Homework for Tuesday, 1/31

Assignment:  Subtracting Fractions #1

*There were several different versions of this assignment, so once again copies are not available here; you will need to pick them up in the classroom.
*How do you remember how to subtract?  Give Fuchsia or Daphne their 1/3 of the pie and see what's left.  Can you figure out what you did?  Then that's what you DO!  Your goal is never to "forget" again.
Vocabulary that should be at your fingertips now: factor, denominator, numerator, equivalent, fraction, mixed number, improper.
DUE Wednesday
*your quiz bowl questions are due to Mr. Gacek as well*

Homework for Monday, 1/30

Assignment:  Adding Fractions #2

*This homework was differentiated, but you were ALL in class today, so you should have it.  If you lost it, you will need to ask me for an extra copy.
*Carefully choose your common denominators and then do the arithmetic accurately. 
*There ARE additional directions on the Mo'Help page.
Due Tuesday

Weekend Update 1/28

GREAT JOB on your Frodoland maps!  They look terrific and I am excited to get them displayed.  For those groups with a few details left to finish, don't forget to do so asap.

RETESTS have been posted on TeacherEase.  Terrific improvement overall; now that's what these retests are for!  Keep practicing those skills on Quizlet, please, so you keep those negatives fresh and commit them to brain-muscle-memory!

YOUR GRADES have mostly been updated on TeacherEase now, but I still have a fair amount left to do.  I was able to get on the site for an hour this morning, but have a nice stack of redone and late papers at my side.  In other words, check back this weekend as it is updated before asking me on Monday about missing papers.  As long as the site stays up, I should be in good shape by tomorrow evening.  I do know there is still ONE paper left on the No Name Board ... so it could be yours?

Back to fractions on Monday; Bingo as time allows!

Enjoy your weekend,
Mo ;-)

Homework for Thursday, 1/26

Assignment:  Factoring ws

*You received one of two worksheets today; both involve factoring!
*If you had either of the addition worksheets as your homework on Wednesday, a copy of your assignment for tonight is HERE.
*If you worked on factor trees for Wednesday, a copy of your assignment is HERE. We went over these instructions after class, but there is also a link on the Mo'Help page if you need it.

Due Friday

Don't forget:  FRODOLAND FINAL tomorrow in class;
              and the RETEST FOR NEGATIVES!

Homework for Wednesday, 1/25

Assignment:  Addition #1

*There are 3 versions of this assignment; please see me if you are not sure which one you are doing.  (Daphne, yours is hanging on the board in the classroom.  Get well soon!)
*Remember how to add?  You just taught the most frustrating student today how to add 1/2 + 1/4 and equal 3/4, so you can definitely teach yourself!
*There IS a "how to add fractions" link on my Mo'Help page though, so feel free to check it if you feel you need to.
Lesson of the day:  Make it simple, reteach yourself, then follow your own rules. 
Due Thursday

On a related note, not only have most of us teachers NOT had access to the internet for the past week, TeacherEase has been off-line often this week and we have been unable to get in and update many of our grades.  Hopefully things will be better by this coming weekend, but now there is even more to catch up on!  Thank you for your patience.  ;-)

Homework for Tuesday, 1/24

Assignment: Bingo Card
*Please remember the 3 rules for this assignment:
1) All pies must be colored.
2) ALL equivalent fractions (up to a denominator of 12) need to be written next to the pie.
3) You may not use more than 2 "whole" pies.
*Unfortunately, I cannot upload a copy of this assignment; you will need to pick up another card in class if you have lost yours.

These are due Wednesday so we can play bingo on Thursday.

*If you have any errors on your card, you will be correcting those in class on Thursday before you get to play ... so be careful!
Special notes: Retests for the negative unit will be in class this Friday.
  Frodoland groups will also meet for the last time this Friday.

Homework for (late) Monday, 1/23

So sorry for this late post, but I was with my mother at the hospital until late this evening.  So many details to take care of!  In any case, I told the students today that I would "forgive" anyone who did not understand the homework (although I may have a difficult time forgiving any parents who forgot how to simplify?!?), but then again there is no late penalty for late papers.  Students still having questions can meet with me at break tomorrow.  We really had to push through today in an effort to make some forward progress after the snow week!  Anyway ...

Assignment:  Lesson 4.3 Practice ws

*1 - 3: yes or no answers; is the fraction in simplest terms?
*4 - 9: list ANY two fractions that are equivalent to the given fraction.  Example: 1/2 = 2/4 = 50/100 = 400/800 = etc!
*10 - 15: put each fraction into simplest terms.  The greatest remaining factor should be ONE.
*16:  first list the fraction of hours spent playing the piano per day (part/whole), then simplify. 
Due Tuesday

The Snow Report!

