This week we finished Ch. 1 and the students took their test on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 2 on rational number operations, including enrichment problems to provide additional challenge.
8th Grade- This week the students took their quiz on Ch. 1.1-1.3 as well as corrected their work to learn from their mistakes. Then we continued in the chapter and they learned about the power of a product and power of a quotient properties.
Accelerated: This week the students continued to learn about zero and negative exponents as well as squares and cubes, on which they did very well! . The Ch. 1 Test will be on Monday Sept. 11th after we reviewed on Friday.
9-15:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week was centered around the Ch. 1 test, including a review game on Monday and fixing the students test corrections on Friday. They also worked on the recall prior knowledge activity to prepare for Ch. 2 Rational Number Operations that we will begin next week.
Accelerated: This week the students finished Ch. 2.1-2.4 and began section 2.5 on operations with rational numbers as well. The Ch. 2 test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 27th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about zero and negative exponents, squares, and cubes from Ch. 1.4-1.6. The Ch. 1 test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday Sept. 21st after we review from Monday through Wednesday.
Accelerated: This week after the Ch. 1 test the students learned scientific notation, including adding and subtracting in scientific notation. They also learned about multi-step word problems, which was an enrichment activity that included setting up and solving equations.
9-22:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week was spent learning about adding and subtracting integers, which is covered in Ch. 2.1-2.2 in the textbook. We will cover Ch. 2.3 on multiplying and dividing integers on Monday and Tuesday, which the students will then take a quiz on Wednesday Sept. 27th (the quiz will be on Ch. 2.1-2.3).
Accelerated: This week the students learned about operations with rational numbers and decimals. The Ch. 2 test will be taken on Tuesday Sept. 26th after we go over the practice test on Monday.
8th Grade- This week was spent preparing for the Ch. 1 test that the students took on Thursday after they took a full-length practice test to help them prepare for the test. Next week we will start the second chapter, which is on Scientific Notation.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about operations with numbers in scientific notation, which they did very with. The Ch. 2 test will be on Tuesday Sept. 26th after we review their practice test on Monday.
9-29:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 2 quiz on Wednesday, which they are finishing making corrections on this weekend. Next week we will continue on with operations with integers and rational numbers (covered in Ch. 2.4 and 2.5).
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 2 Test on Tuesday and then we did an overview of Ch. 3 topics before covering adding algebraic terms from Ch. 3.1, which we ended the week with. The Ch. 3 quiz is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 10th.
8th Grade- This week was spent learning about writing numbers in scientific notation and also adding and subtracting numbers in scientific notation, which is covered in Ch. 2.1-2.2 in the textbook. We will cover Ch. 2.3 on multiplying and dividing numbers in scientific notation next week. The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 11th.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 2 Test on Tuesday, which they did very well on. The rest of the week they learned about solving linear equations with one variable and also converting repeating decimals to fractions from Ch. 3.1.
10-6:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about operations with integers and rational numbers, including working with positive and negative fractions (covered in Ch. 2.4 and 2.5). The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 18th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about subtracting, simplifying, and expanding algebraic terms . The Ch. 3 quiz (covering Ch. 3.1-3.4) is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 10th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers in scientific notation. The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 11th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving linear equations with one variable, identifying the number of solutions to a linear equation, and we also started working with linear equations with two variables. The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 18th.
10-13:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about operations with positive and negative fractions and decimals (covered in Ch. 2.5 and 2.6). The Ch. 2 test is currently scheduled for Thursday Oct. 19th. I gave the students a practice test to complete this weekend so that they can start reviewing and studying for this test, which will be very similar to the practice test.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 3 quiz on Tuesday, which I then helped them make corrections on Thursday. Wednesday they learned about factoring algebraic expressions and next week we will start with writing algebraic expressions.
The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 24th.
8th Grade- This week the students reviewed the scientific notation concepts they had learned and took their Ch. 2 test (that they are making corrections on this weekend). On Friday we then began learning about linear equations, which will be the focus of Ch. 3 for the next few weeks.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving for a variable in a two variable linear equation, and we also started working with linear equations with two variables. The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Thursday Oct. 19th after we review next week.
