math tasks, Thursday January 30th

Grade 8
page 35 with Labsheet 3.3
page 38#5-7

Grade 7
Two hand outs:
Skill: Writing Ratios, Skill:Ratios & Fractions

Grade 6
Problem 3 & 4 on cubes (their 3 dimensions, vertices, edges,& faces)

Science Fair 2/12, 5-7pm

The science fair will be happening on Wednesday, February 12th, from 5:00-7:00pm.  All students are expected to attend!  This event is middle-school wide and parents can support this event by attending it with their son or daughter.

All students should be finished with the experiment portion of the science fair by Sunday, 2/2.  Please make sure that you can meet this deadline as there are many other components (graphing, analyzing, concluding and putting together the poster) that will still need happen.  If you have any questions or need support, please email me at rdecicco@mtsd-vt.org. 

House A interns

We would like to welcome 2 interns to our learning community this spring.  Ms. Loretta Costello (lcostello@mtsd-vt.org) who will be interning with Mrs. Endres in English/Humanities and Mrs. Amy Otis-Lange (aotis-lange@mtsd-vt.org) who will interning with Mr. DeCicco in Science. 

Guys and Dolls 1/30, 7:00pm @ MHS

Dear Friends & Family,

Come see the  "Guys and Dolls" show opening night on Thursday, 1/30, 7:00 pm in the MHS Auditorium and enjoy a real treat!  The cast and crew have been working hard to put this production together and it's sure to be a hit!

House A

math tasks, Wednesday January 29th

Grade 8
page 32 A-C with Transparency 3.1, right triangles with squares for each row on the transparency, a conjecture, & another triangle that is not on the table but exemplifies their conjecture
page 38#1-4

Grade 7
Read story on pages 5&6

Grade 6
page 40 Vocabulary about bases and heights of triangles & page 45#7 problems with area
Handouts: Problem 3 Characteristics of a Cube, Problem #4 Cube Net

Humanities 1/27

Please finish paragraph started in class.  It is an assessment that is due tomorrow.

Science Fair

Students should be at the experiment portion (step 7) of their science fair project.  Many students will be doing this phase of the project at home.  Others will need to conduct their experiments at school.  If you have any questions on how you can support your son or daughter during the experiment portion of the project, please email me (rdecicco@mtsd-vt.org)

Many students would benefit by staying after school with me to work on their project.

All students are expected to incorporate teacher feedback on their: 1) testable question, 2) hypothesis, 3) materials list, & 4) procedure by reworking these parts of their science fair project as needed.

math tasks, Friday January 24th

Grade 8
page 32 A-C  Pythagorean Therem
page 38#1-4

Grade 7
Angle Packets complete

Grade 6
page 40 Vocab : triange with bases and heights labeled
page 45#7

Humanities Homework 1/24

Students are asked to write a Super Paragraph using 2 sources from previous assignments.  This is due on Monday 1/ 27

Humanities Homework 1/22- 1/24

Students have been given an assignment on Fredrick Douglass where they must complete taking summary notes in the margin and then locate quotes to answer a question, which they will then paraphrase. Some students received the assignment on Wednesday, and some on Thursday.  (all on Wednesday unless they are in period 1)

Science

Students should hand in a paragraph with supporting diagrams that:1) explains how osmosis works, 2) identifies the cell organelle that allows for osmosis to happen, & 3) cites supporting evidence from the "Eggs"periment: Osmosis investigation.  Students can use their notes within their notebooks to help them write this up.  We will use this as an assessment/quiz.  Please hand this in tomorrow morning if you haven't done so already!

math tasks, Thursday January 23rd

Our team has received the carts of netbooks allowing us one-to-on computing.  Starting yesterday students are signing into Khan Academy (KhanAcademy.org) with their mymtsd-vt.org accounts.  Their logins are the first three letters of their name followed by  then their last name followed by @mymtsd-vt.org
their passwords are reset the first time they log in and they have been asked to use their street address as the password unless they have one they are sure they can remember.  They have also been asked to add me as a coach.  At least 20 minutes each week should be spent on Khan Academy - Enrichment is a good time to do this.

