My goal for math is to improve my algebra and algebraic thinking. To complete this goal, I hope to score in the Late 9 range of the algebra and algebraic thinking domain of the end of the year i-Ready math diagnostic test. Indicators of my success will be my understanding of the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations in expressions and equations, and my ability to analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations will improve.
Although I have not completed the end of year iReady diagnostic test, I think that I am on track and doing very well with this goal so far. My goal was to score in the late 9 range of the algebra and algebraic thinking domain of the end of year iReady math test. I can't say that it has been completed because i haven't taken the test yet, but I believe that I am on track with this and may even score higher than the Late 8 range of my test. My goal states that my understanding of proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations in expressions and equations, and my ability to analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations will improve. I have evidence to show that I have improved immensely in this area. In my Math 1 Final, I was graded an exceeds. The Math 1 unit covered all of the topics mentioned in my goal that I want to improve in, so it is very obvious that I have done well understanding these topics. I got 91% and only missed a few questions. As we can see, I have grown from needing to improve in this category, to scoring an exceeds on the unit that covered all of these topics.
My overall grade level was early 8, and my score was 520. I think that I could've done better on this test but I got stressed and started randomly clicking answers and rushing through the whole thing. I scored in the 88 percentile of the national norm for math. Within the four domains, I scored highest in the measurement and data category, and scored lowest in the algebra and algebraic thinking category. I think that I could have done better if I had not rushed and guessed my way through. By the end of the year i-Ready test, I want to score in the early to mid 9 grade level. I will do this by reading questions thoroughly and taking my time, and will work on more topics related to the ones I struggled with in the first test.
On this test, I originally got a 53. The test was about creating, understanding, solving, and finding the value of x in inequalities(<, >, ≤, ≥) and equations. This was confusing, not only because I had trouble solving some of the expressions, but also because of the way it was set up. I noticed that I would get my math right, but woul up on the arrangement of the solution. For example, I could solve an expression that said; 13 <−5x + 8< 23, and get the answer −1>x >−3, but my number line would be incorrect. I would also get questions wrong due to not fully reading or understanding them. In the future, I plan to avoid these mistakes by thoroughly reading the question in front of me, and even reading it multiple times if I don't understand it. I also plan to study my number lines more, so that I don't lose points on a test by doing something like putting a closed circle instead of an opened circle.
This test covered the topics of function equations, graphs, word problems, and tables. I got a meets because I got 5 questions wrong, but some of them I got right, but just didn't get the full credit for some of them. I struggled most with finding the domain and range of a function on a graph, and the intervals of increase and decrease on a graph. I think that I struggled with this partially due to the fact that I couldn't really see the lines of the graph, but also because I didn't study or review these topics. I found the function equations easiest, and I was able to easily write and solve my own equations based on a word problem. I think that I found these pretty easy because for the function equations all I had to do was insert a number for x, and solve from there like it was a normal equation. I also found writing equations easy because I had a formula to work off of and could just put numbers into their correct values. My goal for the next test is to get an exceeds. I plan to study more and use more notes so that I can have information to work off of during the test instead of relying completely on my memory
I completed all of the requirements successfully, but I did not finish them until the very last minute and it was kind of sloppy and not neat. The reason I didn’t finish til the last minute was because I did not understand the instructions and I did not realize that there were extra topics that we needed to cover.I think I presented well, I spoke clearly and my explanations made sense. I also think I showed things on the board in a way that they could be understood easily. Although I think I did well, I also sort of read off of my poster a lot and it was not that well memorized. I think if I did this again I would work on actually learning the topic better instead of just writing down what I saw on google. I think I need to practice how to graph point-slope and standard form because I realized that I couldn’t really do it myself and I had to look up an example on google, and even then I didn’t understand it. I could improve in the future by not procrastinating as much so that I have time to finish my poster and take my time without stressing. I graded my friend Lila’s poster. I think that she did very well in covering all of the topics she needed to and having good information on her poster. I think that she could try not to talk so fast and use less filler words because it made her seem nervous instead of confident and prepared. I think one way she could make her poster better would be to outline everything in sharpie because it makes it look more neat and finished. I learned how to convert standard form to slope-intercept. She explained very clearly and made it easy to understand. I enjoyed doing this because I am a pretty artistic person and I found it easier than studying for a test. I really liked being able to draw everything and write everything out because I could just look up answers online. I also really liked being able to organize the poster in my own creative way. It also helped me to learn better by looking things up online because I didn’t feel as stressed as I would during a test. I think clearer instructions would be better because I ended up having to write some of the requirements last minute because I didn’t understand what the instructions were asking for some of the categories. I would like to do something similar in the future because I found that it was a lot easier and less stressful for me to make a poster, and helped me learn a lot not only while making my own poster, but also by watching others present.
On my math 1 final, I got a 91%. With this grade, I already had an exceeds, yet I finished the test corrections which secured my grade. I got this grade because I spent a lot of time studying for this test. I reviewed the note sheets every night and even reviewed them at home when I was struggling with the test. We started the test on Wednesday before Thanksgiving break, and if w didn't finish that day, we could on Friday. Of course, we weren't allowed to take the test home for obvious reasons, but while I was at home, I was able to review certain concepts that I struggled with and came back on Friday with a fresh idea of some topics that we skipped over in the unit. I got a exceeds because I used effort and refinement to help myself be more prepared for this test. In the math 2 final, I hope to get an exceeds again, but I want to get a higher percentage. I also want to be able to actually understand the content rather than just memorizing and spewing out information that doesn't stick with me. It's not that I didn't do this in the first unit, but I think I struggled more with actually understanding concepts that will help me in the long run, not just in 8th grade. To prepare for the next final, I will do the same things by studying my notes, reviewing the topics that I struggle the most with, and taking my time. What I will do differently is that I will spend less time procrastinating or skipping certain parts of a review, which could cause me to become even more stressed and anxious during the test. I will also work with a classmate or friend to help quiz me on questions that I have not yet practiced, so that I know how to go about answering the questions when I'm not sure the predictability or pattern of them like I would with, for example, a sheet of practice problems. Overall, I think that I have done very well in this unit, and I am very proud of my grade. I will continue to put effort and refinement into my studying tactics, and I will stop procrastinating or skipping parts of a review or notesheet that could be beneficial during the test.
I prepared for this by writing down and taking notes on all of the topics in the practice test and the topics that I was confused on. I got 100% on my Delta Math and completed my practice. I often would study my practice test and review it so that I would be prepared. I was very focused and engaged during class time. I missed a week due to being sick, so I was very engaged in order to catch up on the work that I missed. I think that I can prepare for future test by using the same methods to study, yet I believe that I can also pay more attention to the questions and thoroughly finish my work, because I noticed that that was where I made most of my mistakes. I would tell a student to start preparing much earlier than they think, that way they have background knowledge and can go off of that in case they forget something during the test. I would also tell them to take their time and read questions thoroughly. I don’t think it does. I believe this because most of the mistakes I made were because I forgot to finish the problem, or I read the question wrong. If I had the chance to retake this test, I would definitely look more thoroughly through the problems and make sure my answers are complete. I would like to keep my study habit of writing everything down because it really helped me remember things and I was able to picture my notes in my head when I had trouble during the test. I didn’t really have any other study tactics, but I would say I will try not to procrastinate as much in the future, because I think that I tend to do that a lot. A lesson that helped me truly learn was a lesson where we learned how to study and how to stay calm during a test. This helped me because the more I was able to stay calm made it easier to answer the questions and take my time.