SOLs Covered: 7.NS.3 Analyze Square Roots & Perfect Squares
Math Topic: 01 Squares & Square Roots
Daily Agenda: August 31, 2026 & September 1-3, 2026
Upcoming Assessments: Unit 1 Exponents & Powers Summative (Fri. 9/11)
Howdy! I still have quite a bit to do before I can head out for long the weekend, so let's jump right into things. Half the week was devoted to schoolwide MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing. This test is to show us students' current levels in a similar way to the old Virginia SGA SOL (Student Growth Assessment), but I actually prefer the data from MAP as it shows me a lot more than what the state would release to teachers. We'll be taking the test again in the winter and the spring to see how the students improve throughout the year. I'm also looking into some of the extra practice options that are available based on MAP scores, which includes Khan Academy that has an added feature to fine tune students' pathways based on their scores within each category.
During regular class time, which was shortened on testing days, we continued our work with perfect squares and square roots. Students started exploring the topic by using square tiles to form different size squares, thus learning why we call them "perfect squares" in the first place. We continued using these tiles this week to both reinforce this concept as well as to help them potentially memorize the perfect squares. This is a non-calculator topic and since the kids are expected to know the perfect squares from 0 to 400, the extra hands-on time helps with memorization. Since memorizing things can be difficult for some students, I've shown them several other ways they can find the perfect squares and thus also the square roots.
If they create their own multiplication chart, they can find the perfect squares running diagonally across the chart from the top left to the bottom right. We will practice filling in a multiplication chart next week to go with this as they'll need to create one from scratch for MAP and SOL testing. We'll continue practicing this skill throughout the year and I'll show them tricks for making that process faster as we go. Additionally, kids can use grid paper to draw out squares the same way we made them with the tiles, which is usually a preferred method for students who are more visual/hands-on learners. We weren't able to get fully into word problems for this topic, so that will be the first thing we cover next week before moving onto the next topic, powers of ten with negative exponents and scientific notation before hopefully testing on everything Friday. I feel that might get bumped to the start of the following week, but students will be kept updated in class and I will include that in next week's update if it does come about.
That should cover everything, so I'm going to wrap things up here. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email. I hope everyone has an amazing long holiday weekend!