2008-09+Algebra+1+Red

toc  =**Statistics Projects**=

=**[|Final Exam Non-calculator Section]**= Syndey, [|try this].

=**Monday, June 15, 2009**= We began class by giving Mr. O'Brien [|some feedback]. We then went over the revision homework and ended class by finishing up the Tumblebuggies lab and/or revision homework.

__HW__:
 * No late work accepted after 2:15 Monday, June 15th
 * Finish your notecard to bring to the final exam
 * Bring your textbook to the exam, please!

=**Thursday, June 11, 2009**= We finished with [|our Tumblebuggies Lab].

__HW__:
 * p. 476/1-45 (revision for the final exam!)
 * If you didn't finish your Tumblebuggies Lab write-up in Google Docs, you can do so on Monday.
 * Bring any IOUs to next class.

=**Tuesday, June 9, 2009**= We submitted Supercorrections and took the Supercorrections follow-up test. We worked on the revision homework and then continued with [|our Tumblebuggies Lab].

HW:
 * p. 422/1-47 (revision for the final exam!)

=**Friday, June 5, 2009**= We began with a little Supercorrection time. We then discussed the final exam. We finished by beginning [|our Tumblebuggies Lab].

HW:
 * Finish Supercorrections if necessary and prepare for Tuesday's Supercorrections follow-up test.
 * p. 366/1-40 (revision for the final exam!)

=**Wednesday, June 3, 2009**= We Supercorrected and finished up the MELMAC activity.

HW:
 * Supercorrections and finish MELMAC occupation sheet if necessary. Bring your textbook to class Friday.

=Monday, June 1, 2009= Today was test day. After finishing the test, we worked on Supercorrections.

HW:
 * Supercorrect for one hour (due Tuesday)- pick up your test after Period 3 on Tuesday.

=Thursday, May 28, 2009= We began class by using the Quadratic Formula to find the number of x-intercepts of the graphs of three quadratic equations. This led us to consider the discriminant of a quadratic. We then corrected homework questions and finished with a MELMAC activity ([|this is the list of occupations]- it works well to use your browser's search function).

HW:
 * p. 518/1, 5, 7, 13, 15, 19, 21, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35
 * Organize the homework for Unit 10 and revise for Monday's test

=Tuesday, May 26, 2009= We began class with a warm up of finding the x-intercepts of y = x² – 8x + 6 by completing the square. We checked the answer on the calculator. This led us to complete the square on ax² + bx + c = 0 and the wonderful, powerful Quadratic Formula. We then corrected the quiz and went over homework questions.

HW:
 * p. 509/6, 8, 9, 23-29 odd, 37-41 odd, 53

=Thursday, May 21, 2009= We began class with the quiz. We then went over homework and worked on completing the square and using the vertex form of the parabola.This led us to look at the x-intercepts of y = x² – 6x + 7 by completing the square.

HW:
 * p. 502/16-43 left column (questions 19, 22, 25 should be equal to 0, not y), 49
 * Finish up any old homework

=Tuesday, May 19, 2009= We began class by graphing a parabola by hand and found its intercepts. We checked our work with a graphing calculator. We discussed the p. 490 homework and looked at how it is important for our work with x-intercepts. We then looked at the vertex form of a parabola using the very neat math program Geogebra (download your own copy [|here]). This led us to a discussion of the p. 496 homework- completing the square. We ended by looking at other old homework questions.

HW:
 * Do [|this warm up] from May 15th
 * p. 502/17-35 middle column (questions 20, 23, 26 should be equal to 0, not y)
 * Review old homework for Thursday's homework quiz

=Friday, May 15, 2009= We began class with [|this warm up] which reminded us how to find intercepts of parabolas. We went over a few homework questions and saved the rest for Tuesday. Mr Nystrom taught us how to solve equations using square roots and how to rewrite quadratics by completing the square. We spent the remainder of the lesson practicing the new concepts.