10-20:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took their Ch. 2 test on Thursday Oct. 19th. Tomorrow and then next week we will begin Ch. 3 on algebraic expressions.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about writing algebraic expressions and solving real-world problems with algebraic expressions. The Ch. 3 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 24th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about solving linear equations with one variable, including when the equation has fractions. They also learned about converting repeating decimals to fractions and we began working on word problems from Section 3.1 on Friday, which will continue with next week and cover Ch. 3.2. The Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.2 is currently scheduled for Thursday October 26th.
Accelerated: This week the students finished Ch. 3 and we reviewed for their Ch. 3 test on Thursday Oct. 19th. Then on Friday the students worked on enrichment problems to further their knowledge on the Ch. 3 concepts.
10-27:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about adding, subtracting, and simplifying algebraic expressions. The Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.4 is currently scheduled for Friday Nov. 3rd.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 3 test, which they worked on correcting on Friday before we went to the Fun Fair. We also began Ch. 4.1 this week on equivalent equations. Next week we will focus on solving algebraic equations and they will take their
Ch. 4 quiz (on sections 4.1-4.3) on Friday Nov. 3rd.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about solving linear equations with one variable, especially word problems where they set up their own equations. We also worked on identifying the number of solutions of a linear equation. The Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.2 will be on Tuesday October 31st for Period 2 and Monday October 30th for Period 7.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about finding and interpreting slopes of lines, slope-intercept form, and writing linear equations. The Ch. 4 Test is currently scheduled for Wednesday Nov. 8th.
11-3:
Highlights of the week:
IMPORTANT NOTE: The last day that I will accept any test/quiz corrections or work that needs to be turned in for the first trimester will be on Wednesday November 8th. Please plan accordingly and have all work submitted to me by that day. Thank you and have a great weekend!
7th Grade- This week the students learned about simplifying and expanding algebraic expressions. After reviewing the practice quiz on Thursday, they then took the Ch. 3 quiz on Ch. 3.1-3.4 on Friday. Please note that on Monday 8th period will finish their quiz in class because the class period was greatly shortened today due to the pep assembly.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic equations and then solving them. The Ch. 4 quiz (on sections 4.1-4.3) will be on Tuesday Nov. 7th before they take the math portion of the MAP test in class on Wednesday Nov. 8th.
8th Grade- This week the students continued practicing solving word problems where the students write and solve linear equations with one variable. They also took the Ch. 3 quiz and worked on quiz corrections to learn from their errors before we begin Ch. 3.3 on Monday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about writing and graphing linear equations, including solving word problems involving linear equations. On Friday the students began reviewing for the Ch. 4 Test on Tuesday Nov. 7th, which they can then finish on
Wednesday before working on enrichment problems for the concepts in Ch. 4.
11-10:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about factoring algebraic expressions and writing them given a word problem. This week they also took the MAP test on Wednesday during class. Please note that the Ch. 3 test will be taken the week after Thanksgiving break.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic equations and then solving them. They took the MAP test on Wednesday and then the Ch. 4 quiz on Thursday. Please note that the Ch. 4 test will be taken the week after Thanksgiving break.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about linear equations with two variables, including solving for a variable in a two-variable linear equation. Then on Friday we began reviewing the practice test to finish preparing for the Ch. 3 test that will be taken on Tuesday November 14th and the students will be allowed to finish their test during class on Wednesday November 15th if more time is needed.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 4 Test, which they did a phenomenal job on! On Thursday and Friday I began teaching the students about systems of linear equations, which we solved using tables of values and the elimination method.
Trimester 2 Updates
11-17:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about writing algebraic expressions given a word problem. Over Thanksgiving break the students were given a Ch. 3 practice test to complete so that they can begin studying for the Ch. 3 test, which is scheduled for Friday December 1st.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving algebraic inequalities, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic inequalities and then solving them. Over Thanksgiving break the students were given a Ch. 4 practice test to complete so that they can begin studying for the Ch. 4 test, which is scheduled for Thursday November 30th.
