Friday 9/30

Here is this week's extra credit:

Thursday 9/28

I was not here today, but in my absence you finished Lesson 3.1 with Mr. Simpson. All students should now be experts in determining the rate of change and unit rate from a graph. Please remember to use the solutions linked above to check and correct your classwork and homework.

Be sure you understand and can use the key terms from this lesson:

• rate
• rate of change
• per
• unit rate
• rise
• run

Homework: Textbook page 143

Wednesday 9/28

Today we took a look at Lesson 3.1 in more detail, learning the four-step process to determine the rate of change from a graph.

Parents: Ask your child to describe the four-step process for finding the rate of change from a graph.

Homework: Finish textbook pages 137-139

Tuesday 9/27

Today we dove into Chapter 3 with the first part of Lesson 3.1, where we learned how to find the rate of change from a graph.

We'll get into "rise" and "run" tomorrow! Today was a good warm-up.

We also passed back our second MATHia X grades of the year.

Homework: Finish textbook pages 132-133 (#9-15)

Monday 9/26

We took our Chapter 2 Test today in class and will be moving on to Chapter 3 tomorrow.

Interested in looking ahead? Here's the Chapter 3 Pre-Test. Totally optional, but a good idea to use as a study guide in a couple weeks.

Homework: MATHia Practice

Thursday 9/22

We spend today working deeper into MATHia X and also talked a bit about the Chapter 2 Test we'll be taking on Monday.

Enjoy your three day weekend, but don't forget to study!


Here is this week's extra credit:
 

Wednesday 9/21

I was away at a meeting today, but in my absence you worked in MATHia X.

Since the Linear Equations module wrapped up last week, you began working on the Linear Functions module today.

This is our largest module of the year, and features 18 different workspaces. The Linear Functions module will be due on November 11th. To ensure you're on track to finish on time, you should be completing 2-3 workspaces per week. Use both your in-class time and MATHia homework time to be sure you're on pace.

Homework: MATHia practice

Tuesday 9/20

Today we did an awesome Desmos Activity about linear and nonlinear functions, instead of Lesson 2.7. If you didn't get a chance to finish it in class, please be sure to do so at home tonight.

Go to student.desmos.com, login to your Desmos account (or create one, if you haven't already), and then type in your class code.

• Period 4: P2X3

Parents: You can do the activity too! If you'd like to see all the awesome things your child got to do in class today, head to student.desmos.com, and enter the class code 3U3F to play along at home. Enjoy!

Homework: Finish the Desmos activity

Monday 9/19

We finished Lesson 2.6 today, which now completes our analysis of linear functions. We should now be able to tell all the scenarios when U.S. Shirts is the better buy, and when Hot Shirts is the better buy (and be able to defend our reasoning to our boss!).

If there's anything from today's class work that didn't get finished in class or needs to be improved, please fix it up at home and feel free to check your answers with the link above. Get into the routine of checking your work at home daily and you'll find studying for tests and doing your homework is much easier!

Parents: Ask your child to share with you their work from lessons 2.5 and 2.6. Ask them when each different shirt company is the better deal. If they can back it up with reasoning and evidence, you know they've got it!

Homework: Finish textbook pages 104-106

Friday 9/16

Week 6 is in the books and Chapter 2 is now almost complete. That means our Chapter 2 test is right around the corner! Have you been studying and reviewing your homework and class work each day?

Also, the Linear Equations module in MATHia X is due today. Have you completed all your workspaces? If not, be sure to login and finish up at home tonight!

Here is this week's extra credit:

Thursday 9/15

Today we continued our look at linear functions, equations, tables, and graphs with the last part of  Lesson 2.5 and the first part of Lesson 2.6.

We discovered that we've got a competitor in the shirt-making marketplace and our boss has tasked us with some analysis.

Homework: Textbook pages 96-97 "Talk the Talk"

Wednesday 9/14

Today we began Lesson 2.5, which focuses on using tables, graphs, and equations. Be sure to review the solutions to today's class work to make sure you're on the right track and fully mastering all of these different skills.

