Percents are Fancy Proportions

Today, we went shopping for different types of items that were on sale. Okay, we went virtual shopping and purchased items that we'd like to have. Using a simple sentence (blank percent of blank is blank), we translated our shopping situation into a mathematical equation and then solved for the missing variable.

tonight's Homework: Lesson 7.3 ( 12 - 42, show your work )

Solving Proportions Using Cross Products

Today, we looked at fractions again, and remembered how to write equivalent forms of the fraction. When we came up with a pair of equivalent fractions, we noted that the cross products of the fractions were also equivalent. Using this notion, we started solving more complex equations. Students must show all steps of the process (write down the problem, show the cross products, simplify, and then solve) in order to get full credit on tonight's homework.

Tonight's Homework: Lesson 7.2 ( 8 - 40, all )

Getting Ready for a Long Holiday Weekend

Students turned in homework and then completed a math and work habits self assessment. These assessments will be used to help with math placement for the 2010-2011 school year.

Other than that, we didn't do much math, as there were 10 students missing from class.

Tonight's Homework: None. Enjoy the long weekend.

Computing with Circumference and Diameter

Using the tear strips from yesterday's measurement activity, students folded the circumference strips into smaller portions which represented the length of the object's diameter. After a while, most students discovered that the circumference strip was 3 diameters and a little bit more (or, in mathematical terms, 3.14). This is the relationship that we recognize as pi, and was also the slope of the best fit line students drew on their scatterplots showing how circumference is a function of the diameter.

Tonight's Homework: Lesson 6.4 (12 - 23 and 33 - 43)

Comparing Different Units of Measure

Students investigated the relationship between inches and centimeters today by choosing 20 random items to measure. The collected data is to be graphed, and students are to determine the equation of the resulting line of best fit.

Tonight's Homework: Complete both sides of the worksheet you received in class today. Then write an equation for the lines of best fit to show the relationship between inches and centimeters, and miles and kilometers.

Clipping Along

Students worked in groups today to collect measurements using two different sizes of paper clips. The data is to be graphed and then analyzed tonight.

Tonight's Homework: Determine the equation of the lines you drew on each side of the worksheet entitled "Clipping Along". Be sure to write the equation in slope-intercept form.

Reviewing Chapter 11

Students received their scores on the chapter 11 test. The scores were either really good, or very poor. Those who did poorly were given the opportunity to correct their test answers. These test corrections are due at the beginning of class on Monday.

Several students turned in work without names, or without completing critical parts of the assignment. Time was allocated in class today for students to correct these errors.

Tonight's Homework: None, unless you choose to make test corrections.