Week of Dec. 15th

The week before Christmas Break, it is hard to believe one semester is almost over.  This week we will continue discussing the four parts of algebra that we have been learning about:  model, expression, t-chart, and graph.  What we know so far is, if given the model or the expression, we can evaluate a t-chart and graph the coordinates that the t-chart gives us.  This week we go the other way.  I will give the students the graph or the t-chart and they are to find the other missing parts.  We will do this lesson on Tuesday.  Monday we will be taking a Common Assessment over the Algebra that we have been studying

Here is a example of BBOA or the Building Blocks of Algebra.

Wednesday we will begin looking at the parts of BBOA using the Graphing Calculator.

Thursday and Friday we will be making icosahedrons as a Christmas Ornament project.  An icosahedron is a 20 faced polyhedron where each face is an equilateral triangle.

Students can bring Christmas cards if they would like to make their icosahedron or they will use the card stock they I have.

Friday, the students will be released at 1:00.  We will have a modified schedule that day.

December 19th – Early Release Bell Schedule

1st pd -- 7:45-8:15

2nd pd -- 8:19-8:49

3rd pd – 8:53-9:23

5th pd – 9:27-9:57

6th pd – 10:01-10:31

7th pd – 10:34-11:04

4th pd – 11:08-1:00

**Lunch Schedules**

A lunch – 11:08-11:38

B lunch – 11:44-12:14

C lunch – 12:20-12:50

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Bonus Question of the week:

Braden is downloading a file. The size of the file is 3,200 KB. It takes 3 minutes to download the first 1,200 KB of the file. If the file continues downloading at the same rate, how many more minutes will it take to finish downloading?

Copy the question, work and answer it with its correct label, and turn it in by Thursday, Dec. 18th for 10 Bonus points.

Week of Dec. 8th

Monday, we will again be looking at patterns, but they will be patterns found within a T-Chart.  The patterns will help us find the expression that created the T-Chart.  Linear expressions come in the form or y=mx + b where m refers to the slope and b refers to the y-intercept.  Slope is where determines the steepness of the graph.  The y-intercept is the point where the graph crosses the y-axis.  We will learn how to find these values in the T-Chart.

To review this lesson you can watch the video at http://goo.gl/ufVTt6.

Tuesday, I will be out so the students will complete the assignment over Monday's lesson.

Wednesday, we will be finding the expression from a graph.  The students will learn the proper order to write the points in a T-Chart and then find the expression.  They will also learn how to find the slope and y-intercept straight from the graph.

Thursday and Friday we will be reviewing for a our test on Friday.  I will post the review on my website.

Week of Dec. 1st

This week we have begun a new unit on Algebraic thinking.  There are connections that have to be made when beginning Algebra.  There is a connection between a physical model, an algebraic expressions, a t-chart, and a graph.

We started Monday by learning how to translate Language Arts sentences in to algebraic expressions and algebraic expressions back to LA sentences.

Examples:

5 more than t                           t + 5

6 less than 5 times g                5g - 6

y minus 8, times 4                   4(y - 8)

Also on Monday we evaluated expressions for a given value.

Examples:

Evaluate 4x + 3y for x = 3 and y = -2

4x + 3y
4(3) + 3(-2)
12 + -6
     6

Tuesday, we looked at numerical patterns.  Students were to use inductive reasoning to determine the next three values in a pattern.

Examples:

Pattern:  1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, ...  _____, ______, ______

Students were to determine from the list how to go from one number to the next.  In this pattern you add 2 add 1.  So the next three numbers are 12, 13, 15.

Wednesday, we evaluated expressions using T-Charts.  Each expression we work with in the 7th grade is linear.  So when we evaluate the expression using a T-Chart they are able to make the connection with patterns.  Each expression has a consistent way to find the next number in the sequence.

Example:

Thursday, the students found out that the T-Chart actually created a set of coordinates for a coordinate plane or graph.  So we reviewed the parts of a graph and then graphed our T-Charts.

Example:

Friday, we put it all together by discussing the 4 parts of algebra that need to be connected.  We called it BBOA or the Building Blocks of Algebra which are the physical model, the expression, the T-Chart, and the graph.

Example: