General Information:

The week of January 21st, we will be reviewing for our Semester Finals! Our semester finals will take place January 30-31 and will consist of approximately 30-40 previously released CST questions. On Tuesday, January 22nd, all students will be given a study guide with sample CST release questions which we will go over in detail (step by step) in class during the week. Please encourage your child to go over his/her notes for these problems at home to reinforce the concepts reviewed in class.

Additional Information:

Students are given a daily worksheet/s to reinforce and practice the concepts taught in class. Students are given time at the end of the class block to work on their assignment, and are expected to complete the worksheet during project block time. Students are also expected to turn in the assignments the next day in class, and ask for assistance on any problems that they were not able to understand. Please encourage your child to share with you his/her class assignments to ensure that they keep up with his/her work. We have weekly quizzes on Thursdays.

Assigned Studyisland sections are included along with classwork assignments as part of your child's classwork grade (25%). Quizzes and Tests (including the Semester Finals) account for 75% of your child's grade. If your child is having technical difficulties with studyisland, please have them print out the "printable worksheet" option, and he/she may complete it and submit it for credit. I will grade it and return it with a score. If he/she does not receive a "P" for Proficient, or "A" for Advanced, he/she will have to do a re-take on that section. Please E-mail me if you would like to receive a Studyisland automatic weekly e-mail report.

Thanks!

What's Happening This Week?

Cohorts D, E, and F:

We will be focusing on the following CA Content Standards:

6.0 Students graph a linear equation and compute the x- and y- intercepts (e.g., graph 2x + 6y = 4). They are also able to sketch the region defined by linear inequality (e.g., they sketch the region defined by 2x + 6y < 4).
7.0 Students verify that a point lies on a line, given an equation of the line. Students are able to derive linear equations by using the point-slope formula.

We are in the midst of graphing linear equations. Last week we reviewed finding slope using the slope formula, and practiced graphing lines using two methods: 1. Using "T-charts" to plot points, and 2. By identifying the slope and y-intercept of a line when the equation is written in slope-intercept form. This week we will be changing equations from standard form to slope-intercept form in order to graph the linear equations, and we will learn an additional method of graphing lines by finding the x and y intercepts of a line. By the end of the week, we will also be learning how to sketch the region defined by an inequality.


Cohorts A & B

We will be focusing on the following CA Content Standards:

7th Grade
1.2 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers (integers, fractions, and terminating decimals) and take positive rational numbers to whole-number powers.
1.2 Use the correct order of operations to evaluate algebraic expressions such as 3(2x + 5)2.
2.5 Understand the meaning of the absolute value of a number; interpret the absolute value as the distance of the number from zero on a number line; and determine the absolute value of real numbers.
4.2 Solve multi step problems involving rate, average speed, distance, and time or a direct variation.
6th Grade
1.3 Apply algebraic order of operations and the commutative, associative, and distributive properties to evaluate expressions; and justify each step in the process.
2.2 Demonstrate an understanding that rate is a measure of one quantity per unit value of another quantity.
2.3 Solve problems involving rates, average speed, distance, and time.

Last week we worked on solving proportions by using cross-multiplication, and reviewed the rules of exponents. This week we will be reviewing how to add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative integers; we will use substitution to solve algebraic expressions; and we will tackle word problems involving rates of change.

Cohort C

We will be focusing on the following CA Content Standards:

7th grade
1.6 Calculate the percentage of increases and decreases of a quantity.
4.1 Solve two-step linear equations and inequalities in one variable over the rational numbers, interpret the solution or solutions in the context from which they arose, and verify the reasonableness of the results.
4.2 Solve multi step problems involving rate, average speed, distance, and time or a direct variation.

Last week we worked on solving proportions using cross-multiplication, reviewed the rules of exponents, and learned how to solve absolute value problems. This week we will tackle word problems involving rate and percents of change. We will also return to solving one and two-step equations, and by the end of the week , we will be solving and graphing inequalities