Making Certain Momentum is Not Lost Over the February Break

There are 3 parts to the homework for this February break. Please read the directions carefully to avoid confusion about expectations when we return. All three lessons are due on the Monday of our return, February 23.

PART I

Home Nugget #20
Assigned on Friday February 13, 2009
Due on Monday February 23, 2009

In Algebra I textbook,
Be sure to check your solutions to odd numbered answers on the following two pages:
Page 386 #11 - 18
Page 387 #25 - 28

Page 411 #11 - 29
Page 412 #31 - 44

FCAs
2 points: all problems completed in their entirety. Your effort at the end of the lesson is as evident as at the start.
2 points: evidence/explanations for your thought/solution process is provided for ALL pertinent problems.

PART II
You are responsible for being able to answer all 20 problems on the double-sided SAT sheet you were provided. You do not have to hand anything in, simply be ready to take an assessment on these type of questions.

PART III
Journal Entry #2 of the 3rd Term
Directions will be provided in class and are also posted at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcszzgg_207dnmv2wtw

Adding and Subtracting Polynomials

Home Nugget #19 of the 3rd term
Assigned on Thursday February 12, 2009
Due on Friday February 13, 2009

Read and study pages 384 and 385. This is the place where you are learning the skill and logic behind adding and subtracting polynomials. Attempting the lesson without reading these pages is not advised.

Solve the following:

Page 386 # 1 - 6, 9, 10, 19 - 24

Page 387 #29, 30, 34, 36

Page 388 #37 - 39

FCAs
2 points: all problems completed in their entirety . Your effort at the end of the lesson is as evident as at the start.
2 points: evidence/explanations for your thought/solution process is provided for ALL pertinent problems

Exploring Probability Hands-On: Playing the Game of SKUNK

In a move to infuse our math class with more hands-on activities for the exploration of concepts, we are going to be playing a game of probability during our next few double periods known as SKUNK. What follows is a description of the activity objective taken from an article by Dan Brutlag titled "Choice and Chance in Life: The Game of "Skunk"'

• Drinking coffee may cause cancer: should I drink less of it?
• My mathematics teacher might collect homework today: should I do it?

Every day each of us must make choices like those described above. The choices we make are based on the chance that certain events might occur. We informally estimate the probabilities for events by using a variety of methods: looking at statistical information, using past experiences, asking other people's opinions, performing experiments, and using mathematical theories. Once the probability for an event has been estimated, we can examine the consequences of the event and make an informal decision about what to do.


Following are the basic rules for each of the five rounds of SKUNK.

• To accumulate points in a given round, a pair of dice is rolled.

• A player gets the total of the dice and records it in his or her column, unless a "one" comes up.

• If a "one" comes up, play is over for the round and all the player's points in that column are wiped out.

• If "double ones" come up, ALL points accumulated in prior columns are wiped out as well.

• If a "one" doesn't occur, the player may choose either to try for more points on the next roll or to stop and keep what he or she has accumulated.

• If a "one" or "double ones" occur on the very first roll of a round, then that round is over and the player must take the consequences.

Polynomials: Classifying Them, Ordering Them and Identifying Their Degree

Home Nugget #18
Assigned on Tuesday February 10, 2009
Due on Thursday February 12, 2009

In Algebra I text

Page 379 #12 - 17 and 22 - 39

Page 380 #50, 55 - 59

Page 381 # 62 - 65

FCAs
2 points: all problems completed in their entirety . Your effort at the end of the lesson is as evident as at the start.
2 points: evidence/explanations for your thought/solution process is provided for ALL pertinent problems

Ironing Out the Issues in Multiplying/Dividing Monomials

Home Nugget #17
Assigned on Monday February 9, 2009
Due on Tuesday February 10, 2009

In Algebra I text,

Page 730 Lesson 7-1 #8 - 16

Page 731 Lesson 7-2 # 5 - 20


FCAs
2 points: all problems completed in their entirety . Your effort at the end of the lesson is as evident as at the start.
2 points: evidence/explanations for your thought/solution process is provided for ALL pertinent problems

Lots to Digest Before the February Break

Monday should afford us a chance to cover some varied issues, both concerning past and future work.

Regarding Corrected Work Being Handed Back

Summative Test for Chapter 6 dated 2/2/09
The results were overall very impressive, given how much content was assessed and varied the questions were. Five points were added to the test grade overall to offset test irregularities like #16 and #11.

Cornell Notes From 1/15/09
Students not turning in a set of notes should remember that this amounts to earning a 0% as a test grade. While the quality of notes seems to be improving incremently, the glaring inconsistency seems to be that the notes do not yet tell a complete story for the lesson presented that day. You should be able to look at a given day's notes and tell exactly what the goal of that day's lesson/exploration was! Details for this particular set of notes are provided below:

The PTP presented you with 3 compound inequalities having three uniquely different answers. These outcomes were:

A union characterized by an OR statement, an intersection characterized by an AND statement and an empty set characterized by a set of conditions that cannot be met, i.e. x >3 AND x<3.

A graphing issue was posed. Why do some inequalities require a number line to graph and others require a coordinate grid?

We explored absolute value inequalities by piggybacking off of absolute value equalities and exploring similarities and differences.

The class ended with our return to the snake problem so that we could now identify a range of temperatures as opposed to extreme temperatures.


Other items to be aware of:

1. Math Departmental Mid-Year Scheduled for Wednesday February 11, 2009. The test covers chapters 1 through 6 and is being given 'cold.' We have had many opportunities to look back at past content, most recently through the eyes of your top ten list and this assessment should be a good indication of how much content you have retained and understood.
2. You are due a class participation grade at the end of this week based on your activity thus far this term. Be reminded that this counts as a 100 point test grade.
3. The last SAT assessment will be given directly after your return from February break. The selected problems will be xeroxed and given to you for your review.