8th Grade- This week the students reviewed on Monday and took the Ch. 3 Test on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over Thanksgiving break the students have a worksheet on solving multi-step equations to complete. After break we will begin working on lines and linear equations in Ch. 4.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving systems of linear equations using substitution and elimination. We also covered writing systems of equations from word problems and then solving the systems, which they were given a worksheet to complete over Thanksgiving break for additional practice. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday December 6th.
12-1:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed the concepts learned in Ch. 3, especially writing expressions from real-world word problems. They took their Ch. 3 test on Friday and next week we will began Ch. 4 on algebraic equations.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the concepts learned in Ch. 4 before the test on Thursday. On Friday we began working on Ch. 5, which is on direct and inverse proportions.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 4 on slopes of lines, slope-intercept form, and writing linear equations. The Ch. 4 quiz is currently scheduled for Friday December 8 after we review the practice quiz next week. The 8th graders will be on field trips on Monday and Thursday next week, which is why they were given the practice quiz to complete over the weekend so they can ask me any questions they have on it Tuesday and Wednesday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about solving systems of linear equations using graphing, in word problems and those that are inconsistent and dependent. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Friday December 8th after we review the practice test next week. The 8th graders will be on field trips on Monday and Thursday next week, which is why they were given the practice test to complete over the weekend so they can ask me any questions they have on it Tuesday and Wednesday.
12-8:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations and determining whether two equations are equivalent. Please note that their Ch. 3 test corrections are due on Monday during class and if they need my help with the corrections they can come after school on Friday December 8th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about direct proportions problems, including word problems. Their Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for next Friday and that will mark the end of the first math book that we are using this year.
8th Grade- On Tuesday and Wednesday this week we reviewed for the Ch. 4 quiz that the students will take on Friday. The study guide that I created is the most important thing for the 8th graders to study in preparation for this quiz. The Ch. 4 test is scheduled for the week before Christmas break, the week of December 18th.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the concepts learned in Ch. 5 before the test on Friday. Then next week we will began working on Ch. 6 on relations and functions and the test on that chapter is scheduled for the week after Christmas break.
12-15:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about solving algebraic equations, including writing their own equations given a word problem and then solving. The Ch. 4 quiz (on Ch. 4.1-4.3) is scheduled for Wednesday December 20th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about inverse proportions, including word problems. This week the students worked extensively in groups to prepare for their Ch. 5 test that they took on Friday. I will collect their first math book and then give the students the second math book that we are using this year (containing Ch. 6-10, which will we begin after Christmas break).
8th Grade- This week the students learned about sketching graphs of linear equations and solving real-world problems involving linear equations. The Ch. 4 test is scheduled for Tuesday December 19th and Wednesday December 20th to ensure that the students have adequate time to solve the problems on the test.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about relations and functions in Ch. 6.1-6.2. Next week we will continue Ch. 6 and the test
on that chapter is scheduled for the week after Christmas break. The students will have the practice test to complete over break.
12-22:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed what they had learned about solving algebraic equations, including writing their own equations given a word problem and then solving. They then took the Ch. 4 quiz (on Ch. 4.1-4.3), which will be given back to them the Monday after break to make corrections to. Over Christmas break they have two worksheets to complete.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed what they had learned in the first math book (Ch. 1-5) using the mid-course test. Over Christmas break they have two worksheets to complete.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 4 test, which they truly worked very hard to prepare for. Over Christmas break they will finish the Ch. 3-4 Cumulative Test packet that they began in class on Thursday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about comparing functions, including linear and nonlinear functions in Ch. 6.3-6.4. The test
on Ch. 6 is currently scheduled for Thursday January 11th. Over Christmas break they have the Ch. 6 practice test to complete.
1-12:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about solving algebraic inequalities, including solving word problems that require setting up algebraic inequalities and then solving them. On Friday the students were given a Ch. 4 practice test to complete so that they can begin studying over the weekend for the Ch. 4 test, which is scheduled for Thursday January 18th.
