Post date: Apr 16, 2021 7:16:59 PM
MSM2 Block 1
SOLs Covered: 8.11 Composite Figures
Math Unit: 21 Composite Figures
Daily Agenda: April 12-16, 2021
Upcoming Assessments: Math MAP Testing (Mon. 4/19-Tues. 4/20/21); 4.03 Surface Area & Volume Quiz (Wed. 4/28/21)
Math 7H Blocks 2 & 3
SOLs Covered: 8.11 Composite Figures
Math Unit: 21 Composite Figures
Daily Agenda: April 12-16, 2021
Upcoming Assessments: Math MAP Testing (Mon. 4/19-Tues. 4/20/21); 4.03 Surface Area & Volume Quiz (Wed. 4/28/21)
Greetings, folks! It's been a busy week back from break, which is an understatement for some students since this week also saw the official return of sports to EDMS! I know the student athletes technically started prior to the break with tryouts and practices but games started this week and it did this teacher's heart good to see the kids getting the chance to get out there and do something they love. It's still not 100% "normal" as there are additional guidelines in place to ensure the safety of everyone, but we'll take every little bit of normal we can get at this point, right? I know that there are association and league sports going on as well plus probably a million other things for families, so the springtime generally sees everyone get busier.
That being said, I know that all of these things have maybe put a strain on families' schedules. I try not to give too much work outside of regular class/school time, but if folks have a particularly stressful week with less time than normal, please reach out to me and we can make adjustments as needed on a case by case basis. I've told the kids before that I care more about them understanding the topics and that assignments and grades are just the traditional "evidence" of showing that, but there are more factors that assignments and grades don't take into account, so if we need to adjust something, I'm more than happy to do that. This applies to the various other things that life can throw at you out of the blue, so if anytime things get to be a little too much for a kid and/or their family in general, please don't ever hesitate to reach out.
In regards to the actual math for the week, we've been covering composite figures, which are just shapes made out of other "normal" shapes (i.e. basic shapes such as circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, and the like). This is generally a topic that kids either get immediately and just run with or they have to take it slow and steady to fully grasp. The kids who can normally just run with it also usually seem to have fun with the topic, so extra attention is devoted to breaking things down for those who need the "slow and steady" approach. Aside from word problems (because word problems always complicate things, right?), kids who struggle often have trouble "seeing" where the basic shapes appear inside a composite figure, so we worked on identifying how to breakdown the composite shapes into the basic shapes. Another part of the struggle, even for some who immediately get and like the topic is how to adjust the formulas when necessary. For example, if given a semicircle, we need to think about what fraction of the circle we are given and then multiply the formula by that fraction (ex. if we need the area of half a circle and the formula for the area of a circle is A=πr2, then we can find the area of the half circle by using ½πr2 or by dividing it by two). Another issue for some students is figuring out how to find missing dimensions to use in the formula. For this, we discuss what information we are given and how to use that to find the missing sides.
We wrapped up the unit and the week with a quiz on the topic. There are still quite a few kids who hadn't submitted the quiz at least once at last check (reminder that all kids get two attempts at the quizzes), but for those taking their time, it's to be expected. The kids can finish over the weekend of course (grades will be updated by Monday afternoon if they do), but I'll also be giving some time in class on Monday. Speaking of Monday, since we've finished the topic today and we have the Math MAP scheduled for Tuesday, I only have one small new task for the day and the rest of the time will be devoted to catching up and/or getting ahead. Kids who have missing assignments/assessments, will have extra time to work on that but I've also gotten permission to start MAP testing a little early to hopefully ensure that all my kids will be finished by the end of the day Tuesday and won't have to carry it over past then. No worries if there are any kids who need additional time past that as our testing coordinator will be setting up makeup testing sessions for later in the week.
Well, that should more than cover everything but as always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need anything. Hope you all have an amazing weekend!