math tasks, Wednesday January 22

Grade 8
new task: read page 31 do 32 A with Transparency 3.1 (there is an error in on of the heading - one column should be the area of square on leg 1 then the next column should say area of square on leg 2)

Grade 7
Angle Packets
*Corrections for Stretching & Shrinking

Grade 6
Complete the sheet finding area of the irregular shapes
(there are 2 on the front and one on the back)

T2 Progress Reports

Dear Parent or Guardian,

All students received a progress report packet today in Math class.  Please look over the packet with your son or daughter and sign the cover sheet signaling that you've read it.  Students will need to return the signed cover sheet to their teachers.  As always, if you have questions about your son or daughter's progress in a particular class, please contact that teacher directly.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
The House A Teachers

math tasks, Tuesday Jan 21st

Grade 8
New Task: worksheet #4
Ticket tomorrow, collecting: labsheets 1.2,1.3,2.1, notes, &worksheet #4
*corrections on Thinking with Mathematical Models

Grade 7
Packets on angles: Angle ID & Exploring Angles 7.G.5
*corrections for Stretching & Shrinking

Grade 6
page 16&17 #33 -38

math tasks, Friday January 17th

Grade8
corrections on Thinking with Mathematical Models should be ongoing-    many struggled
new task: page 23#1-6 (omit #2)

Grade 7
*corrections on Stretching and Shrinking LCA- use a separate sheet of paper and attach it to the original
*Angle ID packet work onits completion

Grade 6
* page 12-13 #9-23, handout: Area of Triangles, page 16&17 #33-38
none of these are new, they should have work done on them and be inteh "Current Work" section of your math binder

math tasks, Thursdau January 16th

Grade 8
Labsheets 1.2,1.3 & 2.1 complete  (2.1 with squares with areas of 1,2,4,5,8,9,10,16, side lengths with radical for length if not a whole number and the slopes of the sides of the squares)
Notes from class
Vocabulary: rational numbers, irrational numbers, perfect square, & negative reciprocals

Grade 7
packer Angle ID first 3 pages done

Grade 6
page 12&13, #13-23
page 16#33-39
handout Area of Triangles

math tasks, Wednesday January 15th

Grade 8
Labsheet 2.1 from page 19
make squares on dot paper o: 1,2,4,5 8,9 10,16 (units squared) be sure to label the pieces and how you get the area.  Use teh A = side squared and take the square root of the area to find the side length (leave them as radicals or whole numbers.  Find the slope of the sides of the squares.  The slopes of lines that create right angles have slopes which are negative reciprocals.

Grade 7
We took our assessment today.  Collecting:
Page 85&86 #6 - 22, Chapter 11 Ratios and Proportions (story of the house and the tree), Additonal Practice Inv 4, Additional Practice Inv 5, Skill: Similarity and Ratios

Grade 6
page 12-13 9-23

math tasks, Monday January 13th

Grade 8
corrections TwMM on a separate sheet of paper and attached to the original
page 19, Labsheet 2.1 make squares of : 1,2,4,5,8,9,10,16 (units squared)
then find the side lengths

Grade 7
The Local Common Assessment for Stretching & Shrinking will be Wednesday.
Collecting:
page 85 &86 # 6-22
Chapter 11  Ratios & Proportions
                   cutting tree & protecting the house
Additional Practice Investigation 4
Additional Practice Investigation 5
Skill:  Similarity & Ratios

Grade 6
page 12&13 #9-12

math tasks, Friday January 10th

Half way through the year!!!
Grade 8
page 11 Labsheet 1.3  A-C (find  the area of the parks on Labsheet 1.2)

Grade 7
Additional Practice Inv 4  (packet)

Grade 6
new task:
page 15#32 a-d

Humanities Homework 1/9

Students should be using the check list in their planners to revisit the formal writing piece on cell phones.  There should be cause/effect or problem/ solution language, formal wording, complex sentences and reason/ evidence.

