Syllabus



MSM2
Dear Parent(s),
                Welcome to Middle school Math 2. I am excited to be teaching your child and looking forward to an amazing 6th grade year!
             The best way to study math is to work problems. Reading over past work is not enough. Students should work review problems and re-work quiz problems when preparing for the test. Vocabulary is an essential component to learning math; therefore attention should be given to vocabulary daily.  
Organizational skills are necessary for learning mathematics. Organization begins with keeping an up-to-date structured notebook. It continues with learning to show all work in a neat and organized manner, I will encourage the use of these strategies during our class.
                Extra help is available after school on Tuesdays - Thursdays from2:50-4:00pm.  Please encourage your child to attempt all homework problems and to ask for help when needed. It is crucial to ask for help immediately because minor confusion and misunderstandings that are left uncorrected become bigger problems that are more difficult to correct.
                When students are out of class for any reason- absent, field trips, etc. they are to go to my website and download notes and assignments.  My website is http://msritchiemath.blogspot.com/
Please take the time to read the course description and class expectations.  If you have further questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please email me or leave a voicemail.  It is very important that I have an up-to-date e-mail address with which I can maintain contact with you regularly. Be sure to get your Synergy code so you can view your child’s attendance and grades on-line. 
Thank you for your time; I look forward to communicating with each of you frequently and to an exciting semester!



                                                  
v  Class Expectations:
Prepared:  Come prepared for class. Bring notebook, pencil and agenda daily.
Respect:    Show respect to the teacher and your peers  
IntegrityHold yourself to high expectations
Dependability:  Complete all class and homework assignments daily. Homework will be assigned frequently
        Effort:  Work hard and never give up
v  Planners:
Students will need to fill out their planner daily as this is the main source of communication between home and school.
 HW – homework will be updated with current topics and assignments.

v  GRADING-   Grades will be standards-based, evaluating knowledge and skill. Behavior will not be reflected in an academic grade except for in content areas where participation is embedded as a standard (i.e. PE, Music).
Practice tasks not completed by the assessment date will receive zero credit.
v  Grade Categories
Practice (daily assignments, worksheets, notes) ----- 20%
Performance (tests, quizzes and projects) ------------80%

v  Extra Help     Tuesday- Thursday 2:50-4:00pm ( Room 116)

v  SUPPLIES
Three -Ring Binder, Notebook paper, Pencils, composition notebook

v  Daily Work
 Students will work independently, in pairs, and in groups.
 I encourage students who are struggling to stay after school for extra help.
Assignments will be collected and corrected the next day.  Parents will be notified if more than three assignments are missing.  Parents/students will also be able to view late work on ParentVUE.

Middle School Math 2 Sequence of Priority Benchmarks (Standards)
Semester 1
v  Calculate probability as a fraction of sample space or as a fraction of area. Express probabilities as percents, decimals and fractions.

v  Use proportional reasoning to draw conclusions about and predict relative frequencies of outcomes based on probabilities.

v  Use proportional reasoning to solve problems involving ratios in various contexts.

v  Use proportions and ratios to solve problems involving scale drawings and conversions of measurement units.

v  Solve problems in various contexts involving calculations with positive and negative rational numbers and positive integer exponents, including computing simple and compound interest.

v  Use properties of algebra to generate equivalent numerical and algebraic expressions containing rational numbers, grouping symbols and whole number exponents. Properties of algebra include associative, commutative and distributive laws.

             Semester 2

v  Represent relationships in various contexts with equations involving variables and positive and negative rational numbers. Use the properties of equality to solve for the value of a variable. Interpret the solution in the original context.

v  Design simple experiments and collect data. Determine mean, median and range for quantitative data and from data represented in a display. Use these quantities to draw conclusions about the data, compare different data sets, and make predictions.

v  Represent proportional relationships with tables, verbal descriptions, symbols, equations and graphs; translate from one representation to another. Determine the unit rate (constant of proportionality or slope) given any of these representations.


v  Solve multi-step problems involving proportional relationships in numerous contexts.

Calculate the volume and surface area of cylinders and justify the formulas used.




