8th Grade Info (Nov. 1-5)

Mass this week will be on Monday morning at 8:45 , instead of Wednesday morning, so we can celebrate All Saint’s Day.

For all 7th/8th graders in need of a service project, Rake and Roll is happening next Saturday morning. Meet in the Lourdes parking lot.  Encourage your sponsor to join you!

I was extremely proud of the 8th graders who worked at the Tessa’s Place Halloween Party on Friday evening.  They did a wonderful job running 6 different games (and providing prizes) for the special needs children.  Our students were friendly, patient, and encouraging with the children at the party, and I was so pleased with how they conducted themselves.  Take a look at some photos from the evening.

John and Evan with a friend.

Gillian and Austin running "The Pumpkin Pool".

Evan, Katie, and a mysterious friend.

Samantha and Clare pinning the eye on the cyclops!

8th Grade Math (Nov. 1-5)

8th graders continue working with equations as they continue to solve “The Mystery of Blacktail Canyon”.  This week, I am planning to collect 8th grade notebooks for the 2nd Quarter notebook check on Tuesday.

Students will have the Unit 3 Quiz on Wednesday.  Be sure to review graphing equations, order of operations that includes square roots, finding slope of a line, and making predictions based on the equation of a line.

On Thursday, I will introduce requirements for the next project, “Mystery State”, which will be due on Monday, November 8.

Monday:  Using Equations
Do p. 197-198 (8-12c, 15-22)

Tuesday:  Solving a Mystery
Do p. 199 (1-6)
2nd Quarter Notebook Check

Wednesday:  Unit 3 Quiz
No assignment.

Thursday:  Mystery State Project
Begin working on your project.  It will be due on Monday.

Friday:  Similar Figures
Do p. 208-209 (1-7, 9-11, 13)

7th Grade Math (Nov. 1-5)

7th graders will have the Unit 3 Quiz on Tuesday.  Be sure to review greatest common factor and least common multiple.  Know the divisibility rules that we covered in class (for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10).  You will have to find  common denominators as well as add and subtract fractions.  It will also cover tree diagrams, changing fractions to mixed numbers, and mixed numbers to improper fractions.

Later in the week, students will be learning a new concept- negative exponents, then using those negative exponents to write scientific notation for very small decimal numbers.

I am planning to collect notebooks for the 2nd Quarter notebook check on Wednesday, November 3.

Monday:  Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers
Do p. 185-187 (27-40, 44-50)

Tuesday:  Unit 3 Quiz
No assignment.

Wednesday:  Decimal Place Value
Do p. 199-200 (5-27, 30)
2nd Quarter Notebook Check

Thursday:  Integer Exponents
Do p. 200-201 (31-55)

Friday:  Scientific Notation
Do p. 201-202 (56-78, 80-90)

6th Grade Math (Nov. 1-5)

I hope you were successful with your “Pop Up Art” project!  Students will be presenting their projects during math class on Monday.  Before beginning Unit 3, we will use a day to take a timed test that focuses on varying problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  These tests will help me pin point fundamental skills that we need to work on, so we can strengthen our basic skills.  By mid-week, we will be ready to begin working on Unit 3, “Statistical Safari”.  In this unit, 6th graders will be working with metrics, making lots of different types of graphs and tables, and finding mean, median, and mode.

I am sending home a note on Monday regarding the 6th Grade Math Bee.  This is a math competition between all of the best 6th grade math students in the region.  It takes place on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at the Mississippi Bend AEA.  If your son/daughter is a strong math student, I would like them to join me for weekly practices to prepare for this competition.  Our first practice is on Friday, November 5, from 3:15-4:15 in the 8B classroom.

Monday:  Pop Up Art presentations
No assignment.

Tuesday:  Timed Test
No assignment.

Wednesday:  Sorting Data
Do p. 166 (1-6)

Thursday:  Metric Length and Mass
Do p. 167 (9-19)

Friday:  Converting Metric Units
Do p. 168-169 (20-39, 41-47)

8th Grade Info (Oct. 25-28)

8th graders have Vocation Day at St. John Vianney on Monday, October 25.  Students must wear uniforms but may bring a change of clothes because at 2:00 p.m. we will travel to Duck Creek Park for our 8th grade class photo.  If you would like to purchase a copy of the 8th grade photo, payment is due to Lifetouch at the time that the photo is taken.  Remember to bring your picture money on Monday!