Accelerated: This week we began Ch. 6 on finding angle measures, including complementary angles and supplementary angles. The Ch. 6 Test is currently scheduled for Tuesday January 23rd.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 5 on systems of linear equations, which we solved using tables of values and the elimination and substitution methods. The Ch. 5 Quiz is currently scheduled for Friday January 19th.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed what they learned about relations and functions from before Christmas break. They then took the Ch. 6 test on Thursday and had no class on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 7, which starts with the Pythagorean Theorem.
1-19:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed for the Ch. 4 test on Friday, including reviewing with partners by completing problems on white boards. There are several students who still need to finish the test and they will do so on Monday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about interior, exterior, and corresponding angles. The Ch. 6 Test is scheduled for Wednesday January 24th after we review on Monday and Tuesday.
8th Grade- This week the students learned how to solve systems of linear equations using the elimination and substitution methods. We spent several days on writing systems of equations from a given word problem and then solving them. The Ch. 5 Quiz is scheduled for Wednesday January 24th after we review on Monday and Tuesday.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about the Pythagorean Theorem, including using the Pythagorean Theorem to solve real world problems. The Ch. 7 test is currently scheduled for Friday February 2nd.
1-26: I am looking forward to seeing those of you who are planning to come to Open House on Sunday from 10 - 12.
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students began learning about direct proportions from Ch. 5 as we started with direct proportion equations. The Ch. 5 quiz is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 6th.
Accelerated: This week we began by reviewing for the Ch. 6 Test on Wednesday, which the students did an excellent job on! Then we started Ch. 7 on geometric constructions, including constructing angle bisectors. Please note that the students need a compass and protractor for classwork and homework throughout this chapter.
8th Grade- This week we began by reviewing for the Ch. 5 quiz on Wednesday, which included using systems of linear equations to solve word problems. Then we began Ch. 5.4 on solving systems of linear equations using the graphing method. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 6th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about using the Pythagorean Theorem to solve problems involving solids, including finding the volume of composite solids. The Ch. 7 test is currently scheduled for Monday February 5th.
2-2:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students participated in a variety of math activities, including three MARS tasks on Thursday and Friday which truly gave the students a great opportunity to use their critical thinking skills. Next week we will focus on Ch. 5 once again and the Ch. 5 quiz is currently scheduled for Monday February 12th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about constructing perpendicular bisectors and they also did a few other math activities. The Ch. 7 quiz is currently scheduled for Thursday February 8th.
8th Grade- This week the students got more practice using systems of linear equations to solve word problems, including using the graphing method. On Friday we started Ch. 5.5 on inconsistent systems and on Monday I will teach the students about dependent systems. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Monday February 12th.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the topics in Ch. 7 including the Pythagorean Theorem and volume of composite solids. The Ch. 7 test is currently scheduled for Wednesday February 7th.
2-9:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about representing direct proportions graphically and solving direct proportion problems. The Ch. 5 quiz is currently scheduled for Wednesday February 14th after we spend Monday and Tuesday reviewing and going over the practice quiz that is homework this weekend (a very important resource when studying for the quiz).
Accelerated: This week the students learned about constructing triangles and then took their Ch. 7 quiz on Thursday. Next week we will focus on constructing quadrilaterals and understanding scale drawings. The Ch. 7 Test is currently scheduled for Thursday February 22nd.
8th Grade- This week the students solved a variety of problems involving systems of linear equations, which they took a mini-quiz (quick check) on in class on Thursday and the scores were very strong. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Tuesday February 13th and Wednesday February 14th (likely will be postponed another day for Period 2 to allow for more time to review). Also, this week I gave each 8th grade student a review packet that we will be working on in class and that I will be assigning problems from for homework in order to help the students review for the high school math placement tests that they may be taking in the coming weeks.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed the topics in Ch. 7 and every student earned an A on the Ch. 7 test, which was outstanding! Next week we will begin Ch. 8 on Geometric Transformations. Also, this week I gave each 8th grade student a review packet that we will be working on in class and that I will be assigning problems from for homework in order to help the students review for the high school math placement tests that they may be taking in the coming weeks.