HW:
 * p. 490/13-46 left column, 49
 * p. 496/17-39 left column

=Wednesday, May 13, 2009= We began class with the Supercorrection Follow-up test. For our warm-up, we graphed parabolas:
 * 1) Make a table of values for p. 484/23 by hand.
 * 2) Enter it into your graphing calculator and check your table of values.
 * 3) Graph it (accurately) on graph paper!
 * 4) [|Go to this website], choose Level 6, check graphing, and plot points to get graphs. Make some tables by hand and others with your calculator!

We then discussed the homework, and we talked about how to find the x and y-intercepts of parabolas- a use for our factoring!

HW:
 * p. 484/33-39 odd (the zero of a function is another name for the x-intercept of the graph), 40-45
 * p. 490/50, 52-55

=Monday, May 11, 2009= Due to the Aspirations Fair, class was only fifteen minutes long. We practiced for the Supercorrections follow-up test. The real one will be Wednesday.

HW:
 * Be sure that all homework for the unit is finished.
 * Supercorrection follow-up test will be on Wednesday.

=Thursday, May 7, 2009= We began class with a Supercorrection follow-up quiz practice quiz: p. 762: 9.1/23, 9.2/11, 9.3/38, 9.5/20, 9.5/29, 9.6/5, 9.6/21, 9.7/8, 9.8/41. The real follow-up quiz will be held Friday. We then learned how to use graphing calculators to make a table and graph to check the homework. We discussed how to find the vertex and axis of symmetry and then spent the rest of the class working on the homework practice problems with the graphing calculators.

HW:
 * Use the graphing calculator for p. 484/21-31 odd (should be finished in class)
 * p. 484/50, 53, 54
 * p. 491/61-71 all

=Tuesday, May 5, 2009= Today was NWEA day.

=Friday, May 1, 2009= We spent the beginning of class working on Supercorrections. We then began to learned how to use a spreadsheet to make a table of values for an equation. We used our table of values to make graphs.

HW:
 * Make a table of values (either by hand or on a spreadsheet) for each equation, and then use your table of values to graph the equation on graph paper: p. 484/11, 13, 15
 * Finish Supercorrections for Thursday

=Wednesday, April 29, 2009= Today was the test day. Those who finished early began their Supercorrections.

HW:
 * Pick up your test period 3 or 4 on Thursday and Supercorrect for one hour. Supercorrections due Tuesday, May 5th.

=Monday, April 27, 2009= We began class with a revision of [|multiplying] and [|factoring] polynomials. We then went over the homework and talked about what the test will cover. We spent the remainder of the class working on practice problems.

HW: > 
 * p. 472/1-23 odd, 27-49 odd (for more practice, do the evens, too!)
 * Organize your homework from oldest to newest, and staple with cover page in the lower right hand corner.
 * For more practice with polynomials on the Algebasics website (with visual and auditory explanations), [|click here]. For more practice with factoring, [|click here]. You may find the factoring applets from earlier in the unit (links below) useful for revising as well.
 * As always, for different explanations, visit Purplemath: [|polynomial vocabulary], [|adding/subtracting], [|multiplying], [|factoring].

=Thursday, April 16, 2009= We warmed up with a factoring/expanding puzzle. We then reviewed DOTS and PST and went over the homework. We discussed solving quadratic equations with guess and check and the Zero Product Property. We ended with practice time.

HW:
 * p. 468/11-13, 21-35 odd, 42-50

=Tuesday, April 14, 2009= We began class by practicing our binomial multiplication skills- we aimed for speed and accuracy. We then corrected the quiz from last class and discussed factoring further using the two applets from last class: [|this one] and [|this one]. This led to a consideration of two special cases: The Perfect Square Trinomial (PST) and Difference of Two Squares (DOTS). We went over homework and continued our practice.

