Week of March 30-31/April 1-3, 2015

HARD WORK WILL CONTINUE IN OUR MATH CLASS MIGHTY FALCONS! YOU ARE DOING GREAT AND WE KNOW YOU WILL DO GREAT IN THE STAAR EXAM!
 REMEMBER WE CAN SOAR!


REMEMBER WE ARE REVIEWING PREVIOUS LESSONS AND COVERING NEW CONTENT, SO STAY ALERT MIGHTY FALCONS!

THIS WEEK WE WILL BE COVERING AND REVIEWING PARTS OF:
TRIANGLES AND THEIR PROPERTIES. VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITE FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE.
 https://www.mathsisfun.com/triangle.html


Geometric Construction: TEST DIFFERENT SUPPORT METHODS FOR TOWERS.

REMINDERS:
STAAR IS 16 SCHOOL DAYS AWAY!

MONEY FOR SIX FLAGS AND PANORAMIC PICTURE DUE ON APRIL 3RD!

MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MISSING ASSIGNMENTS!

SOAR!

WEEK OF MARCH 23-27, 2015

DEAR FALCONS,

I KNOW WE HAVE BEEN WORKING EXTRA HARD IN OUR MATH CLASS TO PREPARE FOR THE STAAR EXAM AND I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM VERY PROUD OF EACH OF YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE. I AM ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THOSE OF YOU WHO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE THROUGHOUT OUR LESSONS. DO NOT GIVE UP MIGHTY FALCONS WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! 

THIS WEEK WE WILL CONTINUE TO REVIEW PREVIOUS MATERIAL AS WELL AS NEW MATERIAL. DO NOT SLACK OFF AND TRY YOUR BEST NOT TO BE ABSENT. THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN COMING TO ME FOR EXTRA HELP, IT SHOWS THAT YOU ARE A FIGHTER IN MATH CLASS!

THIS WEEK WE WILL BEGIN TO WORK WITH INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES IN TABLES AND GRAPHS, WRITING EQUATIONS FROM TABLES AND REPRESENTING ALGEBRAIC RELATIONSHIPS IN TABLES AND GRAPHS. 

EXAMPLE: YOUR CELL PHONE BILL DEPENDS ON HOW MANY MINUTES YOU USED.

Many real-world situations involve two variable quantities in which one quantity depends on the other. The quantity that depends on the other quantity is called the dependent variable, and the quantity it depends on is called the independent variable.

GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION:

REDESIGN OUR SPAGHETTI TOWER AND USE GEOMETRIC VOCABULARY.

REMINDERS:

PROGRESS REPORTS WILL BE RELEASED THIS WEEK.

SIX FLAGS TRIP FEE DUE ON APRIL 3RD!

STAY ON TASK!

DO NOT BE ABSENT.

FOLLOW ALL RULES; NO EXCUSES!

WEEK OF MARCH 16-20, 2015

Welcome back! Whether you spent your time relaxing, studying, working, or on a  trip, I hope you had an enjoyable spring break and have returned ready to wrap up the last few weeks of the semester.
We only have 5 weeks until our MATH STAAR EXAM which is on April 21, 2015. 

Remember we have talked about our math goals; I hope you continue to progress every single day.  BELIEVE YOU CAN AND YOU ARE ALREADY HALF WAY THERE MIGHTY FALCONS.


PI DAY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS AND I AM GLAD EVERYONE HAD FUN AT THIS MEMORABLE EVENT!!!!

THIS WEEK WE WILL LEARN HOW TO REPRESENT AND SOLVE INEQUALITIES. 

Solving Inequalities

Sometimes we need to solve Inequalities like these:

Symbol	Words	Example
>	greater than	x + 3 > 2
<	less than	7x < 28
≥	greater than or equal to	5 ≥ x - 1
≤	less than or equal to	2y + 1 ≤ 7

GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION CLASS:

 Introduce the task (SPAGHETTI TOWER)by talking about how something is designed and redesigned. I sometimes use the example of a cell phone. We talk about the evolution of the modern day phone and why it has changed over the last few years. I especially point out that sometimes a re-design comes because consumers discover something does not work properly. It is through the redesign process of inventing a product that great discoveries occur. This is occasionally accidental! STUDENTS BEGAN THEIR TOWERS TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE REDESIGNING THEIR WORK.

