Saturday, May 19, 2012

FINAL REVIEW

The answer keys to the last 2 proficiency checks AND the Unit 7 review from class are here.  Be sure to check your answers and email me with any questions.


DON'T FORGET... Your last assessment (Unit 7: Sequences) is on Tuesday 5/22!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Is This Valuable???

To my students & parents of said students:
  I have found it somewhat time-consuming to keep up with this blog, and although I think it could be/is highly valuable for those who use it, I'm not sure it is worth the time for 1 or 2 students... is it 10 students?  40 students?  or just 1?
  If you find this blog helpful - either on a daily basis or when you are absent - PLEASE tell me!  Either via email, in class by speaking with me in person or post a comment here.  I'll decide, based on the number of students that respond, whether or not to continue with this tool for the remainder of the school year.
   Let me know!!!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Core 2--- Week of February 21-24

Tuesday, 2/21
Grade Update... what do you still need to learn before the test on Friday?
What would you like to get better at?  Advanced?

Problems:
  Advanced Practice can be downloaded here.
  Proficient and Partial Proficient Practice...work together to find the roots and sketch the graph of the following equations:

  1.  y = 5x2 – 2x – 1
  2.   y = -2x2 + 12x – 18
  3. y = x2 – 9x + 30

Key is available upon request.
No homework  -  except to make corrections on HW#6 or turn it in if you haven't already


Wednesday, 2/22
Students were divided into differentiated groups to study for the assessment that will be on Friday.

Thursday, 2/23
Students self-selected review activities based on need... work with a tutor OR play a game in class to review. Test tomorrow!

Friday, 2/24
ASSESSMENT on Unit 5 - Quadratic Functions

Honors Core 3--- Week of February 21-24

Tuesday- 2/21
Warm-Up - methods of graphing lines in the form ax + by = c
  Try viewing MathTV for a refresher on how to graph lines of this form...  On the left side of the screen press Algebra, then Linear Equations in Two Variables (straight lines)  then choose the following problems:
   For an example of the slope-intercept method - choose problem #4 - Betsy as the tutor
   For an example of the intercepts method - choose #7 - Preston (English) or David (Spanish)
Launch/Explore
  Problems #1-2 on page 68 - be sure to READ all the information before and between problems
Summary
  Explain #1a and #2e to Ms. Totman
Homework - finish HW#12 from Friday, if necessary.  Otherwise, no homework

Wednesday, 2/22
I apologize for the lateness of this post.   I've been experiencing a combination of computer struggles and after-school meetings and have been unable to keep up as well as I'd like.


Continuing on with our exploration of "linear programming", we began writing inequalities (for our constraints) and equations (for our objective function) and using the graph to find the feasible points and those most worth our effort (along the border of the feasible region).
Explore:  p. 70 #3
Homework #13: p. 71 #4


Thursday, 2/23
Continue to work in groups on linear programming problems.
Today - Paizan's Pizza Problem (you can download by clicking on the link)
HW#14: p. 80 #1a-e (that's abcde)


Friday, 2/24
Wrap up Paizan's Pizza Problem -
  1.) the maximum or minimum objective function will occur at the corners of the feasible region.  Be sure to use these when searching for your best solution!
  2.) Don't trust your graph when looking for the corners... use a graphing calculator OR algebraic reasoning to find the intersection points!
Proficiency Check - Just Graphing
Make sure all homework #12-14 is complete and turned in by Monday.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Core 2--- Week of February 13-17

Monday, 2/13
Toolkit Entry - Quadratic Formula  (This powerpoint walks you through what we did, but not necessarily how we did it...)
Practice Using only Positive Values of a, b and c.
Homework #6 - Monday's Problems Only


Tuesday, 2/14
Today we went over common mistakes that are made while calculating the roots using the quadratic formula and then tried a few problems with multiple negative values...  These common errors include...
  • When b is negative, you must put parenthesis around b2 (on your calculator)
  • When b is negative, don’t forget that  –b (as in:  –b/2a) will be positive.
  • When dividing be sure to multiply the denominator of the fraction (2a) before you divide.
  • Be sure to take the square root before you divide.    

Homework #6 - do Tuesday's problems tonight.


Wednesday, 2/15
More practice with the Quadratic Formula...
Exit Question
Homework - do Wednesday's problems on WS - HW#6  (see above to download)


Thursday, 2/16
Special Cases...
   - 1 root
   - no roots
How do the roots connect to the graph?  (sketch the graphs of each problem)
p. 343 #6aefgh
Homework - do Thursday's problems on WS - HW#6 (see above to download)


Friday, 2/17
Quick Practice -
Fix Exit Question mistakes from Wednesday
Matching Activity
Proficiency Check - find zeros using QF and sketch the graph...
HW#6 due today!  Have a great (long) weekend!

Honors Core 3--- Week of February 13-17

Monday - 2/13
ASSESSMENT over Similar and Congruent Triangles.
Tomorrow - review on angles
Wednesday - assess angles



Tuesday - 2/14
REVIEW over Angle Puzzles and Angle Algebra
   This worksheet has some problems and not others (copyright violations). Come see me for the problems
    you may have missed!
Tomorrow - assess angles




Wednesday - 2/15
ASSESSMENT over  Angle Algebra & Angle Relationships (puzzle-type problems)
No homework


Thursday - 2/16
Introduction to IT Technology Project
  See page 63-64 #1
No homework


Friday - 2/17
Start on project... big idea: what combination of IT-95s and IT-2000s should the comapny make to...

  •    Stay within the time constraints of the company
  •    Make the largest profit

Homework #12 - page 66-67 #4



Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Hamster

Hamster Update:
I don't know how it happened, BUT Spinz got out of his cage and I can't get him back in!L
You'll have to go here now to see him, until I can catch him and bring him back!
In the meantime -  have fun with Max!