HW: >  
 * Do 8 more factoring problems: either from the sheet in class, [|this website (level 2)] or [|this one]. Be sure to write down your eight problems to be submitted on test day.
 * p. 455/19-33 odd

=Friday, April 10, 2009= We began class with the homework quiz. Those who finished early began working with [|this factoring applet] to experiment with factoring a trinomial into two binomials. After the quiz, we all practiced with Level 1 and 2 trinomials. We then generalized a method for factoring trinomials of the form x^2 + bx + c and used [|this applet] to list all factor pairs. We did a number of practice problems before ending class by going over homework questions.

HW:
 * p. 462/5-9, 15-23 odd, 27-31 odd, 35
 * If you need a different explanation of factoring, check out [|this one from Purplemath]. You may also find it helpful to practice a bit more with the applets from class.

=Wednesday, April 8, 2009= We began class by revising how to find the greatest common factor (GCF) of two numbers by using [|this site]. We took some notes on finding the GCF of two monomials and then learned how to apply our new knowledge to factoring polynomials. We visualized the factoring [|using this applet] again. We ended our notes with a check of our understanding [|here]. We then went over the distributive rule homework in preparation for Friday's homework quiz and ended class with some time to work on the homework.

HW:
 * Do three more problems from the [|distributive rule practice site] on your homework page in preparation for Friday's quiz. Be sure to check your answers before you navigate away from the site!
 * p. 450/13-52 first column of problems, 55, 57 (if you would like a different explanation of this type of factoring, visit [|here])
 * Revise your old homework assignments in preparation for the quiz.

=Monday, April 6, 2009= We then went to this [|distributive rule practice site] to do some practice (write your answers on a separate sheet- check your answers as you go). Upon finishing, we did some practice to get ready for factoring [|here].

HW:
 * p. 441/35-51 odd

=Thursday, April 2, 2009= We began class with a moment of silence to mourn our classmates who had to leave Maine to go to Virginia Beach. We then warmed up by reviewing some polynomial vocabulary ([|you can do it yourself here]). We went over homework and then took notes on multiplying polynomials using the distributive property (we used [|this applet] to visualize our multiplication).

__HW:__
 * p. 436/31-41 odd
 * p. 441/9-33 odd, 50-52

=Tuesday, March 31, 2009= We began class by working on Supercorrections, and then we took notes on polynomials. We finished class by either working on Supercorrections or the homework.

__HW:__
 * Finish Supercorrections to be handed in Wednesday
 * p. 431/23-29 odd, 47-61 all (except 53 & 54)

=Friday, March 27, 2009= Today was the test.

__HW:__
 * Supercorrect- they are due Wednesday, 4/1

=Wednesday, March 25, 2009= We began class by working on the corny exponent riddles. We then discussed the homework. We corrected the quiz and went over what the test will cover. We finished with one of two Jeopardy games ([|first] and [|second]).

__HW:__
 * p. 418-419/Minimum of three from each of the sections of 1-40. For the best practice, do them all!
 * Organize your homework to be submitted on test day.
 * For further exponent revision:
 * 1) [|Here are some great problems] with audio and visual explanations from the Algebasics website.
 * 2) [|Here are some other explanations] from the wonderful Purplemath website.

=Monday, March 20, 2009= Those who finished the quiz early worked on some exponent revision riddles. We then discussed the negative exponent homework. We ended class with notes on scientific notation (including [|this very cool look at powers of ten]).

__HW:__
 * p. 402/17, 21, 25, 29, 35, 41, 43
 * This sheet (U8 invest scientific notation.pdf)
 * Any problems from p. 393 that caused you difficulty previously- the test is Friday!

=Thursday, March 19, 2009= We warmed up with some logic problems and then practiced with a few more exponent problems (listed in homework). We explored patterns to define negative and zero exponents. We finished with some practice.

__HW:__
 * p. 387/37, 39, 55-63 odd (should be finished in class)
 * p. 393/25-33 odd, 34-39, 41-51 odd

=Tuesday, March 17, 2009= We warmed up with some exponent problems that formed a puzzle with the goal of computing exponents in our head. We then practiced with some written problems (listed as homework below). We took notes on exponents and division.

