8th grade Volleyball Coach Back To School Night 2016 Mrs. Atkinson 7th Grade Math Teacher Co-Department Chair 8th grade Volleyball Coach

Contact Information Best way to contact me is through email catkinson@wssd.org Phone number 610-892-3470 ext 7214

Remind You should have received a letter regarding how to sign up for Remind? I will be using this text-based app to communicate to the whole class by sending reminders about upcoming test, quizzes or assignments Visit my webpage for directions on how to sign up (can use text or email)

Teacher Web Page Daily homework assignments (secondary resource) Assignment calendar (Quizzes/Tests/ENR Packets/Performance Tasks) Parent Page – Department Policies and Placement Procedures Link to the Math in Focus homepage – access to on-line text book and resources Class Notes

my.hrw.com On Line Resources Periods 1 and 4 Username: catkinson276 Password: math7

my.hrw.com On Line Resources Period 7 Username: catkinson322 Password: math7

my.hrw.com On Line Resources Periods 3 and 8 Username: catkinson323 Password: math7

Classroom Expectations Arrive to class on time Be prepared with your Math binder, textbook, pencils and calculator 7th grade students need a scientific calculator (TI 30X-IIS) Graphing calculators are not needed until 8th grade (TI-83 or 84 models)

Calculators TI-30XIIS For 7th grade Math: For 8th grade Math (Accelerated Math): TI-83Plus or TI-84 models

Classroom Expectations Be respectful of your classmates and your teacher (s) Raise your hand when you want to speak Contribute to class discussion positively Be an active participant in the classroom NO gum chewing

Classroom Routine Write HW in agenda book Warm Up Check HW from previous night (group/partner review) Begin Guided Instruction/CW Independent Practice Begin Homework?

Classroom Supplies 3 Ring Binder (1.5”-2”) Spiral notebook and folder Loose leaf and Graph Paper (always good to have) Covered Textbook Pencil Pouch that includes pencils, erasers, calculator, glue stick, ruler, colored pencils

SHMS Math Dept. Grading Policy Tests: 40% Quizzes: 30% (both announced and unannounced) Homework: 15% Homework is given typically Monday-Thursday night. Homework is checked daily. Homework questions will be addressed in class if students had a problem with their assignment. Other: 15% (warm-ups, graded HW, performance tasks, Enrichment Packets)

Accelerated Math 7/8 Grades will be calculated based on a Total Points system. Grades will be comprised of daily homework, Enrichment Packets, class work (Warm Ups), graded homework and Unit Tests. Due to the pace of the class, quizzes will not be given. We will be covering the second half of 7th grade Math and ALL of 8th grade Math.

I like cooking my family my friends and my pets. Today in Math class: I like cooking my family my friends and my pets. I like cooking, my family, my friends, and my pets.

Math 7 Challenge by Choice – black diamond, blue and green leveled assessments No penalty for challenging yourself  - can always take a re-quiz or re-test at appropriate level Students who would like to be considered for Enriched Math 8 should be taking black diamond assessments and completing Enrichment Packets.

Transition Math 7 Co-taught class with Special Education teacher and one teaching assistant. Student to Teacher ratio = 4:1 Same content, but slower pace, less depth, limited homework and alternate methods of instruction (i.e. visual models, hands-on manipulatives, computer-based skills practice (IXL) Total points system – quizzes only (no Tests)

Assignments Daily homework assignments are worth 2 points each and are checked daily. Homework is posted on the side board daily. Warm Ups are collected at the end of each week, Graded HW assignments will be assigned throughout the marking period – these are graded based on accuracy. Quizzes are given throughout a chapter (2-3 days prior notice) Chapter Tests are given at the end of each Chapter. (at least 1 week notice)

Enriched Math 7/Accelerated Math Challenge *Challenge problems are assigned from the text book and/or Extra Practice *Identified and designed by the publisher to be more difficult *included in daily homework assignments Enrichment *Enrichment activities are extensions of content which require deeper levels of thinking and problem solving *may require written explanation *Enrichment packets are assigned with each Chapter

Test Corrections Test corrections will be assigned as a homework assignment, worth 2 points toward their daily homework grade. Any student who scores below a 75% on a Chapter Test will have the opportunity to take a re-test (within 1 week), on which they can earn a maximum score of 75%.

Need Help? We are available for help after school on Mondays and Thursdays. Tuesdays (after school) are reserved for make-up tests and re-tests. High School tutors will be available after school on Mondays and Thursdays beginning the week of 9/26. Peer tutors are also available after school

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Focus – Move away from “mile wide, inch deep” curricula; Narrow scope of content Coherence – Build on solid conceptual understanding; Think across grades & link to major topics within grade Rigor – Conceptual understanding; Procedural skills & fluency; Problem solving

Mathematical Practices Make sense of problems & persevere in solving them Reason abstractly & quantitatively Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for & make use of structure Look for & express regularity in repeated reasoning

SHMS Math Mission Statement The mission of the SHMS mathematics program is to: Inspire intellectual curiosity and aesthetic appreciation of mathematics as a body of knowledge Promote critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve real world problems Develop computational fluency and understanding of mathematical algorithms in order to apply known facts to unknown situations Encourage students to be active participants in a life-long learning process as independent thinkers

Problem Solving in Math in Focus

Thank you for coming!! Enjoy your evening! Looking forward to a wonderful year!!