Hello!  Wow, what a crazy week.  This is the first day we've had power and cable, so I'm just now beginning to catch up on things.  I apologize if you sent me an email (although I am envious that you could!); I will be getting around to those slowly but surely.

My Dad fell and broke his hip on Saturday morning, so we spent all of yesterday in the hospital with him.  He is recovering now and getting some well-deserved sleep, but it was a very stressful day for all of us.  After having finally dug out of our driveway just the day before, it set us back again in all that we had hoped to accomplish in catching back up.

IF YOU ARE BACK ONLINE AND CAN READ THIS:  Reply to this post and share your story with everyone else who can get online.  I am eager to know who can and what you have been doing!  Here is my link -

I hope that you realize that we may need to push through a few of the math skills more quickly that usual so that we can eventually get back on track.  I will be assessing how we can best manage that AND what you might be expected to do more on your own.  I don't want to cancel all of the great things we can do in class together just to push forward, so I will need your help in practicing a bit more on your own.  Don't worry right now though; we will work on making these decisions once we're back in class.

The retest for negatives will most likely be this Friday, January 27, along with completing Frodoland.  I need to speak with Mr. Gacek to see how we might arrange that day, but that's my game plan at this time.

Okay, I am going to get back to my other work.  I dug out a few tree branches earlier and let the chickens out.  They were pretty excited to be out of their cold, muddy run and back in the cold, icy snow.  I hope you are all warm and well,

Mo ;-)

Post-Test Notes and Tomorrow

Friday, January 13 - FRODOLAND!
Come prepared to help your group with your Frodoland map.  Do you remember what you said you would bring?

Good start to the negatives unit test.  I say "start," because several of you still have some details to complete in your mastery of this unit.  Unfortunately, it's not an area that you can decide a skill is not important ... it is like knowing all of your multiplication tables except the 4s: there will be a chunk of math that is beyond your reach until you do.  Having said that, EVERYONE showed improvement and should be proud of that progress!

Your grades are now on TeacherEase along with your breakdown for each section.  Please check your scores, especially if you are prone to not handling news well (either over-enthusiastically or with utter devastation).  I would like to think that everyone is able to look at this test more simply as an evaluation of where they are IN this learning process, but some of you still see it as a competition and/or a test of your overall intelligence.  It is neither!!!  Some of you WILL need to buckle down and practice the things you don't yet know, but that's just a part of the master plan anyway.

The retest will be before the end of January.  I still need to evaluate when the best date will be in the grander scheme of our classwork, but I will not put if off for long.  You will receive plenty of warning.

The next steps are:  1) Receive your test on Friday, 1/13, 2) make the corrections (assignment due January 17 for one candy point if signed), and 3) decide which (if any) of the sections you would like to retest.  You will always receive your BETTER scores, regardless. 

No homework tonight, but come prepared for Frodoland on Friday;
Mo ;-)

Pre-Test homework for Wednesday, 1/11

It is my mother's birthday today.  Happy birthday, Mom!

Assignment:  Pre-Test Choice

You have several options for homework today, but the important thing is that you use this to study for tomorrow's test.
*Whatever your option, it is due corrected tomorrow for FULL credit.
*You will lose points if it is not turned in on 1/12 before class and/or it is not corrected.
*Please correct it with a colored pen or pencil, identifying any mistakes you made.
*Your options are:
a) Positive and Negative Numbers 4
*****KEY
b) Even More Ops with Negatives (a copy is here)
*****KEY
c)  Any of my Quizlet sets that includes negative practice; you must use the TEST option and either turn it in tomorrow or send me an email.
You may need to scroll down through the sets to find the ones that include negatives; they are NOT in any sort of order.
DUE THURSDAY 

Homework for Tuesday, 1/10

Assignment:  Pre-test Study Worksheet  (a copy is here!)

*PLEASE NOTE THAT #2 HAS NEW ANSWERS!
     a) 18, b) 46, c) -46
*PLEASE NOTE THAT #5 HAS NEW ANSWERS!
     a) -4, b) 96, c) -96
Okay, so I redid this worksheet and forgot to change some of the answers from the original.  I'm sure there may be more of them!  (argh)  IF YOU DO NOT FEEL THAT ANY OF THE SOLUTIONS ARE CORRECT, PLEASE WRITE "NONE OF THE ABOVE" AND PUT THE CORRECT SOLUTION ALONG WITH YOUR REASONING.  
I apologize profusely for these errors and will not penalize you for being confused by my mistakes.   :-(    (that is Mo's very sad face)

Anyway ...