2-16:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed direct proportions and took the Ch. 5 quiz, which the students did very well on. Then on Friday we began inverse proportions (Ch. 5.4), which we will continue working on next week and we will review for the Ch. 5 test that is currently scheduled for Monday February 26th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about constructing quadrilaterals and solving problems involving scale drawings. The Ch. 7 Test is currently scheduled for Friday February 23rd after the students learn how to create their own scale drawings through an interactive project Thursday during class.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 5 test on systems of equations. Also, this week we worked on the review packet for the high school placement test and I taught the students skills such as factoring quadratics and expanding using the FOIL method. Next week we will continue reviewing algebra concepts found in the review packet and supplemental materials.
Accelerated: This week the students began Ch. 8 on Geometric Transformations. Their quiz on translations, reflections, and rotations is currently scheduled for Thursday February 22nd after they complete a practice quiz at the beginning of next week. Also, this week we worked on the review packet for the high school math placement test.
2-23:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about inverse proportions (Ch. 5.4) and then reviewed both direct and inverse proportions, including working in small groups on a practice test. The Ch. 5 test is currently scheduled for Monday February 26th. On Tuesday I will collect the first math book and give the students their second math book with Ch. 6-10 that we will use for the rest of this school year.
Accelerated: This week the students solved a variety of problems involving scale drawings and geometric constructions to help them review for the Ch. 7 Test on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of solids.
8th Grade- This week the students began Ch. 6 by learning about types of relations and functions. Next week after we finish Ch. 6.2 we will review for the Ch. 6 quiz that is currently scheduled for Wednesday February 28th. This week we also continued reviewing algebra concepts found in the high school placement test review packet.
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed for the Ch. 8 quiz on Thursday and their transformations projects. Their work on the projects was very impressive! Next week the Ch. 8 test is currently scheduled for Friday March 2nd.
3-2:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- After the Ch. 5 test we began Ch. 6 in the second math book on angle properties. The students learned about complementary, supplementary, and adjacent angles. This chapter involves setting up equations to solve for missing angle measures, which ties in to the concepts learned in Ch. 4 on solving equations.
Accelerated: This week the students solved a variety of problems involving area and circumference of circles and surface area and volume of prisms. Next week we will begin Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of solids.
8th Grade- This week the students prepared for the Ch. 6 quiz on Wednesday and then they learned how to identify linear and nonlinear functions. Next week the Ch. 6 test is currently scheduled for Friday March 9th. This week we also continued reviewing the concepts on functions found in the high school placement test review packet.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about dilations and comparing transformations. We also reviewed for the Ch. 8 test that they will take on Monday March 5th.
Trimester 3 Updates
3-9:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about angles that share a vertex and make 360 degree angles. The students then took the Ch. 6 quiz on Friday, which they did a wonderful job on!
Accelerated: This week the students learned about surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders. Next week we will continue Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of pyramids and cones and review for the quiz on Friday.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about comparing two functions and then they took the Ch. 6 test on Friday. Next week we will begin Ch. 7 on the Pythagorean Theorem and they will also learn about the distance formula next week.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 8 test on Monday and then they began Ch. 9 by learning about congruent and similar figures. Next week we will continue Ch. 9 and the test is currently scheduled for Wednesday March 21st.
3-16:
Highlights of the week: Thank you for bringing in the pies this week to help us celebrate Pi Day on Wednesday!
7th Grade- This week the students learned about alternate interior, alternate exterior, and corresponding angles. Next week we will finish Ch. 6 and review for the Ch. 6 Test that is currently scheduled for Monday March 26th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about surface area and volume of pyramids and cones, which they will take their Ch. 8 quiz on during class on Monday March 19th. Next week we will continue Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of spheres and composite figures. The Ch. 8 Test is currently scheduled for Wednesday March 28th.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 7 on the Pythagorean Theorem, including drawing diagrams to help them solve word problems using the Pythagorean Theorem. Next week the students will learn about the distance formula and we will review for the Ch. 7 Test (on sections 1 and 2 in Ch. 7) scheduled for Friday March 23rd.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about congruent and similar figures, including relating them to transformations they learned in the previous chapter. Next week we will review for the Ch. 9 test that is currently scheduled for Wednesday March 21st.
