Overview: This Math course is designed to prepare students for Pre-Algebra, which they will take their 7 or 8th grade year at St. Madeleines. My goal as the teacher is to help students develop personal self-confidence, positive attitudes, and effective study skills in mathematics.
OVERALL OBJECTIVE: Successful completion of the text material by the student with an average of 75% or above is expected. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be qualified to move on to the next level at the end of the year.
TEXT: Level G1 Math; Text: Big Ideas Math –LLC; 2015 www.bigideaslearning.com
- Review of previous skills taught: Basic Math; Prime Numbers; Factorization; Properties, etc.
- The Number System: Ch. 1 Integers/Ch. 2 Rational Numbers
- Expressions and Equations: Ch. 3 Expressions & Equations/Ch. 4 Inequalities
- Ratios and Proportional Relationships: Ch. 5 Ratios & Proportions/Ch. 6 Percents
- Geometry: Ch. 7 Constructions and Scale Drawings/Ch. 8 Circles and Area/Ch. 9 Surface Area and Volume
- Statistics and Probability: Ch. 10 Probability and Statistics
- ( For a complete list of skills that students will learn this year, please visit my Math Curriculum Map link
- CLASS EXPECTATIONS: In order for students to successfully complete the work required, they are expected to read each lesson per section if a lesson is not read orally in class. Students are expected and required to keep a notebook of daily lessons, including various warm-up activities, example problems, and explanations. The purpose of this is to gain comfort and familiarity with the note-taking process, since it is a skill expected of them in high school. In addition, students will be required to complete assessments several times per trimester, so studying content is crucial to their success.
Homework: Daily homework will be given, including homework on the weekends. All assignments are corrected and reviewed on a daily basis. Homework does impact a child’s skill level, and is an extremely crucial part of mastering any new skill. Homework will be checked for completion daily; please refer to the Homework Policy in the Family Handbook on our SMS website for questions regarding late or absent work. It is essential that your child not fall behind; close monitoring of nightly assignments by parents and/or guardian is strongly encouraged. **Communication by all parties(Student/Teacher/Parent) is the key element to making sure your child succeeds in Math class this year!
Assessments: There are two types of assessments given in this class: tests and quizzes. Tests will follow the completion of a chapter, and there will be at least one quiz given with each chapter. Assessments can be redone if an acceptable grade is not achieved. Specific instructions will be given in class as to how this will be done. I strongly encourage all students to attempt to redo any poor assessment grades, since it could increase their overall averages.
Math Workbook for Homework/Note Taking : Students will be using a math workbook to keep track of their notes and other important lesson information. This workbook is a combination of homework and note-taking sheets, and will be checked and graded. Notes taken are used frequently to review lessons, prepare for assessments, and to help on homework assignments. Student’s may also be using a math journal this year to work on their writing skills in math. Incorporating writing in math class will help students reflect on their learning, deepen their understanding of important concepts by explaining and providing examples of those concepts, and make important connections to real-life applications of the math they are learning. I will use the writing assignments to assess student understanding of important concepts, student proficiency in explaining and using those concepts, and each student’s attitude toward learning mathematics. Writing in mathematics is a win-win for both teacher and student!
OTHER ACTIVITIES: As they fit into the curriculum, projects and other hands-on activities will be done to introduce and reinforce math skills and understanding.
ON-LINE HELP: The Big Ideas Math book has an on-line center where students can go to receive extra math help. The text book is also on-line. Every section of the book is covered! This is a great resource for students to use for preparing for assessments. The web address is: www.bigideaslearning.com (select the correct book and follow site keys). Your child will be given a log on username and password the first week of school for them to use during the year at home and school.
HELPFUL WEBSITES:
mathtv.com Purplemath.com
ixl.com Onlinemathlearning.com
xtramath.org mathway.com
mathdrills.com Aplusmath.com
Homeschoolmath.net AAAmath.com
Khan academy Commoncoresheets.com
Ten-marks.com
YouTube
www.ixl.com — Great for practice; you get instant feedback!
www.kahnacademy.org — Excellent reteaching / teaching videos; also has practice problems.
www.mathplayground.com/games.html — Math Games that strengthen reasoning, computation,and logic skills that are fundamental to mathematical understanding.
www.mathsisfun.com/puzzles/ — Strengthening reasoning and logic skills.
www.illuminations.nctm.org — this link takes you to a nice visualizer of factoring
Supplies: Textbook, college ruled paper, graphing paper, spiral notebook (math journal) pencils, erasers, red correcting pens, ruler, protractor, and a scientific graphing calculator; TI-30X IIS.
Other: The course will progress at a good pace in order to cover the necessary material. If your child does need extra help, I am available before school (starting at 8:00AM) and after school until 3:30 PM. If you are interested in a tutor for your child, please contact the office for references.
******Here’s to a great year learning math together!!:):):):):)