*Solve the equation, then find the answer that matches (if it is there) and circle it.

*Write, briefly, in your own words how you reached your answer.  "I used the addition rule," is not enough ... especially if you are "using" it incorrectly! 

Due Wednesday

Homework for Monday, 1/9

Assignment:  Negative Order of Operations #1

*You are required to write out every step of these as it is critical for keeping track of your negatives!  Once you have completed a step in the equation, rewrite the numbers you have left on the next line.
*Remember - a) if you solve it as a multiplication or division problem, you follow the multiplication/division rule and THAT is the value of that integer and b) if you solve it as an addition/subtraction problem, keep track of your cowboys!
*Things that look like fractions are just division problems; solve the division just exactly as you would if it was written 30 divided by negative 5 (for example).
*If the ENTIRE problem is written with a fraction bar, solve the ENTIRE upper portion of the problem first then the ENTIRE bottom portion of the problem.  That will leave you with a simple division problem to end with.  Note that the fraction bar, in this case, works as a giant parentheses around each set of integers.
*There ARE practice problems on Quizlet for these (scroll down through the options).  If you want to make sure you are doing them correctly, go there first and practice for immediate feedback!
*This is the last great step in mastering your negatives, but it is BIG and it is IMPORTANT ... be careful and work hard to understand what you are doing.
*A copy of the worksheet is HERE!  
DUE TUESDAY

Weekend Update 1/7

Overall, everyone did a great job of demonstrating their growth on the pop-quiz using the basic operations with negative integers.  Students had the option of counting their scores or not:
*Students choosing to count their scores had it applied to their quiz/test category for their T.Math grade.
*Anyone not letting me know otherwise (and those who selected not to count it) are required to complete "quiz corrections" for those problems that they missed.  It is an assignment that is due Monday, 1/9.  A copy of the quiz correction sheet is here.

The TEST for negative integers will be this Thursday, January 12.  We will be focusing on the order of operations and absolute value this week.  Students who want/need to study should hop on over to Quizlet and practice!

Students will be getting their grade reports in their Academic Advising classes on Monday, 1/9.  We are focusing on this new trimester and how it is going so far.  Please keep in mind that the grade reports were printed out on Friday morning, 1/6, and may already be different than they were at that time.  I know that I have updated my grades since then!  Consider anything that is ON TeacherEase as the latest; the printed grade reports are just for discussion purposes.  

Registering the NOVA Basketball teams has been crazy this year!  For more details (and our game schedule), please use the Mo'Basketball page of this blog.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mo ;-)

Homework for Thursday, 1/5

Pop Quiz - Today we had a pop quiz in class over just the basic operations with negative integers.  The purpose was to give students an idea of exactly where they are in this unit; we are moving on to the order of operations next week and everyone needs to be fully prepared for that challenge! 
Scores have been posted on Teacherease (in the comment section for this quiz) and students may choose whether or not to count their score.  They can do this by either sending me an email or leaving me a note in class.  The only scores that will be counted automatically are the 100% scores.
*Students who choose not to count their scores are expected to do their quiz corrections as an assignment this weekend. 
*Reminder: My QUIZLET page has plenty of practice problems for those feeling dodgy with these skills!

Assignment:  Real Life Negatives C

*This is the last of the application assignments for this unit.  Make sure that you are reading the questions carefully, organizing your information, and answering the question! 
*I do have a copy of the worksheet HERE (with the typos corrected)
*Note: there are TWO sides to this worksheet! 
Due Friday

Homework for Wednesday, 1/4

Assignment: Comprehensive Review of Negatives ws

*Find a copy of this worksheet HERE.
*Yes, there are absolute value problems on this worksheet.  We haven't practiced these much, so please use this link if you need help in knowing how to work with these in equations.  (it is also available on the Mo'Help page)
*When you are adding and subtracting, remember your cowboys!  Can't remember your cowboys?  See the link on the Mo'Help page.
*We are starting to put this all together now, so mastering these basics is critical.  Do your best work!

Due Thursday

Homework for Tuesday, 1/3

Welcome Back!  Now on to the homework ...

Assignment:  Multiplication/Division of Negatives #1
  (This was a differentiated assignment)
*Simplify means "solve."
*Isak, your worksheet is HERE!  (one more day of sand & surf)
*When multiplying and dividing negatives, we discussed a LOT of ways to think about the rules, but basically: an odd number of negatives makes your answer negative and an even number of negatives makes your answer positive.
Examples:  5 x 5 = 25, -5 x 5 = -25, -5 x -5 = 25.
*There are more directions and examples on the Mo'Help page of this blog; please check it out if you need to!
Due Wednesday