What are we learning?

Students will get to know each other through the creative writing of a personal “I am From” poem that they will present to the class. Students will get to the know their teacher, classroom, and building expectations. 

What to expect in this unit?

Students can expect to confidently present a piece of original creative writing to their ELA class. Students will follow CHAMP expectations. 

Why does this unit matter?

This unit matters so we can build a strong community and set standards early on in the school year.

What are we learning?

Students will be solving multi-step linear and absolute value equations. 

What to expect in this unit?

This unit will build on what students learned in Math 8 and will extend their understanding of equations as they apply their ability to solve linear equations to absolute value equations. The unit will consist of formative and summative assessments. 

Why does this unit matter?

This unit is foundational to all future units this school year, in particular the first half of the year as we focus on linear functions.

What are we learning?

• Review of basic band skills (tone production, posture, ensemble skills, notation reading)

What to expect in this unit?

• Review of skills learned in "Essential Elements Book 2"

• Learning music for High School Band Nights

• Initial learning of music for December Concert

Why does this unit matter?

• It is important to go over the basics at the beginning of the year to set us up for success for the whole year!

What are we learning?

1. I can build a simple gear train using VEX parts.

2. I can explain and identify the input movement and output movement of a mechanical system.

3. I can explore careers in automation and robotics.

4. I can build and program a motor to spin a gear train.

5. I can assemble, wire, and program a system to complete a task.

6. I can plan a program using appropriate strategies such as flowcharting.

7. I can create appropriate event handlers to respond to runtime events, such as the push of a bumper switch.

8. I can demonstrate successful collaboration within a team to meet development goals and design requirements. 

9. I can create algorithms that use loops.

10. I can calculate the gear ratio of a system.

11. I can describe the relationship between gear size, speed, and torque in a gear train.

12. I can build a prototype using a universal joint or bevel gears.

13. I can communicate a plan for creating a system using sketches and prototyping.

14. I can follow the steps of the design process to effectively develop a design solution.

15. I can use a decision matrix to evaluate potential solutions.

What to expect in this unit:

Students explore how gear trains and other mechanisms transfer movement in mechanical systems and design, build, and program automated systems to meet the needs of clients. In the end-of-lesson project, students can choose to design an interactive device to keep pets physically and mentally active, a spinning street sign to warn drivers to slow down and stop, or a high-speed dragster.

Why does this unit matter?
This unit is the students' introduction to some basic mechanisms that are a part of everyday systems, some coding using the VEX V5 coding platform, and the structural and mechanical hardware of the VEX robotics systems used throughout the course.