What are the Odds?

Following the Unit 6 Benchmark Post-test on Thursday, we will begin to explore probability.  
Friday will be a special "stations" day in class as students test events to see if they can determine how like it is that a special something will happen.  

How likely is YOUR success on the Unit 6 Benchmark Post-test? Pay attention in class and take some time at home this week to review for the test.  Then you won't be--

Calendar for April 21 through April 25

Monday: Skittles Lab 
Tuesday: Unit 6 Review: Independent and Partner Work
Wednesday: Unit 6 Review Correction and Review Game
Thursday: CELEBRATE! Unit 6 Benchmark Post-Test: Statistics and Data
Friday: Probability Stations with Partners

Looking Ahead:  Unit 7 Probability 

Who Does the Laundry at YOUR House?

At my house, Mr. Carlson and I both work at it, sometimes on Saturdays, sometimes during the week. Sorting for different colors and fabrics can get complicated. We ask ourselves, "Do we have enough for a dark load? Are there too many jeans? Will the towels dry before I have to dry the shirts?"

In math this week, we will be using  a different kind of bins as we revisit and extend our understanding of histograms.  So far we have discovered that, like a washing machine that shouldn't be overloaded, no ONE bin of a histogram can hold more than any of the others.  And sometimes, like the laundry problem, figuring out how big each bin should be can be very tricky!

During the past week, we analyzed the data we gathered about license plates in the Hoyt parking lot.  (The most common first digit is five.) We also took a CFA over box-and-whisker plots.  Seventh-graders did a great job on the assessment! Ninety-seven percent of the students (63/65) reached proficiency and many students completed the assessment with no errors, which meant lots of these showed up in my classroom on Friday.

Calendar for April 15 through April 19
Monday and Tuesday: What does the shape of a histogram tell us about the data?
Wednesday: Revisiting frequency tables
Thursday: Revisiting box-and-whisker plots/CFA 6.4
Friday: Relearning/retesting opportunity or Jeopardy

Looking Ahead:  Unit 6 Post-test next week!  Prepare for this great celebration of learning!

Box-and-Whiskers--Not Just for Kittens Anymore

Cute, right?  
But not really what we mean by box-and-whiskers in seventh grade math world.  

Last week we continued our study of data organization and analysis as we completed the Iowa Tests in math.  

We have been talking about random samples and practicing our skills at creating histograms.  This week, we will dig into another way to look at data, through a graph called a box-and-whiskers plot. 

According to the website, basic-mathematics.com, a box-and-whisker plot can be explained in this way: as the name suggests, the rectangle you see is called a box. And the reason we call the two lines extending from the edge of the box whiskers is simply because they look like whiskers or mustache of a cat.  The five points or dot that you see represents the following, starting from left to right

Lower extreme (end of the left whisker): the lowest or smallest value in a set of data 

Lower quartile or first quartile (left side of the box): the median of all data below the median

Median or second quartile(middle dot): the middle value of the set of data. If there are two values in the middle, the median is the average of the two values

Upper quartile or third quartile (right side of the box): the median of all data above the median

Upper extreme (end of the right whisker): The biggest value in the set.

If you want to find out more about these plots or your child needs more explanation, try the following video from Khan Academy: Khan Academy Box-and-Whiskers.

Also in the news this week, Ms. Lindsey Jones, an education student from Iowa State University will be working in our classroom until early may.  Lindsey is from Kansas and has tutored college students in college math classes.  Welcome, Ms. Jones!

Calendar for the week of April 8 through April 12

Monday: Iowa Test Computation Test and a LIVING box-and-whisker plot

Tuesday: Five Number Summaries

Wednesday: Comparing Histograms and Box Plots

Thursday: Practice with Box-and-whiskers, CFA 6.3

Friday: More Practice with Box-and-whiskers, retake CFA 5.4

Finally, a cartoon that says it all:

Unit 5 Data: What does it all MEAN?

This week we will begin our data and statistics unit in seventh grade math.  The essential questions that we will answer through our studies include the following:

How can predictions and decisions be made about a large population?
What is a measure of variation?
How is the shape of the data use to analyze data?

We will begin with the third question this week as we look closely at the results of the Unit 5 Post-test.

The follow illustration shows our achievement compared to all seventh-graders in the district.