__HW:__
 * p. 374/39, 41, 50 (should be finished in class)
 * p. 381/33-45 odd, 49, 51 (should be finished in class)
 * p. 387/17, 21, 23, 25, 29-35 odd, 45-53 odd

=Thursday, March 12, 2009= We began class with some notes on exponents. Those who were finished with Supercorrections then worked on the homework practice problems, while those who were not worked on finishing off Supercorrections. We finished class with the Supercorrection Follow-up Test.

__HW:__
 * p. 374/19-23 odd, 31-37 odd, 45-49 odd
 * p. 381/27-31 odd, 47
 * Do the above problems like we did in class- i.e. write out what each exponent means!

=Tuesday, March 10, 2009= Today was a day to work on Supercorrections. We also talked a little about doing math homework.

__HW:__
 * Finish Supercorrections to hand in on Thursday
 * Prepare for Supercorrections Follow-up Test on Thursday

=Friday, March 6, 2009= Today was the test day.

__HW:__
 * Pick up your test by the end of the day and work on Supercorrections for one hour- they are due next Thursday 3/12

=Wednesday, March 4, 2009= We began class by going over the quiz and the homework and spent the remainder of the class revising for the test by working on problems.

__HW:__
 * p. 362/1, 11, 23, 25 (how many solutions), 31, 37, 39
 * Organize your homework and staple on the cover page
 * If you'd like an explanation different from the one in your textbook, you may find these Purple Math topics helpful: [|the three solution techniques], [|word problems], [|graphing linear inequalities]
 * If you'd like to watch and listen to some worked examples, the Algebasics website has some great ones: [|the three solution techniques], [|age and mixture problems]

=Monday, March 2, 2009= No school day! Test postponed until Friday.

=Thursday, February 26, 2009= We began class with the quiz, and then we went over one of the homework problems. We explored linear inequalities using [|this website] and [|this website].

__HW:__
 * Take a look at the websites above
 * p. 350/17-23 odd, 33-39 odd
 * Organize your homework for the revision day- redo the ones you had trouble with previously, and bring questions to class on the ones that still cause trouble.

=Tuesday, February 24, 2009= We began class by going over the p. 342 homework questions. We then discussed the wind current and coin problem homework problems further. We took notes on how to solve Chemical Solution problems and then spent the remainder of the lesson working on problems.

__HW:__
 * p. 358/9, 18, 19
 * Make sure your homework is up do date for Thursday's quiz

=Friday, February 13, 2009= We began class with an equation game using [|this website]. We made the connection to systems by further exploring the triumverate: equations, tables, and graphs. We used [|this website applet] to make the connection. We then went over homework. In the second half of the class, we learned how to solve wind and current puzzles.

__HW:__
 * Visit the links above and play
 * p. 358/6, 10, 20 (these are wind/current problems- solve by making a system of equations like we did in class)
 * p. 358/8, 11, 16 (these are coin problems- solve by making a system of equations like we did in class)
 * If you have trouble with word problems, you may find [|this summary] helpful

=Wednesday, February 11, 2009= After the quiz, we discussed the homework. We then took a further look at the triumverate: equations, tables, and graphs using a website applet ([|this one which allowed us to start with the graphs]). We ended class by exploring systems that have zero or no solutions.

__HW:__
 * Visit the link above and play
 * p. 342/11-27 odd (don't worry about identifying with names), 31, 32, 36

=Monday, February 9, 2009= We began class with a warm-up problem to be solved using each of our three methods. We then corrected the quiz together. We learned how to do more complicated elimination problems and then practiced doing so. We ended class with additional questions from the p. 358 word problems.

__HW:__
 * Go to [|this website] and click on the 6th problem and watch the explanation (you'll need sound up).
 * p. 335/5, 11-21 odd, 25, 27, 33, 37-39, 43, 49
 * Revise for Wednesday's quiz- If necessary, go back and work on the p. 358 word problems.

=Thursday, February 5, 2009= We began class with the quiz. Following the quiz, we learned the third method for solving a system of equations: elimination. We then did one age problem and one digit problem together on the board.