3-23:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about interior and exterior angles and took the Iowa Algebra Aptitude test. The students worked together on a Ch. 6 practice test to review for the Ch. 6 Test that they will take on Tuesday March 27th. Then on Wednesday and Thursday next week we will work with percents, including solving word problems that involve percents.
Accelerated: This week the students took their Ch. 8 quiz and the Iowa Algebra Aptitude test. They then learned about volume and surface area of spheres. Next week we will continue Ch. 8 on volume and surface area of composite figures and the Ch. 8 Test will be the week after spring break.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about the distance formula and we will reviewed for the Ch. 7 Test (on sections 1 and 2 in Ch. 7) that will be taken on Monday March 26th. Next week we will work with angle properties, including writing equations to solve for missing angle measures.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 9 test on Wednesday then completed the enrichment problems to apply their learning to more challenging problems. Then on Friday we began Ch. 10 by working with scatter plots and we will work on writing equations for lines of best fit before we begin spring break.
3-30:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 6 Test on Tuesday and then on Wednesday and Thursday we worked with percents, including solving word problems that involve percents. After spring break we will begin Ch. 7 on geometric constructions, for which each student will need a protractor and a compass in order to complete classwork and homework.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about volume and surface area of composite figures. The Ch. 8 Test will be on Wednesday April 11th after we review on the Monday and Tuesday after we return from spring break.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 7 Test on Monday and then we began working with angle properties, including writing equations to solve for missing angle measures. The test on angle properties is currently scheduled for Friday April 13th, at which point we will begin Ch. 8 on geometric transformations.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about modeling linear associations (i.e. writing equations for lines of best fit) and two-way tables. We will finish Ch. 10 once we return from spring break and the Ch. 10 test is currently scheduled for Friday April 13th.
4-6: I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and a nice spring break!
4-13:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students began Ch. 7 by learning how to construct angle bisectors and perpendicular bisectors. Next week I will teach them how to construct various types of triangles and the Ch. 7 quiz is currently scheduled for Friday April 20th.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 8 Test and we began Ch. 9 by learning about quartiles and the interquartile range. Next week we will cover stem-and-leaf plots, box plots, and mean absolute deviation.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about writing equations to solve for missing angle measures and then took the test on angle properties on Friday. Next we will begin Ch. 8 on geometric transformations, starting with translations and reflections.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about two-way tables, which marked the end of Ch. 10 that they were tested on Thursday. Then on Friday they learned about probability, including tree diagrams, from Ch. 11. On Monday I will collect the textbook that we have been working from and we will transition to the Algebra 1 textbook, where we will work on factoring quadratics.
4-20: ACT Aspire Testing Week
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned how to construct various types of triangles, including special cases where two triangles can be formed using the given dimensions. The Ch. 7 quiz is on Monday and then we will cover constructing quadrilaterals and then understanding scale drawings.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about stem-and-leaf plots, box plots, and mean absolute deviation. Next week we will finish Ch. 9 by covering random sampling methods and then making inferences about populations. The Ch. 9 test is currently scheduled for Monday April 30th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about geometric transformations, including translations, reflections and rotations. Next week we will cover dilations of figures and the Ch. 8 test is currently scheduled for Thursday April 26th before many of the students leave on the D.C. trip.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about operations with polynomials, including multiplying using the FOIL method and multiplying special cases. Next week we will cover factoring quadratics before many of the students leave on the D.C. trip.
4-27:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 7 quiz on Monday and then learned how to construct quadrilaterals, including rectangles, parallelograms, and rhombuses. Next week we will focus on scale drawings and then review for the Ch. 7 test that is currently scheduled for Monday May 7th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about random sampling methods and then making inferences about populations. The Ch. 9 test is currently scheduled for Monday April 30th. Then next week we will begin Ch. 10 on probability.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about dilations of figures and then reviewed for the Ch. 8 test that they took on Thursday. After the 8th graders return from their D.C. trip then we will begin Ch. 9 on congruence and similarity.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about factoring quadratics, including challenge problems. After the 8th graders return from their D.C. trip then we will finish Ch. 9 in the Algebra 1 textbook.
