Middle School Math
Email: aburdick@sau71.org
A Little About Me
I just built a house in Acworth, NH. I live there with my husband and two children - Owen and Ellie. I have worked in education for thirteen years now, and I love teaching middle school! When I am not teaching, I am spending time with my family, hiking, reading, or stitching.
SCHEDULES
Schedules for all middle school grade levels can be found at this link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TylkFDNJDwKHZTLLavSeZp-wfcYH37sFdRCT_FBTQtc/edit#gid=0
QUARTER 1 CURRICULUM BY GRADE LEVEL (Progress Reports: 10/4 and Quarter Ends: 11/7)
5th - numbers and operations (PEMDAS), adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals
6th - prime factorization, negative numbers, dividing fractions (again), adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals, RATIOS!
7th - mean, median, mode, range, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing all rational numbers (integers, fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals)
8th - mean, median, mode, range review, order of operations review, rational numbers review, irrational numbers (square roots)
September 26, 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The middle school teachers would like to amend a previously stated policy regarding retakes. Our new policy is as follows:
All students are allowed to retake summative assessments.
Retakes are optional.
If a student wants to retake a summative assessment, s/he must request to do so in writing. Forms are available in all core classrooms.
Retakes must be completed within one week of earning a grade on the original assessment.
Only one retake will be allowed.
It is left to teacher discretion what the retake will look like and what grade will go into ThinkWave.
Sincerely,
The Middle School Team
October
We accomplished so many goals this month! Here are a few:
Grade 5 learned how to multiply and divide by 10s, 100s, and 1000s. They have also learned how to multiply two digit numbers and add and subtract fractions. They are working hard.
Grade 6 learned about prime factorization, dividing fractions, and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals.
Grades 7 and 8 learned mean, median, mode, and range.
Grade 7 also learned how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative numbers.
Grade 8 learned about rational numbers, irrational numbers, and square roots.
We sent home progress reports this month (so many kids passing!).
We also had our parent-teacher conferences this month, which were very successful.
Finally, we enjoyed celebrating Halloween with our annual Pumpkin Walk and Halloween Parade.
QUARTER 2 CURRICULUM BY GRADE LEVEL (Progress Reports: 12/13 and Quarter Ends: 1/24)
5th - All things decimals and order of operations (PEMDAS)
6th - Rates and speed, and percentages
7th - Algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities; proportions and percent of change
8th - Linear equations and inequalities (one and two variables), SLOPE and graphing,
We had so much fun hiking Mt. Sunapee with grade 5!
Hiking in November
16 up and 16 down!
We also accomplished a lot academically this month. Here are the big things:
Grade 5 learned all about fractions -- adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. Now, on to decimals!
Grade 6 learned about rates, speed, distance, and time. We will find out how much they retained early in December (assessment coming...).
Grade 7 learned about positive and negative integers. Of course, I threw in positive and negative fractions and decimals, too! Such a hard unit for kids, but they did well, overall.
Grade 8 learned about scientific notation. Again, a challenging unit for kids, but they did well, overall.
Happy Holidays in December
Amazing door completed by grade 6!
We also did a lot in the way of academics in December, believe it or not!
Grade 5 learned all about decimals. They did a fantastic job!
Grade 6 learned about percents (is / of = % / 100). This was a tough unit, but kids worked hard and tried their very best!
Grade 7 started algebra. This was only their second time really being exposed to it, and they did well, overall.
Grade 8 studied algebra, as well. They learned how to solve and identify different types of equations. Again, this unit was hard, but the students tried and completed it with some proficiency.
12/5/23
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It’s that time of year again! To celebrate the holidays, the sixth grade class will be having a Yankee Swap on Tuesday, December 19th. Gifts should be gender-neutral and not exceed $15. They should also be brought in no later than Monday, December 18th. Please know that I have wrapping paper and tape for students, if they would like to wrap their gifts at school. If there is a financial hardship, please let me know (aburdick@sau71.org), and I will take care of it.
Thank you so much, and happy holidays!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Burdick
QUARTER 3 CURRICULUM BY GRADE LEVEL (Progress Reports: 3/1/24 and Quarter Ends: 4/4/24)
5th - Volume, Line Plots, and Polygons
6th - Equations and inequalities, the coordinate plane, and polygons
7th - Angles and lines, geometric construction, and circumference area, volume, and surface area
8th - Systems of linear equations (substitution, elimination, etc.), functions, and the Pythagorean Theorem
January Updates
Another busy month full of successes AND A CIRCUS!!!
Grade 5 learned about volume.
Grade 6 learned how to solve equations (first introduction to Algebra).
Grade 7 learned about angles and lines.
Grade 8 learned about systems of linear equations ( a very challenging unit).
All classes completed a geometry unit this month! Geometry is highly visual. Some kids loved this kind of math, which was wonderful to see!
February
Visual learning in mathematics
March
Measurement in March
In addition to the regular curriculum, all grade levels spent time measuring in March. Students learned how to use a ruler effectively, and this had them working with fractions daily. Students did well and seemed to enjoy the hands-on activity.