Thursday, October 30, 2014

Assignment: Kyle's Job Crisis - A
Today you get to meet Kyle.
Kyle as a lot of issues, but one of them is that he can't hold down a job.
Through the series of Kyle assignments you will be required to take information from the story and then answer questions.  All of it is relatively "simple," but it will require you to be detail oriented.  Reading each question twice and making sure you understand what information you need is key.
*Some people like to sketch routes to have a visible picture of what Kyle is doing; this is completely optional, but might help some of you organize.
*Some people like to highlight the key parts of the question and the information they need from the story at the top; also an option that is not required but might be helpful.
*ALL of your work must be shown on this assignment.  Write the equations and show any addition, subtraction, and multiplication that you do.  NO calculators.
Have fun!  Getting to know Kyle is a journey ...
Due Friday
*the title of the assignment is a link to a copy of the worksheet.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 29

Assignment:  Decimals - Student Choice #1
I handed out all of your homework to you during your 4th period class, so I really do not have extra copies of all of those assignments here.  If you lost your copy, you will need to pick another one up in class tomorrow ... sorry!  (but hey, work on being organized!)
For those of you doing decimal division, there is a link HERE for help if you do not understand the brief directions on the worksheet.  This is essentially the "most difficult" skill with decimals and there are many layers to it, but this link does give you a few more ideas for how to work through division problems.  We WILL be going over division in class extensively, so do not panic.  ;-)
*Owen, I will send you your homework via email - and get well soon!
Due Thursday

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Homework for Tuesday, Oct. 28

Assignment:  Box Plot and Questions
Tonight when you are working on your homework, remember that we are focusing on the VISUAL you get from the math.  You might have to stretch yourself to "not" remember the numbers in your list, but you NEED to.  LOOK at the box plot you create from your 5-number-summary and draw conclusions based on what you SEE.  I purposely did not let you take your data home so you could avoid the temptation to peek at it, so don't peek into your memory either.  ;-)
I have a lot of links for this assignment:
1) Another Box Plot
Obviously you need your calculations you did in class today from your original paper, but if you messed it up and want it to look tidier, you can use this.
2) How to Draw a Box Plot
Did you forget how to plot your points and connect them?  This will remind you.
3) The Questions
These need to be awesome, eh?  And if you need help with that awesomeness there is:
4) Help with the Questions
This link will help you understand how I want you to think about these questions.  I have some awesome advice here, so don't be afraid to use it.  Be sure to use the math that you see and interpret the meaning of where the numbers are.
Due Wednesday

Monday, October 27, 2014

Homework for Monday, Oct. 27

Assignment: Hot-Diggety-Dog
*THIS is the link to the online copy
Today we continued our work with decimals; tonight's homework deals with money AND logic.  There will be some trial and error involved, but if you use some elimination tactics it will go much more quickly.  Some of you are still getting bogged down when the equation isn't "given" to you, so employ some of the strategies we've been working on in class, eh?!?!?
*Fill in the table with your answers.
*Add and subtract by hand; I do expect to see your work on the paper.  Assignments without work attached will be handed back to you ungraded.
Due Tuesday

I will be posting your pre-quiz scores this evening; you are ultimately responsible for checking that grade online.  Thanks!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Go Sounders!

Casey, Ella, and I are sitting in the living room watching the Sounders.  Carl's Evergreen girl's team began their game at 11:00, so he's not even here for the start of this big game.  We'll have to leave (Ella and I) for her soccer game at halftime of the Sounders game, then Casey will need to go back into the dog kennel as she continues to recover from the coyote attack.  Please read on only if you are okay seeing how Casey's wounds are healing.

