8th Grade Math Overview

Our school year will be broken down into six different math units.

1. Numerical Relationships - In this unit we will work on the scientific notation of numbers, real numbers and subsets of the real numbers including irrational numbers. We will also work on taking the square root of non-perfect square numbers (for example taking the square root of 56).
2. Equations - In this unit we will learn the difference between equations and inequalities and learn the properties of each. We will learn processes for solving equations and inequalities. We will learn what the slope and y-intercept of an equation is, how we can see them visually and what they represents in real world scenarios.
3. Geometry-Angle Relationships and Transformations - This unit will span the Christmas/Winter break. In this unit we will work with different geometric shapes to understand the properties of similar shapes. We will work with translations, rotations, and dilations of geometric shapes. We will work with right triangle and their special properties including the Pythagorean theorem.
4. Functions - In this unit we will learn how linear relationships can be represented by functions. We will further extend the concepts of the slope of a function and the y-intercept, specifically looking at the form of y=mx + b where m is the slope of the function and b is the y-intercept. We will work on graphing functions.
5. Probability and Statistics - In this unit students will work to understand scatter-plots that do and do not represent linear relationships. The students will also learn to identify positive, negative or no trends in scatter-plots. They will also work to use trend lines to approximate the relationship and make predictions.
6. Personal Financial Literacy - In this unit students will work to become knowledgeable consumers and investors. They will learn the difference between simple and compound interest and the mathematical formulas that go with them. They will learn to compare loans with different interest rates and loan lengths and calculate total interest on a loan.

We will be taking the Math STAAR test on April 10th, and again on May 14th if a retest is necessary.

Here is a link to the specific 8th grade math standards that will be covered in the above units and assessed on the STAAR test: 8th Grade Math Assessed TEKS