7th Grade Gifted Mathematics / Mathematics Grade 8 1st Nine Weeks: August 7 - October 15, 2009 Transition Unit: This transition unit offers a review of comparing and estimation rational numbers, solving real-life problems including percentages less than 1 or greaater than 100. Students will begin by classifying real numbers. (natural-counting-whole-integers-rational-irrational-and real) Fractions, decimals, and percentages will be used interchangeably with emphasis placed on percentages greater than 100% and less than 1%. Absolute values will be defined, identified, and compared. Real-life applications of estimating fractions and decimals will be used to retain concepts. Further investigation will be done to reflect inequalities. The objectives of this unit have been introduced prior to 8th grade. It is recommended that enough time be provided fro re-teaching any topic covered in this unit in order to strengthen concepts students may not have mastered. Unit 1: Data & Statistics This unit offers a review of statistics concepts introduced and reinforced in prior grades. Students begin with an introduction to box-and-whisker plots as a tool for comparing data sets. In the remaining investigations, students explore what samples are and how they are related to populations, ways to select samples, and the use of random samples. Issues of representation and bias in data analysis are also addressed. Statistics is the science that relies on question, collecting the data, analyzing the data, and interpreting the results. Students' recognition and use of the process of statistical investigation is important in working with statistics. We continually want to focus their attention on the process even as we work with them to develop strategies that are part of the process, such as computing measures of center or spread and making graphs.