This is Casey exactly 6 days after she won the battle with a coyote on our back patio.  Smart girl.  You can kind of see where she lost the most of her feathers, some of which are still hiding wounds that you have to move the feathers to see ... I won't do that here.  ;-).
Casey - 6 days after her coyote confrontation
 This is a close-up of her worst wounds, none of which are infected after our diligent applications of Vetericyn and occasional rounds of antibiotic ointment.  We were grasping at straws here, but so far so good!  She's a strong bird, that Casey.
Close-up of Casey's wounds as they heal.
Okay, I'm going to focus on this half of the game;
GO SOUNDERS!
Mo ;-)

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Homework for Thursday, Oct. 23

Late night reminder:
I can't help you if you forgot your data at school, but your ordered list for your airplane flights does need to be completed on Friday.
I hope you noted the other requirement in the instructions ... did you?!?!?
(and make it awesome)

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 22

Homework: Create a paper airplane
This is an effort based grade based upon:
*you must use a single sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper.  It can definitely be colored, but it cannot be "construction" paper.  I do have paper for you if you need, just please ask me.
*you may use Scotch (transparent) tape only.
*you may cut your plane to make flaps.
*you should decorate your plane, including your name.
*you should spend more than 2 minutes creating your plane and it should look like you did.  Look on the internet, ask someone, test it out.  This IS your plane for the duration of this unit, so do a good job of it.
*you may not use any other kind of tape.
*you may not add anything else to your plane, including weights.
*you should not build your plane in carpool, during class, or at break; it won't be "effortful" enough ... and I know what effort is.
When you bring your plane to school, please park your plane in your room #1 airplane hangar so that it doesn't get squished or bent in any way.
-Please do not fly them in the classroom or the hallways.
-Respect all planes; do not touch or mess with anyone else's plane.

THANKS!  Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for flight.
Due Thursday!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Homework for Monday, Oct. 20

Assignment:  Magic Squares
You are to complete at least four 3x3 Magic Squares.
Make each puzzle as unique as possible; don't just use the same line-up.
For the Super Square, your rows, columns, and diagonals will add up to 34.
Make at least one Super Square, but if you love them, try more!  There are some cool patterns within them that are especially magical ... see if you can figure them out too.  (hint: they also have to do with the number 34)
Just to be clear: you are to complete four 3x3 Magic Squares and one 4x4 square.
All of the instructions are on the page!
Due Wednesday

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Sad Day for Mo :-(

Today our chickens were accosted by coyotes around noon and we were alerted when we heard the squawking outside.  Although we were able to chase the coyotes away, it was not without loss.
*I found Casey hiding beneath our back porch with her head stuck in the basement vent.  She has lost most of her back feathers and has a big tooth wound in her back, but she's alive.  Ella saw that chicken-coyote confrontation out our family room window and Carl ran outside immediately.  (Chauncey, the wonder-dog ,followed Carl, but was ineffective as usual).  We've cleaned and medicated Casey and now she is indoors in solitary confinement in a dog kennel.  We'll see how she does, but apparently infection leading to death is common in dog bites with chickens.
*Quinn, our only Russian Orloff, survived the initial attack, but hid across the street in our neighbor's bushes.  When she was returning home hours later, she was hit by a car on Boulevard Road.  This depresses me a lot as Quinn was my favorite chicken and I keep kicking myself that I didn't keep searching for her longer.
*Mary is still missing.
We either found the rest of the chickens in trees or herded them from the bushes.  They are now all locked up in their pens and will remain there for a week or two ... we need to let those coyotes know there are no more chickens available.

So I'm sorry that I haven't updated grades in TeacherEase today, but that was my plan before this all happened.  I am just now coming back indoors and don't feel much like grading papers.  I promise I will have them updated before your individual conferences, they just may be evolving over the next few days rather than current by this evening.  Maybe the Sounders will win and make me feel better?  The Seahawks certainly didn't help.

Sadly,
Mo :(
Quinn, several months ago.
*7:56 p.m. Sunday night - Mary is back!  I found her on top of the coop tonight when I went outside to look for her.  She looks fine.  Casey is still hanging in there and Quinn is properly buried with a special rock Ella put in with her.  May she R.I.P.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Homework for Thursday, 10/16

A lot of this assignment is about following directions and learning from your own mistakes.  It is absolutely critical that you take these steps, study your own patterns, and see how you can work towards serving yourself better in the future.  Tests are stressful, but you can learn to manage them!  This year we will work with that goal in mind.  ;-)

Assignment:  Test Corrections
Follow the steps we went over in class.
If you need a reminder, I have them in detail HERE on this link!
Test corrections are based on the percentage of questions you get correct; there is no redo for this assignment.
Test corrections do not CHANGE your test score; they are their own assignment.
Test corrections are DUE FRIDAY
If you bring them completed and signed on Friday, Oct 17, you will receive a candy point as well!