__HW:__
 * If necessary, go back and work on the p. 358 word problems.
 * Go to [|this website] and click on the 5th problem and watch the explanation (you'll need sound up).
 * p. 335/1-3 (solve with elimination), 7, 10, 14

=Tuesday, February 3, 2009= We began class with two puzzles: an age puzzle and a number digit puzzle. After puzzling over them with "guess and check," we learned how to use algebra to model them and then solve with substitution. We went over homework questions in preparation for Thursday's homework quiz, and then we corrected the Unit 7 quiz. This quiz went so poorly, that everyone has the opportunity to take a requiz during a study hall (before Feb. vacation). We spent the remainder of class working on the homework below.

__HW:__
 * p. 358/5, 13-15 (these are age problems- solve by making a system of equations like we did in class)
 * p. 358/7, 12, 17 (these are digit problems- solve by making a system of equations like we did in class)
 * Review your Unit 7 homework in preparation for Thursday's quiz!

=Friday, January 30, 2009= We began class with the Unit 6 quiz. We then went over homework problems on solving systems graphically and with substitution. We ended class by working on substitution problems from the last page of the packet from last class.

__HW:__
 * p. 329/9, 13, 17, 23, 31, 33, 36-43
 * Go to [|this website] and click on the 4th problem and watch the explanation (you'll need sound up). If you need help solving by graphing, watch the first three problems as well.

=Wednesday, January 28, 2009= We began class with a revision of Unit 6 and last night's homework which led into a discussion of our second method of solving systems: substitution (answers here: U6 revision solutions.pdf). We finished by going over homework questions.

__HW:__
 * p. 329/10-12, 14-16, 19-21
 * Revise for Friday's quiz

=Monday, January 26, 2009= We began class with the following: After discussing the previous semester and advice for the coming semester, we paused for a moment to appreciate the chance to begin again, to have a fresh start. We then began Unit 7 with a look at the exam scaling and how this is an example of a system of equations. We ended with a couple of examples of solving systems of equations by graphing.
 * 1) Look over your final exam- are there any mistakes in marking?
 * 2) Look at your Quarter 2, Midterm Exam, and Semester [|grades in Powerschool]- are there any mistakes in my calculations? Keep in mind that this is not necessarily your final grade, but if reflects my raw calculations up to this point.
 * 3) Take [|this very short survey] reflecting on the first semester.
 * 4) Form a group of three or four, and [|give your advice to a new student].

__HW:__
 * Take a look back over your Course Outline (course_methodology.pdf) in preparation for your fresh start to the semester.
 * Skim over the Key Skills for Unit 6 on p. 310-312 (except for Lesson 6.4- the key skill here is graphing, not domain and range). Come prepared on Wednesday with questions on anything you don't feel 100% comfortable with.
 * p. 323/4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 29, 30, 46-48, 52-55

=Thursday, January 15, 2009= We began class with a brief look at the Supercorrections follow up/homework quiz- because of the snow days, it was only a practice quiz. We spent the remainder of the class revising for the midterm.

__HW:__
 * Revise for the midterm. For details, view the study guide here.
 * Because of the snow days, you will only need to have the first two assignments from Unit 6 ready to be handed in with your midterm: p. 280/15-35 odd; 36-40, 43-46 & p. 286/31-65 odd; 67, 69, 71. Please finish up the remainder for after midterms- they will be due at the end of the first week back.

=Tuesday, January 13, 2009= We discussed the inequality homework and took notes on compound inequalities and absolute values. We finished with work time.

__HW:__
 * Revise for Thursday's quiz- come pick up your graded Supercorrections and be sure to revise them as well!
 * Finish homework listed on January 9th

=Friday, January 9, 2009= We began class with an introduction of Unit 6. We have 2 more days till the end of the semester and final exams! Here's the plan: since there isn't a lot of time, I'm going to give you __//all// the problems__ which you should be able to do from Unit 6 so you can work on those during the next several days. Instead of a test, this material will be on the midterm exam. We finished class discussing questions on the Supercorrections.