Don’t forget the Tessa’s Place Halloween Party on October 29!  The party is from 6:00-8:00 p.m.  8th graders should be there to set up at 5:45 p.m.   All students that are coming to help should wear a costume.  (8B students should bring supplies that they need in order to work on their games in Religion class on Tuesday/Wednesday.)

8th graders will lead the rosary at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26.  Please join us at 2:30 p.m. under “The Giving Tree”.

Our Halloween celebration starts at 2:00 p.m., after the costume parade in the gym at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 28.

No school on Friday, October 29.

8th Grade Math (Oct. 25-28)

With Vocation Day on Monday and No School on Friday, 8th graders will only have 3 days of math this week.  The focus of those 3 days will be on graphing equations and slope of a line.

Monday:  Vocation Day; No math.

Tuesday:  Graphing Equations
Do p. 185-186 (21-33, 35-42)

Wednesday:  Using Graphing Technology
Do p. 188 (1-13, 16-17)

Thursday:  Slope and Equations
Do p. 196 (1-4, 6-7)

Plan on the Unit 3 Quiz for mid-week next week.

7th Grade Math (Oct. 25-28)

7th grade math students will be working a lot with fractions this week.  They will be adding and subtracting fractions, as well as renaming fractions.  7th graders will also work with their partner to break another secret code; this one is called “The Huffman Code”.

Monday:  Adding and Subtracting Fractions
Do p. 173 (31-43)

Tuesday:  Tree Diagrams and Probability
Do p. 174 (44-45, 47, 49-57)

Wednesday:  Secret Codes
Do p. 176 (1-27)

Thursday:  Renaming Fractions
Do p. 184-185 (1-26)

Plan on the Unit 3 Quiz for next Tuesday.

6th Grade Math (Oct. 25-28)

This week in 6th grade math is all about finishing up Unit 2 as well as completing their Pop Up Art project. Each year I get questions regarding the Pop Up Art project,…”How is this Math?”  And each year I respond, there is a lot of geometry and measurement involved in organizing the pieces of the project.  There is also some logical reasoning going on while getting the pieces to work and also contribute to the theme.  Spatial relationships also enter the picture as each part of the project relates to other parts.

Plan on the Unit 2 Test for Wednesday/Thursday.

Monday:  Review & Assessment
Do p. 154-155 (1-41)

Tuesday:  Pop Up Art
Review for the Unit 2 Test.

Wednesday:  Unit 2 Test
No assignment; work on Pop Up Art project.

Thursday:  Finish Unit 2 Test
No assignment; be ready to present Pop Up Art project on Monday.

8th Grade Info (Oct. 18-22)

Rosary this week is at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, October 19 in the church.

Report cards are available for pick-up at 3:00-4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 22.

Remember that 8th graders have Vocation Day at St. John Vianney on Monday, October 25.  Students must wear uniforms but may bring a change of clothes because at 2:00 p.m. we will travel to Duck Creek Park for our 8th grade class photo.

Don’t forget the Tessa’s Place Halloween Party on October 29!  The party is from 6:00-8:00 p.m.  8th graders should be there to set up at 5:45 p.m.   All students that are coming to help should wear a costume.

8th Grade Math (Oct. 18-22)

After completing the Unit 2 Test in 8th grade math, students will be solving “The Mystery of Blacktail Canyon”.  I will share a chapter from the mystery every few days, and students will use their math skills to help them identify a criminal who stole some valuable artifacts.  In that search for the criminal this week, 8th graders will be working with square roots; length, area, and volume; and order of operations.

Monday:  Finish Unit 2 Test
No assignment.

Tuesday:  Finding Square Roots
Do p. 171-172 (1-12, 17-23)

Wednesday:  Length, Area, and Volume
Do p. 172-173 (24-27, 30-35)

Thursday:  Extra Skill Practice
Do p. 174 (1-25)

Friday:  Order of Operations
Do p. 184 (1-11, 14-19)