Standard / Cluster	Hoyt Middle School 53 Students	District Average
MA.7.7.G.6 (7) Curriculum Resources (41)	62.64%	44.74%
MA.7.7.G.1 Curriculum Resources (16)	53.21%	50.97%
Questions	64.2%	53.8%
Overall Exam	64.2%	53.8%
MA.7.7.G.4 (7) Curriculum Resources (12)	64.72%	59.18%
MA.7.7.G.5 (7) Curriculum Resources (9)	76.23%	60.31%

Spring Break = Math Fun

If you're feeling bored this week, you might

want to check out this Ken-ken site. 

Login daily for free puzzles and fun! 

Kenken website:http://www.kenken.com/howto/solve

Have fun and be safe! 

See you on March 25!

Finding Pi

Did somebody say banana cream?

Unfortunately the pi we were looking for is the constant that describes the relationship between the circumference of a circle and its diameter (about 3.14).  Pi-seekers measured the circumference and diameter of several round objects and then expressed the relationship as the ratio, C/d. To our surprise, we calculated the ratio as a number close to pi--every time! This week we will continue our study of circles by calculating their areas.  We will also explore the volume of rectangular prisms (boxes) and the surface area of polyhedra.

Calendar for the week of March 4 through March 8

Monday: Finding Some More Pi

Tuesday: Calculating the Area of Circles

Wednesday: Polyhedra

Thursday: Exploring the Volume of Rectangular Prisms, CFA 5.4

Friday: More Practice with Volume, Retake CFA 5.4

Coming next week:

Monday: In class review for Unit 5 Post-test: Geometry

Tuesday: Correction of review and game

Wednesday: Unit 5 Post-test: Geometry

Thursday: Oz: the Great and Powerful, review games in blocks 1 and 5

Carpet vs. Fences

This week we move from lines and angles to the application of geometry through area and perimeter.  We will continue to visit angles, lines, and rays through our warm-ups and Pizzazz, but our work for the rest of this unit will be the kind of geometry we use in our "real" lives.

AREA

Today (Monday) I thought about fences and carpets and how they summarize what we need to think about when we think about perimeter (fences) or area (carpets). When I went to Menard's on Saturday with Mr. Carlson, we were looking at new carpet for our bedroom.  We had to know how many square feet (actually square yards) we needed.  It occurred to me that I use this skill all the time without really having to think about it.  I'm hoping that the practice we have this week will begin to provide that kind of facility to seventh-graders.

Sometimes seventh-graders have learned the formulas for area and perimeter without really understanding what they are doing.  We have been talking a LOT about what we are finding when we find area (the number of square units in something, even if that something is ROUND).

PERIMETER

This Week:

Monday: Review of area of triangles and parallelograms
Tuesday:  Area of irregular polygons
Wednesday:  Investigating surface area
Thursday: Practicing surface area and CFA 5.3
Friday:  Area of a circle (Lab) and relearn/retest/review

How Many Triangles Do YOU See?

This week we continue our study of geometry by digging into lines, angles, and, on Thursday, triangles.

We will have CFA 5.2 on Thursday and a reteach/relearn/revisit opportunity on Friday. We were excited by the excellent results on CFA 5.1.  All but 4 students were proficient on the first or second try!

I enjoyed talking with many of you (and sharing this blog) at conferences last week.  Remember we have conferences again on Thursday, February 21, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.  Feel free to stop by without a scheduled time.

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by geometry, check out the following websites with great explanations and online activities:

http://www.freemathhelp.com/feliz-vocabulary.html

http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/index.html

Big Week = Short Post

This week we will complete Unit 4: Ratios, Proportions, and Percents.  We will have two days of review on Monday and Tuesday.  Students will take the Unit 4 Post-test on Wednesday.

On Thursday, we will start a new unit with a pre-test and remembering what we already know.  For the next month or so, we will be learning about geometry.
And on Friday, it will all start with a puzzle....

SMI Week

This week seventh-graders will take the SMI assessment on Friday in the Gear-up Lab.  The Des Moines School District defines the SMI as "a math assessment program which provides immediate, actionable data on students' math levels and growth over time."  Math students took the SMI for the first time in October.  The assessment will be given three times this year.  

Results of this assessment help teachers and administrators identify overall alinement and gaps in the math curriculum.  Individual student scores might also be used to help design and implement intervention or enrichment opportunities. 