MSM1

Dear Parent(s),
                Welcome to Middle school Math 1. I am excited to be teaching your child and looking forward to an amazing 6th grade year!
             The best way to study math is to work problems. Reading over past work is not enough. Students should work review problems and re-work quiz problems when preparing for the test. Vocabulary is an essential component to learning math; therefore attention should be given to vocabulary daily.  
Organizational skills are necessary for learning mathematics. Organization begins with keeping an up-to-date structured notebook. It continues with learning to show all work in a neat and organized manner, I will encourage the use of these strategies during our class.
                Extra help is available after school on Tuesdays - Thursdays from2:50-4:00pm.  Please encourage your child to attempt all homework problems and to ask for help when needed. It is crucial to ask for help immediately because minor confusion and misunderstandings that are left uncorrected become bigger problems that are more difficult to correct.
                When students are out of class for any reason- absent, field trips, etc. they are to go to my website and download notes and assignments.  My website is http://msritchiemath.blogspot.com/
Please take the time to read the course description and class expectations.  If you have further questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please email me or leave a voicemail.  It is very important that I have an up-to-date e-mail address with which I can maintain contact with you regularly. Be sure to get your Synergy code so you can view your child’s attendance and grades on-line. 
Thank you for your time; I look forward to communicating with each of you frequently and to an exciting semester!



                                                  
v  Class Expectations:
Prepared:  Come prepared for class. Bring notebook, pencil and agenda daily.
Respect:    Show respect to the teacher and your peers  
IntegrityHold yourself to high expectations
Dependability:  Complete all class and homework assignments daily. Homework will be assigned frequently
        Effort:  Work hard and never give up
v  Planners:
Students will need to fill out their planner daily as this is the main source of communication between home and school.
 HW – homework will be updated with current topics and assignments.

v  GRADING-   Grades will be standards-based, evaluating knowledge and skill. Behavior will not be reflected in an academic grade except for in content areas where participation is embedded as a standard (i.e. PE, Music).
Practice tasks not completed by the assessment date will receive zero credit.
v  Grade Categories
Practice (daily assignments, worksheets, notes) ----- 20%
Performance (tests, quizzes and projects) ------------80%

v  Extra Help     Tuesday- Thursday 2:50-4:00pm ( Room 116)

v  SUPPLIES
Three -Ring Binder, Notebook paper, Pencils, composition notebook

v  Daily Work
 Students will work independently, in pairs, and in groups.
 I encourage students who are struggling to stay after school for extra help.
Assignments will be collected and corrected the next day.  Parents will be notified if more than three assignments are missing.  Parents/students will also be able to view late work on ParentVUE.

Middle School Math 1 Sequence of Priority Benchmarks (Standards)
Semester 1
v  Determine the probability of an event using the ratio between the size of the event and the size of the sample space; represent probabilities as percents, fractions and decimals between 0 and 1 inclusive. Understand that probabilities measure likelihood. (add multiple events)

v  Determine equivalences among fractions, decimals and percents; select among these representations to solve problems.

v  Compare positive rational numbers represented in various forms. Use the symbols < and >.
v  Apply the relationship between ratios, equivalent fractions and percents to solve problems in various contexts, including those involving mixtures and concentrations.

v  Solve real-world and mathematical problems requiring arithmetic with decimals, fractions and mixed numbers (include percentages).

         Semester 2
v  Calculate the area of quadrilaterals. Quadrilaterals include squares, rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, trapezoids and kites. When formulas are used, be able to explain why they are valid.

v  Calculate the surface area and volume of prisms and use appropriate units, such as cm2 and cm3. Justify the formulas used. Justification may involve decomposition, nets or other models.

v  Represent real-world or mathematical situations using equations and inequalities involving variables and positive rational numbers.

v  Solve equations involving positive rational numbers using number sense, properties of arithmetic and the idea of maintaining equality on both sides of the equation. Interpret a solution in the original context and assess the reasonableness of results.

v  Represent the relationship between two varying quantities with function rules, graphs and tables; translate between any two of these representations.