Retests may be taken for one or both test; you will receive your better score.
I will let you know the retest date(s) after I see how many people want to retest.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

It's Wednesday, October 15

No math homework!
Take this chance to work on your late and redone papers.

I will have your tests posted this evening; check back later.  ;-)

Mo ;-)

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Pre-Test Choice options

Tonight you will complete an assignment that you will title, "Pre-Test Choice."  Make sure, that you put this somewhere on your assignment because many of you will be selecting choices that have been available before and you need to designate this assignment specifically for tonight.
Please complete the option, or options, that will help you feel the most relaxed (yep, relaxed) and prepared for tomorrow.
Your choices are:
*Correct your pre-quiz corrections.  This was handed back to you today and can only be counted if you missed some.  Do your work on another sheet of paper and staple the entire thing together.
*Complete your unit reflection.  We started this in class last week and most of you saved it to your school drive.  If you do not have it at home, you can either start a new one or print it off tomorrow.
*Make a candy point like today's candy point.  You will need to write a new scenario and use new numbers.  All of the clues must work and reach a single number set!
*Quizlet.  Go to Quizlet.com and join.  Then send me an email and I will send you an invite to my page.  You will complete 20 questions in LEARN mode; write down your score (17/20) on a sheet of paper titled, "Pre-Test Choice;" this is complete/incomplete regardless of what your score is.
The options for this  Quizlet assignment include: a) Order of Operations #1, Order of Operations More Basics, and Order of Operations (with exponents).
*Any worksheet assigned during this unit that you have not previously completed.  Please scroll back through the blog postings for copies of those options.
Due Wednesday

Tomorrow during the test, you will be able to select a bean bag if you want or spread out at a single desk.  Bring a snack that helps you relax, if you want, and bring it to class with you!  You will have the entire period to work and should bring something quiet to do ALONE if you finish early: a book, homework for another class, drawing a picture, or taking a nap are all acceptable "quiet somethings."  Talking under any circumstances is not.

Please note: There WILL be a retest option if you do not do well the first time.  If you choose to retest, you will receive your better score.  Learning the material deeply is the goal, not how fast you learn it, so while I want you to be prepared I also want you to feel like settling into test taking is an ongoing process that we are practicing as well.  

Get some good sleep tonight!  
Mo ;-)

Monday, October 13, 2014

Homework for Monday, Oct. 13

Update:  #5 on Test Level Ops - 
 (50 x 4 + 4) – (2 + 2 x 52) + 54 ÷ 6 = _____

Assignment:  Student Choice
The majority of you selected the "Order of Operations - Test Level" homework for your assignment tonight ... good choice!  Luckily, I do have a copy of that HERE for you.
However, if you selected the "An Average Class" as your homework, I do NOT have a copy of that worksheet, so you will need to do the Test Level option instead ... OR ...
I do have a copy of Order of Operations with Variables 2 HERE; none of you have done this one yet!
Due Tuesday
*Relays tomorrow; don't forget those running shoes!

Friday, October 10, 2014

3-Day Weekend Work

Fantastic relays on Thursday!  We will do them again on Tuesday, so be sure to wear your  running shoes again.

If you can, please work on your self-assessment that we began in class on Wednesday.  I'm guessing the majority of you have this on your NOVA school drive and cannot access it at home, but maybe you can work on where you left off and add it together somehow.  I would like this information prior to Tuesday ...

Please see this blog entry for Tuesday, 10/7 for additional assignments you can turn in to practice the order of operations and receive credit.  If you want feedback prior to Wednesday's test, you will need to turn it in this Monday!

Enjoy your weekend; it's supposed to rain, rain, rain!
Mo ;-)

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 8

Assignment:  Home on the Range ws
This assignment asks you to find the different central tendencies using a given set of housing prices,  then draw conclusions based on your findings.
Remember when I drew the houses on the whiteboard representing different priced homes in a neighborhood?  Same idea: which central tendency is a "fair" descriptor?
I'm back from soccer practice and have posted the homework in the assignment title now. I noticed several extra copies were left in class today, so I have a feeling some of you are out there needing it ...
Due Thursday
Math relays on Thursday, wear your running shoes!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Homework for Tuesday, 10/7

Once again it's Tuesday so I am late after our staff meeting ... I guess you can count on this fact pretty regularly.  Make a special effort to be prepared with your math homework before leaving school on Tuesday, okay?