Other highlights this week will include more work with proportions and percentages. We are applying new understanding to real-life applications like interest, sales tax, and discounts.  Seventh-graders should be able to provide LOTS of great assistance to family shoppers.  CFA 4.4 will be given on Thursday, January 31. It will cover mark-ups, sales tax, discounts, and tips.  

As always, if you have any questions, email me at catherine.carlson@dmschools.org or contact me at school at 515-242-8374.  

What is Block 6?

                  

Or somewhere in between?

When I first started teaching at Hoyt, I heard about the Block 6 intervention opportunity.  I couldn't believe how lucky students were to have designated time after school when a teacher or another caring adult could help them with work. Unfortunately many students do not see Block 6 as an opportunity.

In seventh grade math, students are expected to reach proficiency on each formative assessment.  The  assessments are designed to help teachers evaluate students' understanding of weekly content.  These assessments (called CFA's) are completed on Thursday each week.  If a student is not proficient (8/10 points), s/he has an opportunity to review the material DURING CLASS on Friday and be assessed on the same material a second time.  Students who are proficient use this time to participate in a spiral review through a game of Jeopardy or applications on the iPads.  Students who are not proficient on Thursday or Friday are invited to participate in Block 6 on the following Monday.  

Monday Block 6 provides students with smaller group (often individual) instruction and another chance (third) to reach proficiency.  Unfortunately seventh-graders are often not mature enough to recognize this opportunity as the academic gift that it is, and frame it instead as a kind of punishment.  

How can you help?  

First, if possible, try not to schedule other things for Mondays and Thursdays after school. Second, if your student is scheduled for Block 6, give him/her permission to stay.  Late busses run on Mondays and Thursdays and deliver students to your door after 4:00 PM on those nights.  Finally, if your students is invited to attend Block 6 and doesn't take advantage of this opportunity, contact the teacher and talk with him/her about what else you can do to provide this kind of help at home.  

Remember that, like you, we are here to help your child be successful in seventh-grade math and in life.  

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

I wish I could guarantee YOUR satisfaction with math 100% of the time.  What does 100% of the time mean exactly?  This week we will find out.  

Hot topics for the week of January 22 through January 25, 2013, will include the following:  more with customary units and cross products, ratios and equivalent ratios, distance, speed, and time, what's percent all about (Hint: Think, "Out of 100," in Latin.), and how percents, decimals, and fractions are related.

On Thursday, we will prepare for the weekly common formative assessment with Sneak Peek 4.3.  Students who are not proficient on CFA 4.3 will have another crack at it during class on Friday.  

Friday Night Bites

So last night I decided to make brownies.  The box said that 1/20 of the brownies contained 160 calories.  When the brownies had cooled, I cut them into 24 pieces.  Then I ate 3.

What fraction of the pan did I eat?

If you said 3/24 or 1/8, you are correct! (Oh, my goodness, I'm a little embarassed.)

Next question--if 1/20 of the pan contained 160 calories and I ate 1/8 of the pan, how many calories did I consume? (Hint: Use a proportion to figure this out.)

400 calories?!?!?

I need to end this post RIGHT NOW and go for a walk.

Math CAN be FUN!

Are YOU faster than a calculator?

Check out the TED video of mathemagician, Arthur Benjamin, at the following URL:

http://www.math.hmc.edu/~benjamin/mathemagics/video-ted_1.html#ted1

Who Am I and Why Am I Here? (And Where Did That NAME Come From?)

Welcome to Mathcath Seven!

Where did that name come from? I'm glad you asked.

My name is Catherine Carlson, and I am a seventh grade math teacher at Hoyt Middle School in Des Moines, IA (hence the name).  This year is my second year at Hoyt, but it is my sixth year in the Des Moines Public School District.  

I have created this blog to establish an internet presence and increase accessibility for my students and their families.  If you wish to contact me with questions or comments, you can respond to this post or email me at catherine.carlson@dmschools.org.

This week, January 14 through January 18, 2013, we will explore proportional relationships in math.  We will learn to identify directly proportional relationships when we see them in graphs and tables. (Hint:  Look for (O,O) at the origin and a straight diagonal line. )

We will also learn a process to check equivalency and then learn the good, ol' "cross-multiply" method.  We will apply this new learning to revise some recipes later in the week.   On Thursday, we will prepare for the weekly common formative assessment with Sneak Peek 4.2.  Students who are not proficient on CFA 4.2 will have another crack at it during class on Friday.  

Next Week:  A REALLY BIG SALE (Decimals, Percents, and Sales Tax)