math tasks, Thursday January 9th

Grade 8
page 10 in Looking for Pythagorus with Labsheet 1.2
(especially at least 2 squares with the the given points as vertices)

Grade 7
page 85#5 tent & cliff
Additional Practice Inv 4 packet

Grade 6
new tasks: page 15#28,30,31 connections (skills we will need for the unit)

Science

Students are designing their experiments for the February 12th Science Fair.  Today, students should have handed in a typed-up copy of their:

1) Testable Question
2) Hypothesis
3) Procedure-outlining a step-by-step process describing how they will conduct their experiment.
4) Diagram-that illustrates what the final set-up should look like.
5) Materials and Equipment Form

In their packet, this is step 6.  If students were unable to hand this in today, they should complete it for homework.  Many students may need to meet with me during enrichment or after-school.

Humanities Homework 1/8-1/10

Students received a vocabulary assignment on Tuesday night that they were asked to finish for homework.  This assignment was completed by very few students, partially due to the time in which the assingment which was in the last minutes of the class and, students were anxious to depart.  Part of the responsibilty falls on students who have begun to use enrichment as a time to socialize rather than complete homework.  Students have written the vocabulary assignment, (to put defiitions in their own words and use the words in sentences in their planners), and those that completed the assignment have writtten "no homework". 
Students also received back 3 assignments that they are welcome to revise/ rework.  These are:
Is Columbus Day justified? (Super paragraph)
Author's purpose readings (and accompanying graphic organizer)
3 Pigs/ Wolf perspectives (claim and evidence and reasoned judgement)

math tasks, Wednesday Jan 8th

Grade 8
new task: page 9 with Labsheet 1.1 from Looking for Pythagorus

Grade 7
Collected page 78&79 and the handout Uing Similarity as a ticket

Grade 6
new task page 7 with Labsheet & Transparency1.2

math tasks, Tuesday January 7th

Grade 8
Vocabulary : Pythagorean Theorem

Grade 7
page 78&79 Finding the Measurements using similar triangles
*handout Using: similarity

Grade 6
Frac Application 3&4 collected
* page 7 reviewed
* page 11#2&3  area and perimeter manipulations

Science

Students received a calendar with significant dates for the science fair.  Each step of the science fair was placed on the calendar to help students identify the key dates/events leading up until the February 12th science fair.

By Wednesday (1/8), students will need to type up and hand in to teachers : 1) their testable question, 2) their hypothesis, 3) a step-by-step procedure outlining how they will conduct their experiment 4) diagram of the experimental set up, and 5) their material and equipment form.  

math tasks, January 6

Grade 8
Local Common Assessment for Thinking with Mathematical Models
Collecting:  Skill: Solving Linear Equations, Additional Practice - V&P Inv 2 (Bike Tour choices of which bus company is best when) also equations for the two bus companies, pages 35 & 36 #6-18

Grade 7
Page 78&79 Using Shadows to Find Heights
Skill: Using Similarity

Grade 6
Fraction Application 3&4
page 7 Covering and Surrounding A-C

Math Power School

Power School has been upgraded for all.

math tasks, Friday January 3rd

Grade 8
new task: handout Additonal Practice Inv#2 V&P #1
also see if you can write equations for East Coast and Superior Buses
There will be an assessment next week on Thinking with Mathematical Models so be sure all tasks have been worked on for strong preparation.

Grade 7
new task: S&S Constructing a Similar Rectangle
pages 33&34 #14-28

Grzade 6
Assessment corrections
*Question 3&4 fraction application

math tasks, Thursday January 2nd

Grade 8
*handout: Solving Equations
Page 34#5 U Wash It,  page 37#19 Anchee and Jonah, page 36&37 #6-18
The assessment on Thinking with Mathematical Models will be next week

Grade 7
corrections on task from prior to break
* page 33&34 #14-28

Grade 6
*corrections on separate sheet of paper and attached to original
*#3&4 Fraction Application