8th Grade Algebra
This is a course for self-starting, self-motivated students who can think
abstractly and apply what
they know to new and varying situations. This is equivalent to a High School
Algebra I course. The
students involved in this class should be willing and able to devote extra
time to it when necessary.
They should have already mastered decimal, fraction, and integer computations.
We will be building
on and using these basic skills to develop more abstract concepts. The
students will be not only
manipulating numbers and variables but also learning to think mathematically.
Some of the topics
included in this course are solving and graphing linear equations, solving and
graphing quadratic
equations, solving and graphing inequalities, ratios and proportions, exponent
operations,
polynomial expressions, factoring polynomials, operations with rational
expressions, and solving
rational equations, Students who are successful in this course should be
progressing to High School
Geometry.
What Do Students Need:
• The students need a 3-ring binder. This should have 3 sections: The
student should have
clean paper and graph paper in this notebook at all times.
Classnotes- Notes will be dated and taken each day. They should be kept
in chronological order with the earliest date in the front and the latest dates
in the back of this section. The student should be responsible to get the
notes from the days they were absent.
Homework- All homework should be headed with the students name, the
date, and the assignment. These should also be kept chronologically in
this section by date. If a student is in school but out of class, they can just
look into the classroom and copy the assignment off the back board. It is
also a good idea to have the phone number of a classmate. Homework is
graded as to whether it is done or not. It is not graded as to accuracy.
Assessments- The last section of their notebook should house all the
assessments which a student
has completed. These also should appear chronologically. Corrections for
each of the assessments
should follow the assessment on a clean sheet of paper. If a student is
absent, it is his
responsibility to arrange for making up missed assessments as soon as
practically possible.
Assessment may include such things as tests, quizzes, and projects. Projects
are given so that those
who do not shine on a pencil and paper assessment may have a chance to show
what they know in a
different venue. Students will be told how much a specific project is worth
when it is assigned.
•
• The students will need to bring at least one pencil and one eraser to class
every day. All
classwork, homework, and assessments will be written in pencil. Pencils
should be sharpened before
class begins.
• The students will also need a pen for when we are grading something they
have done. In this
way, the students can see what they thought when the assignment was first done
and what the
corrections were.
• The students should have a calculator. In class we will be using a TI-83
plus graphing
calculator most of the time to discover relationship between different
functions. We have a class set
of these, but can not allow the students to take these outside of the
classroom as other classes also
use them. The students do not need to purchase one of theses calculators
unless you wish for them
to have the opportunity to practice with it at home. A simple scientific
calculator will suffice for
routine calculations. I would suggest that they have the same calculator
which they have been using
in class since 6th grade - the TI30XIIS. It would be beneficial to have one
of these so it can be used
for homework. Studies have shown that students who are consistently using the
same calculator
have better calculator skills since not all calculators work in the same
fashion. They will be able to
use their own calculator on the GEPA test.
How Students Will Be Graded:
• Assessments include: tests (40%), quizzes(30%), and projects.
• Homework: Homework is based on effort. If the student tries the assignment
then they receive
5 points for their effort whether the answers are correct or not. I always go
over the answers in class
the next day. The entire assignment must be completed in order to receive the
5 points. There is no
partial credit. Homework is worth 20% of the total grade.
• Participation: The students will be given a participation grade that
reflects how attentive the
student is in class, whether he or she voluntarily contributes and asks
questions, if he or she is
prepared to work in class or if he is disruptive and distracts those around
him. This participation
grade will be worth 10% of the total grade.
8th Grade Connected Math/Pre-Algebra.
This is our regular 8th grade Math class. It is a discovery based course in
which the students should
learn to analyze information and to think mathematically. Through out this
course the students
should see that mathematics is an integral part of many different aspects of
life. The students will
begin the year by making tables and graphs of data. They will learn what a
linear graph looks like
and some common aspects of linear equations. The students in this course will
be exposed to the
materials in the state mathematical standards and will be practicing with the
skills which the state
has determined that all eighth grade students should have mastered. The
students will be exposed
to aspects of number sense, geometry, algebra, data analysis & probability,
and mathematical
communication.
What Do Students Need:
• The students need a 3-ring binder. This should have 6 sections:
Forms- Assignment sheets, participation logs, classroom rules and procedures, etc
Classwork- This section includes any and all work done for in-class problems.
Notes should be
dated and taken each day. They should be kept chronologically with the
earliest date in the front
and the latest date in the back of this section. The students should be
responsible to get the notes
from the days when they are absent.
Vocabulary- The students create in this section mathematical descriptions
with examples of
words
they need to know.
Homework- This section should include work on the ACE assignments. All
homework should also be
dated and have the assignment written on the top of the paper. These should
also be arranged
chronologically in this section. The students have been given an assignment
sheet on which the
projected assignments are recorded. If a student is in school but out of
class, he can just look into
the classroom and copy the assignment off the back board. It is also a good
idea to have the phone
number of a classmate Homework is graded as to whether it is done or not. It
is not graded as to
accuracy.
Assessments- This section includes all check-ups, quizzes, tests, projects,
and such. Each of these
should be arranged by date as well and followed by corrections to the assessment.
Book and Paper- The book will be kept in this last section along with clean
notebook and graph
paper.
• The students will need to bring at least one pencil and one eraser to class
every day. All
classwork,
homework, and assessments will be written in pencil. Pencils should be
sharpened before class
begins.
• The students will also bring a pen for when we are grading something they
have done. In this
way, the
students can see what they thought when the assignment was first done and what
the corrections
were.
• The students should have a calculator. In class we will be using a TI30XIIS
calculator. We have
a
class set of theses but can not allow the students to take these outside the
classroom as other
classes also use them. This is the same calculator which the students have
been using since 6th
grade. It would be beneficial for the students to have one of these so it can
be used for homework.
Studies have shown that students who are consistently using the same
calculator have better
calculator skills since not all calculators work in the same fashion.
How Are Students Graded:
• Assessments 70% (Tests 40%, Quizzes 30%)
• Homework 20%
• Participation 10%
