Math 6 - Core 2 & Core 4 - Burton
Both cores 2 and 4 are in the middle of their Equations/Expressions unit, and in fact just completed the first of three (3) mini assessments; this particular one was on exponents, order of operations, and distributive property. Please check FAR (For All Rubrics) regularly to check on proficiency. We will now be heading into Algebraic Expressions. We did celebrate math and Valentine’s Day with a Hearts Data Dig, ask for details from your 6th grader. Remember to keep in touch with our classes by following @BurtonStem on Twitter!!
ALEKS topics should be at or higher than 60% at this time, check the reports feature on ALEKS!! MAP scores recently completed were fantastic, showing a lot of growth!! :)
Math 7A - Core 1 - Burton
Core 1 is wrapping up the Inequalities unit. They will have their summative assessment on Thursday, February 22nd. Please check FAR (For All Rubrics) regularly to check on proficiency. We will now be heading into Ratios/Proportions. We did celebrate math and Valentine’s Day with a Hearts Data Dig, ask for details from your 6th grader. Remember to keep in touch with our classes by following @BurtonStem on Twitter!!
ALEKS topics should be at or higher than 60% at this time, check the reports feature on ALEKS!! MAP scores recently completed were fantastic, showing a lot of growth!! :)
Math 7A - Core 1 - Hemphill/Locke
Core 1 is currently wrapping up a unit on the Pythagorean Theorem and Rational/Irrational Numbers. Ask your students about the different ways of proving the Pythagorean Theorem and to show you the water demo! Next, we will be transitioning into a unit on circles followed by ratios. Our circles unit will move quickly, so please be prepared! The unit on ratios will then expand over about three weeks.
At this time, students should have completed their 7th grade ALEKS pie and should be working on their 8th grade ALEKS pie in order to be on track to finish both pies by the end of the year.
Math 8A - Core 1 - Grosskopf/Moroder
We continue to work hard in geometry and expressions & equations topics. We have students discovering transformations on coordinate grids to learning scientific notation. Students continue to complete project based assessments. We have students constructing angles utilizing the sphero and students designing architecture with transformations. Ask your student if they are choosing a project based assessment! :) Some students are researching interesting facts about how scientific notation is utilized within the field of science. Eventually we will be taking a break and work on a statistics project based on the 2018 Winter Olympics. This will be a golden opportunity for the students to be creative with this process and we are very excited for the results! :)
Speaking of results, students continue to make great strides in their ALEKS topics! At this point, ALEKS topics should be at 270 in order to stay on track for the end of the year.
Math 7 - Core 2 - Grosskopf/Moroder
We are currently wrapping up our unit on inequalities and will be transitioning into a unit on circles. Our students utilized their prior knowledge of one-step and two-step equations to help them solve inequalities. Ask them about the difference between an equation and inequality! Have you ever ordered a pizza from Toppers and wondered how to calculate the area of the pizza? Students will obtain exposure to applying circle concepts into real-life situations. After our circles unit, we will be working on a statistics project involving the Winter 2018 Olympics! Students will have the opportunity to collect and interpret data from the number of gold medals to average times and scores of events. We are very excited for the students to have the ability to be creative with the proces! :)
At this time, students in Ms.Grosskopf/Mr.Moroder’s class should be at 284 topics on their ALEKS pies.
Math 7 - Core 2 - Hemphill/Locke
We are currentently wrapping up our unit on inequalities. The students utilized their prior knowledge of one-step and two-step equations to help them solve inequalities. For example, students discovered what maximum time the fourth person on a 400 yard freestyle relay must go in order to beat a particular time. Ask them about the difference between an equation and inequality! Moving forward, we will be beginning a unit on circles and scaling drawings!
Students in Mrs.Hemphill/Ms.Locke’s class should be at 240 topics on their ALEKS pies in order stay on track for the end of the year.
Algebra - Core 4 - Grosskopf/Hemphill/Locke/Moroder
We are currently working on our exponential properties unit and will be transitioning into a unit on exponential growth and decay along with compound interest. This next unit will allow for ample opportunities to relate to real world situations such as buying a house. Have you ever wondered how much interest you are paying on your 30 year mortgage? We encourage you to have discussions with your student about how you utilize compound interest in your daily lives!
At this time, students should have completed 284 topics on their ALEKS pies in order to stay on track for the end of the year.
Math 8 - Core 1 & Core 2 - Wray
Rate of Change, Slope, Linear Equations, y=mx+b, Functions! Last month, I wrote about us working on the biggest and most important unit in Math 8. Well, after almost two months, we are finally at the end. Students that are not finished with their Functions portfolio and assessment will need to come to Connect or Flex to finish. For the next week and a half we will be working on something a little more familiar to most students...Volume. Specifically, in 8th grade we focus on the volume of Cylinders, Cones, and Spheres. This is a quick unit, but with obvious real-life applications. In fact, students will be asked to find cylinders, cones, and spheres in real-life that they can measure and calculate the volume. Be on the lookout around the house for these shapes! In addition, students should be continuing to learn and grow with Aleks too. At this point in the year, Math 8 students should have 70% of their Aleks pie completed.
Geometry - Core 2 and Core 4 - Wray
For many students (and probably some adults), the word “Trigonometry” is a little scary. I, on the other hand, love Trig. There are so many real-life applications and it is the gateway to many higher levels of Math. Just last week, students went outside and used Trig to measure objects that are too tall to measure by hand. We calculated the height of the Gym, of the Harvey building, some Trees, and the Light for the baseball diamond. A pretty neat and authentic application! We are currently working on some advanced Trig, but we will be wrapping-up this unit next week. Our next unit is Circles. Students should also be continuing to learn and grow with Aleks too. At this point in the year, Geometry students should have 78% of their Aleks pie completed.
INDEPENDENT Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calc, Calculus - Core 2 and 4 - Wray
This past month, we had a few more students finish Geometry and move-on to Algebra 2. So Awesome! Only at STEM is this even a possibility. If your student is part of the Independent High School math group, then check out For All Rubrics to see their progress. Each month, these students are reflecting on their individual progress, uploading artifacts to showcase their learning, and setting individual goals. Check F.A.R. in early March to see your student’s progress from February and their goals moving forward.