5-4:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about scale drawings and then began reviewing for the Ch. 7 test that will be on Tuesday May 8th. Next week we will be finding area and circumference of circles and then finding the surface area and volume of prisms before we begin Ch. 8 the following week.
Accelerated: After the Ch. 9 test this week the students learned about finding the probability of events, including finding sample spaces and outcomes of events. Next week the students will continue to learn about probability and relative frequency.
8th Grade- This week we began Ch. 9 by working with scale drawings and congruent figures, including the tests to show that triangles are congruent. Next week we will be working with similar figures and then we will review for the Ch. 9 test on Tuesday May 15th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about factoring quadratics, including special cases and factoring by grouping. The test on Ch. 9 in the Algebra 1 textbook is on Tuesday May 8th. Then we will being Ch. 10 in the Algebra 1 textbook on graphing quadratics.
5-11:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 7 test and worked on creating a scale drawing of a room of their choice (and their scale drawings were very well done!). Then we began working on finding area and circumference of circles and then finding the surface area and volume of prisms, which we will continue working on this coming week before we begin Ch. 8.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about finding the probability of events and approximating probability and relative frequency. On Friday we did an activity in which the students selected counters, recorded their results, and then calculated the experimental and theoretical probabilities. Next week we will finish Ch. 10 and review for the test on Friday May 18th.
8th Grade- This week the students learned about congruent and similar figures, including the tests to show that triangles are either congruent or similar. Next Monday we will review for the Ch. 9 test on Tuesday May 15th. Then Wednesday through Friday I will give the students the study guide for the end of the year test and we will work through those problems to review. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time.
Accelerated: This week the students took the Ch. 9 test on polynomials and factoring (from the Algebra 1 textbook). We then worked on graphing quadratics from Ch. 10 in the Algebra 1 textbook. Next Monday and Tuesday we will continue working on graphing quadratics. Then Wednesday through Friday I will give the students the study guide for the end of the year test and we will work through those problems to review. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time.
5-18:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about area and circumference of circles and then finding the surface area and volume of prisms. On Friday I taught the students about volume and surface area of cylinders, which we will finish next Monday before we begin reviewing for the quiz on circles, prisms, and cylinders that the students will take on Thursday May 24th.
Accelerated: This week the students learned about developing probability models and we reviewed for the Ch. 10 test that the students took on Friday. Next week we will work on enrichment problems before we begin reviewing for the end of the year test that the students will take the last week of school.
8th Grade- This week the students took the Ch. 9 test and then we reviewed for the end of the year test. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time. Each student was given a study guide and a list of the topics we covered this year.
Accelerated: This week the students finished learning about graphing quadratics and then we reviewed for the end of the year test. The end of the year test will be Monday May 21st and Tuesday May 22nd, with the opportunity for the students to finish the test on Wednesday May 23rd if they need additional time. Each student was given a study guide and a list of the topics we covered this year.
5-25:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students learned about finding the surface area and volume of pyramids and cones. On Thursday the students took the quiz on circles, prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones. Next week we will review for the end of the year test that the students will take the last week of school and they have the Day 1 study guide to complete by Tuesday.
Accelerated: This week the students worked on enrichment problems and we reviewed for the end of the year test that the students will take the last week of school. The students have the Day 1 study guide to complete by Tuesday.
8th Grade- This week the students finished off the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I wish each of you the best of luck in high school!
Accelerated: This week the students finished off the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I wish each of you the best of luck in high school!
6-1:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students reviewed for the end of the year test Tuesday and Thursday during class. The students will take the end of the year test on Monday June 4, Tuesday June 5, and Wednesday June 6. I would highly recommend using this weekend to study for the test!
Accelerated: This week the students reviewed for the end of the year test Tuesday and Thursday during class. The students will take the end of the year test on Monday June 4, Tuesday June 5, and Wednesday June 6. I would highly recommend using this weekend to study for the test!
6-8:
Highlights of the week:
7th Grade- This week the students finished the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I look forward to next school year!
Accelerated: This week the students finished the school year by taking their math end of the year test. Thank you for a great school year and I look forward to next school year!