Students use: • Spaghetti- 20 sticks per group of raw spaghetti* • Large marshmallows- one per group • Masking tape- 1 yard per group  • Scissors • Rulers • Lab sheet 

REMINDERS:

PROGRESS REPORTS WILL GO OUT NEXT WEEK.

SIX FLAGS TRIP FEE DUE ON APRIL 3.

5 MORE WEEKS FOR STAAR.

DO NOT SLACK OFF. 

TRY YOUR BEST NOT TO BE ABSENT, I DON'T WANT YOU MISSING OUT.

FOLLOW ALL RULES; NO EXCUSES!

THE FOLLOWING PICTURES SHOW STUDENTS PLAYING AN EQUATION BINGO AND WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF OUR VERY OWN 1ST PI DAY!

WEEK OF MARCH 2-6, 2015

THIS IS THE WEEK BEFORE SPRING BREAK MIGHTY FALCONS SO LET'S MAKE IT COUNT BEFORE WE TAKE OFF TO OUR MUCH DESERVED BREAK!

AC2E MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH DEPARTMENT WILL BE HOSTING OUR VERY OWN 1ST ANNUAL PI DAY!

Every year on March 14, math lovers around the country celebrate pi. Some enthusiasts even go so far as to mark Pi Minute at 1:59, which takes into account the first six digits of the pi: 3.14159. Pi Day provides the perfect excuse for incorporating math and geometry into all aspects of the school day.

What Is Pi?

Pi is the circumference of a circle (the distance around the circle) divided by its diameter (the distance across). In other words, the circumference of any circle is approximately 3.14 times its diameter. Because pi is an irrational number, it has an infinite number of digits. No matter how many decimal places we calculate, pi will always be an approximation.

Because pi is the same for every circle, we can use it to determine the diameter if we know the circumference, or vice versa. And when we know the diameter, it’s easy to calculate the area.

HONORS MATH CLASS:

WE WILL BEGIN SOLVING ONE STEP EQUATIONS THAT INCLUDE ALL FOUR OPERATIONS WHICH INCLUDE ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, AND DIVISION. 

HERE IS A JUMP START TO WHAT WE WILL BEGIN WORKING WITH MIGHTY FALCONS:
ALSO, CONTINUE USING YOUR MATH/ALGEBRA VOCABULARY, YOU ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB KIDDOS!

How to Solve

Algebra is just like a puzzle where we start with something like "x − 2 = 4" and we want to end up with something like "x = 6".

But instead of saying "obviously x=6", use this neat step-by-step approach:

• Work out what to remove to get "x = ..."
• Remove it by doing the opposite (adding is the opposite of subtracting)
• Do that to both sides

Here is an example:

We want to remove the "-2"	To remove it, do the opposite, in this case add 2:	Do it to both sides:	Which is ...	Solved!

Why did we add 2 to both sides?

To "keep the balance"...

In Balance

Add 2 to Left Side

Out of Balance!

Add 2 to Right Side Also

In Balance Again

Just remember this:

To keep the balance, what we do to one side of the "=" we should also do to the other side!

Another Puzzle

Solve this one:

x

+

5

=

12

Start with:	x + 5 = 12
What we are aiming for is an answer like "x = ...", and the plus 5 is in the way of that! We can cancel out the plus 5 by doing a subtract 5 (because 5−5=0)
So, let us have a go at subtracting 5 from both sides:	x+5 −5 = 12 −5
A little arithmetic (5−5 = 0 and 12−5 = 7) becomes:	x+0 = 7
Which is just:	x = 7
	Solved!
(Quick Check: 7+5=12)

WE WILL ALSO BEGIN EXPLORING CIRCLES AND PI THIS WEEK TO BE READY FOR PI DAY THIS UPCOMING FRIDAY! 

GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION: 

WORK ON YOUR CITY DESIGN PROJECT AND MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW ALL THE CRITERIA PROVIDED TO EARN AN A.

REMINDERS:

TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL'S WEEK OPEN HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY FROM 4-6 PM. 

SEE YOU THERE!

PI DAY ON FRIDAY MARCH 6TH!

All the so-called "secrets of success" will not work unless you do. ~Author Unknown

STUDENT'S WORKING ON TRIANGLE ACTIVITY IN GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION:

STARR COUNTY YOUTH FAIR WEEK IS HERE AND SO IS THE 5TH SIX WEEKS!!!

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 23-27, 2015


WELCOME TO THE 5TH SIX WEEKS MIGHTY FALCONS!!!