Homework: Textbook pages 89-90 (#1-6)

Tuesday 9/13

We dove into linear functions today with Lesson 2.4. We took a look at how word problems, constants, variables, tables, expressions, equations, graphs, domains, and ranges are connected.

Homework: Finish textbook pages 87-88

Monday 9/12

We worked in MATHia X today and passed back grades for the first module.

Our second MATHia X module, Linear Equations, will be due this Friday. Are you on pace to have all the workspaces complete?

Parents: You can see the due dates and grading plan for all the MATHia X modules at the MATHia Dates link above.

Also, for those that know they need to brush up on the distributive property and combining like terms, check out the links below for additional practice. It's tough to succeed in Math 8 without being proficient in all your Math 6 & 7 skills.

Distributive property practice
Combining like terms practice

Homework: MATHia practice

Friday 9/9

We took our first common assessment of the year. Many of you did very, very well, while some still have some room for improvement. Here are the performance bands for these types of assessments:

Level 4: Standard Exceeded

Level 3: Standard Met

Level 2: Standard Nearly Met

Level 1: Standard Not Met

"Standard Exceeded" and "Standard Met" both represent passing grades for Common Assessments, Final Exams, and the CAASPP test at the end of the year. If you didn't reach your goals this time, don't panic. But please make some adjustments right away to ensure your performance improves as the year continues. We want everyone to be able to demonstrate mastery!

Parents: Ask your son or daughter how they did on today's common assessment. More importantly, ask them why they think those were their results. If they're not pleased with their scores thus far, ask them what plan they'll be enacting to be more successful next time. 

There are a host of things proven to help achievement (reviewing homework and reflecting on errors nightly, seeking peer help in class, increasing study time, working harder on class work, increasing MATHia time, coming to see me for help before or after school, using the internet as a resource for concepts not well understood, etc.)

Here is this week's extra credit:

Thursday 9/8

We finished our introduction to relations and functions today with the second half of Lesson 2.3.

We'll be taking our first Common Assessment tomorrow.

Reminder: If you'd like to retake your chapter 1 test to improve your grade you can do so during lunch any day between now and next Tuesday. You'll always get one week from when I pass them back.

Homework: Summarize what we learned yesterday and today, using and explaining all key terms (there are ten of them).

Wednesday 9/7

Today we began our look at relations and functions with the first half of Lesson 2.3. We'll finish the second half of the lesson tomorrow.

We'll also be taking Common Assessment #1 on Friday. It'll cover all the topics learned in chapter 1. A study guide has been uploaded to the Documents Locker. The study guide, textbook chapter summary, and chapter 1 test will be your best study tools.

Parents: Ask your students about relations, functions, input, output, x-values, y-values, domain, range, mappings, and sets today to determine how much they learned. There were a lot of new key terms presented today that we want them to master.

Homework: Finish textbook pages 71-72

Tuesday 9/6

Today in class we finished our look at making sense of graphs and how they apply to the real world with the second half of Lesson 2.2.

We also passed back the Chapter 1 Test today and went over the correct solutions.

If you're not satisfied with your grade, you're welcome to retake the test during lunch anytime within a week. Grades can be improved up to a maximum score of 75% ("C") on a retake. Be sure to study your errors and the chapter to get yourself prepared. MATHia can help!

Homework: Finish textbook pages 62-63

Friday 9/2

We worked some more in MATHia today and shared back our lesson 2.2 summaries.

Have a great three-day weekend. Happy Labor Day!

Here is this week's extra credit:

Thursday 9/1

We looked at the first part of Lesson 2.2 today, which focused on the characteristics of graphs. By now you should be able to explain the following terms in your own words:

• discrete graph
• continuous graph
• linear graph
• collinear points
• non-linear graph

Parents: Ask your student to describe each graph shown here (also available on pages 57 & 58 in our textbook) using the terms and methods learned today. If they can do it without using any resources, you know they mastered the lesson!

Homework: Summarize what we learned today, using and explaining all key terms.

Tuesday HW Solutions: Student Assignments workbook 2.1 answer key