Post date: Oct 10, 2015 10:45:56 PM
Math 7H Period 1/2
SOLs Covered: 8.4 Evaluating Expressions
Math Unit: #05 Evaluating Expressions
CCPS Student Digital Resource: Evaluating Expressions
Upcoming Assessments: CCPS Quiz 1 (Mon. 10/12); Negative Exponents, Powers of 10, & Scientific Notation Quiz (Fri. 10/16)
MSM2 Period 5/6 & 9/10
SOLs Covered: 8.1a Order of Operations
Math Unit: #04 PEMDAS
CCPS Student Digital Resource: Order of Operations
Upcoming Assessments: Evaluating Expressions Quiz (Fri. 10/16)
The year seems to be going by fast and we're already halfway through the first term! Since I'm still buys doing tech work behind the scenes (school site, finding new tech for class, and setting up accounts for the kids), I'll try to keep things on the shorter side this week. I would like to again encourage everyone to check out the updates that have been made to the school website and send feedback my way. Please also consider sending any pictures you get at school related events my way.
As always, the week's been busy and we've knocked out a new unit in each class. The Math 7H class tackled evaluating expressions (a.k.a. algebraic substitution). While the kids have all worked with this topic before, we have looked at more complicated problems. This entails using different types of grouping symbols, not just parentheses (brackets { } [ ], absolute value bars ||, radicals √, and fraction bars —, which can be further complicated by having groups subset within other groups. Another "complication" is how negatives can affect a problem; where a negative is positioned could make a value the opposite value instead of simply meaning there's a negative value. We worked a few of these more complicated problems along with some "basic" versions. To give us a bit more time to work, I did push the assessments back a day, so the kids took the evaluating expressions quiz on Friday and will take their first county assessment on Monday.
The MSM2 classes both worked on applying the order of operations, another topic that kids have work with in the past but that's been made more complicated, mainly in the same ways as those listed above for the honors students' topic. This will come into play again next week when these two classes move onto their evaluating expressions unit. The kids wrapped up the week with a quiz on the order of operations and while most finished on time, a few will be given a little extra time on Monday to wrap everything up before submitting.
As Mr. Maynes mentioned in this week's newsletter, it was "interim" week and while kids do not receive a traditional paper interim now that grades have gone digital, seventh grade students with a D or F in one or more classes were given grade reports for each class in which they are at risk of failing for the year. Math teachers were responsible for getting these reports out to the kids, so I passed out all reports that were given to me along with my own on Thursday/Friday (depending on student absences and timing) aside from a few students who weren't there either day, in which case they'll receive a copy upon their return. I do encourage all parents/guardians and students to check grades frequently via Synergy/ParentVUE. For my class, students can complete missing/incomplete assignments within a week of the due date's passing and after the week's grace period, they can complete the assignments using either Liberty or Lambie Points to "pay the late fee" and still earn credit. Students can also complete an Error Analysis to earn back half credit per question on assessments.
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! As always, if anyone has questions, feel free to contact me at any time.