Also: Advanced Science needs the Trow tomorrow, so relays will be on THURSDAY.  Tennis/athletic shoes required!

Assignment:  Student Choice, order of operations
Copies of the assignments are in their titles.
*Order of Ops, Again
*Order of Ops - Brackets
*Order of Ops - Exponents
*Order of Ops - Long
*Order of Ops - Variables
*Order of Ops - Reverse
Due Wednesday

Monday, October 6, 2014

Homework for Monday, Oct. 6

Assignment:  Map it Out!
Follow the directions using all you know about mapping and directions.
Remember that Mr. Gacek's homework uses inches, but this one uses centimeters.
Do not use a calculator for these calculations; you can do it if you just think about it.
Use a ruler, be accurate, and be neat.
Hopefully it's obvious to you that you don't need to worry about the "size" of the soccer field (and such), but the location does matter.
Due Tuesday

Joining Quizlet -
If you are interested in fiddling around with Quizlet tonight, you are welcome to.  Full directions for joining are on the Mo'Help tab ("Joining Quizlet").  Mr. Campbell will be helping you with this later this week, but you can join early if you want to.  Some of you may already want to use this site for studying!

Friday, October 3, 2014

Quiz Bowl #1

What a fantastic first Quiz Bowl of the school year!
We had more ties than ever, one in nearly every round of play.  The competition was fierce and fun; congratulations to all on games well played.
Round 1 of Quiz Bowl #1 
Thank you to the parents who attended as well.  We enjoy having you with us!
And congratulations to the 6th grade winning team of Nick, Ella C., Avi, and Jac; the challenging 8th grade team of Vivika, Kameko, Serina, and Lily G.; and the ultimate winning teacher team of Maestra, Ms. Hubbard, Mr. Kehoe, and their secret weapon Sam.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Homework for Thursday, Oct. 2

Assignment:  Mo's Choice (Order of Ops)
After correcting your order of operation papers, this assignment is on me.  Please assume that what you are getting are the kinds of problems you need to work on.  We went over the "most missed" kinds of equations in class today, so hopefully you will be tremendously successful!
*Copies of the assignments are below in the assignment title, but if you don't remember what I assigned to you, you will need to email me and ask.
*If you want to do any additional assignments (that you have not already completed), please feel free to download those as well!
A) More Order of Operations Practice  (new)
B) Order of Operations - Brackets
C) Order of Operations - Exponents
D) Order of Operations - Long (not the negative one)
E) Order of Operations - with Variables  (new)
Due Friday IN Study Skills!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 1

Assignment:  Student Choice (cts)
First of all, I'm sorry this is so late getting posted.  We had a staff meeting after school today after which I needed to have a mocha at Batdorf.  ;-)

Today's homework is more experience in reading and interpreting graphs; you had four choices:
*CT = Central Tendency, MMM.  I do have a copy of this worksheet in the title.  Many of you have done it before, but it's a good one for making expectations for this unit clear.
*GD = Graphic Details.  As you work through this worksheet, take note of the 8 different lines for the titles and labels; you just need to write the letter in the blank.  The explanations (#9, one for each graph) needs to say why you chose the title per graph.  What I need is for you to cite the information (characteristics of the bars or numbers) that led you to choose that particular title.  In most cases, it would probably be in your best interest to write those explanations on the back of the paper or another sheet of paper.  Then finish by answering questions 10 - 13.
*DD = Data Dilemma.  This is a bit of a brain stretcher.  Be sure to read the directions as they give you parameters for the missing data that you NEED to know.  Come up with a pattern that helps you identify the missing data and you might be surprised how much simpler it seems.
*Fit = Does the Data Fit?  Here is this worksheet again, mostly because I love it.  This won't just stretch your brain, it might hurt a bit!  But it's good for you ... like eating plenty of vegetables.  ;-)
One worksheet Due Thursday