TIME IS SURELY FLYING BY MEANING WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO BEFORE STAAR APPROACHES. I HAVE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT YOUR BENCHMARK SCORES AND I AM PROUD OF EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. WE JUST NEED TO POLISH UP AND READ QUESTIONS CAREFULLY NEXT TIME AROUND. I AM ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THE STUDENTS WHO EARNED 87 AND ABOVE. WE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR YOU AT AC2E MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WE BELIEVE IN YOU GUYS!!! WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!

WE WILL BEGIN THE 5TH SIX WEEKS BY Writing Equations to Represent Situations. Determining Whether Values Are Solutions An equation is a mathematical statement that two expressions are equal. An equation may or may not contain variables. For an equation that has a variable, a solution of the equation is a value of the variable that makes the equation true.

PLEASE CHECK THIS PACKET OUT FOR EXTRA HELP!!!!  http://www.lrsd.org/files/edservices/mg6writeequationstorepresentwordproblems.pdf

STAY ALERT AND DON'T MISS OUT!!! ASK QUESTIONS!!!

GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION
WE WILL BEGIN EXPLORING CIRCLES AND FOCUS ON CIRCUMFERENCE, DIAMETER, RADIUS, AND PI. WE WILL ALSO WORK ON OUR TEAM WORK SPAGHETTI TOWER.

REMINDERS:

STARR COUNTY YOUTH FAIR VISIT ON FEB, 27.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL STUDENTS PARTICIPATING AT THE YOUTH FAIR AND REMEMBER TO STAY ON TASK WITH YOUR ASSIGNMENTS SO THAT YOU DON'T STAY BEHIND!

STAAR CLINICALS WILL BEGIN THIS WEEK!

LET'S MAKE THIS A GREAT SIX WEEKS!!!

DISTRICT BENCHMARK #2 WEEK!!!

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 16-20, 2015

MAKE SURE YOU ARE GOING OVER YOUR STAAR PREP REVIEW AND NOTES. OUR BENCHMARK IS ON TUESDAY AND WE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERYONE! I KNOW YOU CAN EARN ADVANCED PERFORMANCE IF YOU JUST TRY YOUR VERY BEST.    

WE WILL BE WORKING WITH ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS AFTER THE BENCHMARK SO BE READY TO CONTINUE LEARNING IN CLASS!

REMINDERS:
STARR COUNTY YOUTH FAIR VISIT ON FEBRUARY 27.

DEADLINE TO PAY $100 FOR END OF YEAR TRIP IS ON APRIL 3.

BE ALERT!

BE RESPONSIBLE!

STAY ORGANIZED!

GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION:
I HOPE YOUR SPECIAL VALENTINE LIKED THE ORIGAMI HEART WE CREATED IN CLASS WITH DESIGNER PAPER! WE WILL BE WORKING WITH MORE ORIGAMI FIGURES THIS WEEK AND STUDY THEIR GEOMETRIC PROPERTIES.

ORIGAMI HEARTS AND TRIANGLE PROPERTIES! STUDENTS GAVE THEIR HEARTS TO A SPECIAL VALENTINE AND PLACED A SPECIAL MESSAGE IN THE HEART'S FRONT POCKET.

MATH=LOVE

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 9-13, 2015

WE WILL BE GOING OVER ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS AND REVIEW FOR DISTRICT BENCHMARK #2. MAKE SURE YOU ARE AT SCHOOL SO YOU DON'T MISS OUT!

WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO SO YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO SLACK OFF. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ALERT AND READY TO ROCK THIS BENCHMARK! (6TH GRADE DISTRICT BENCHMARK #2 WILL BE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015.

NOTE: WE WILL WORK ON MATH REVIEW TOGETHER AND YOU WILL ALSO DO A PART OF IT INDEPENDENTLY! MAKE SURE YOU TURN IT IN ON DUE DATE (TBA) ! IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT GRADE FOR YOU.

REMINDERS:

 VALENTINE'S DANCE FEB.13-$2

STARR COUNTY YOUTH FAIR VISIT ON FEB.27

BE ALERT AND ASK QUESTIONS!

MATH ROCKS!

PICTURES: STUDENTS WORKED ON AN ORDER OF OPERATIONS INCLUDING INTEGERS 

SCAVENGER HUNT! QUESTIONS WERE TO BE FOUND UNDERNEATH DESKS, TABLES, CHAIRS, HALLWAYS ETC. THE KIDS SURE HAD A BLAST AND SO DID I! :)