__HW for Unit 6__:
 * Supercorrections due Tuesday, 1/13
 * p. 280/15-35 odd; 36-40, 43-46
 * p. 286/31-65 odd; 67, 69, 71
 * p. 293/19-39 odd
 * p. 305/19-53 odd (Two web sites which may help explain absolute values, [|SoS-Math] & [|Purplemath]) Note: there's only one "trick" question of absolute values and it's explained at the bottom of the Purplemath page ... hint, hint.
 * p. 299/graph 37-47 odd

=December 22, 2008- changed to January 5, 2009 due to snow day...= Today was test day. Homework packets were collected. After the test, the problems below were worked on.

HW:
 * Hopefully none if you finish these problems in class: read p. 236-239 and do p. 241/13-27 odd

=December 18, 2008= Today was a work day- we spent the period working on the lines revision packet. The period was used productively: asking questions of the sub, helping out friends, making the connections, etc.

HW:
 * Finish the revision packet (extra copy available here: U5 revision problems.pdf) if necessary- answers are available here U5 revision problems solutions.pdf
 * Make sure you know everything on the line summary sheet: U5_line_summary.pdf
 * Organize your homework and staple on the cover page
 * Do some more practice on the [|class quiz website]- go to level 10 and be sure to select only lines. Do x-intercepts, graphing, and formulas.
 * For further explanations of graphing topics, check out these great pages from Purple Math: [|slope], [|slope and graphing], [|basic equation graphing by making a table], [|intercepts], [|slope-intercept form, point-slope form, and parallel & perpendicular lines].

=December 16, 2008= We began class by discussing the homework reading on parallel and perpendicular lines and worked on the practice problems for the unit. We finished with the homework quiz on lines- [|here] is the computer part.

HW:
 * p. 262/17, 19, 27, 31, 37, 46-55, 58-61, 79, 81
 * Keep working on your lines- the test is Monday!

=December 10, 2008= We began class by practicing with the Point Slope form of a line. We then practiced some more line graphing [|here]. We corrected homework and the quiz and then began work on our six page handout of review problems. It will not be due until test day- we will continue to work on it in class.

HW:
 * Read Ch. 5.6 p. 258-260 on Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
 * Do [|this quiz].
 * Homework quiz on Thursday- correct your old lines homework!

=December 8, 2008= We began class with the homework quiz. Those who finished early did a little practice [|here] (make your own ten question quiz with X-intercepts, graphing, and formulas). We then went over graphing lines some more using [|the graphing applet]. We corrected the homework and then learned about the third form of a line: point-slope form. We used these notes: U5 point slope notes.pdf.

__HW__:
 * p. 256/21, 25, 29, 31, 37, 39
 * p. 250/25, 29, 31
 * Do [|this quiz].

=December 4, 2008= We began class with a warm up in groups with [|these ten questions]. We then went over the homework and took notes on vertical and horizontal lines and the standard form of lines. We used [|the graphing applet] again. We finished class with an individual quiz on [|these ten questions].

__HW__:
 * p. 249/39-45 odd, 62-66
 * p. 256/17, 23, 33, 35, 41, 43-47
 * Review Unit 4 and December 2nd homework in preparation for Monday's quiz

=December 2, 2008= We began class by [|running a few laps] to get our heads back into graphing in a coordinate plane. We then took notes on slope using [|this applet]. We practiced with some of the p. 231 homework problems. We then took some further notes on graphing lines using slope and y-intercept with [|this applet].

__HW__:
 * p. 231/11-41 odd (use the [|slope applet] as you work)
 * p. 249/13-23 odd, 33-37 odd, 51, 55, 56 (use the [|graphing applet] as you work)

=November 21, 2008= We began class by collecting homework. We then spent the remainder of class finishing up [|the project].

__HW__:
 * As long as your project is finished... none!

=November 19, 2008= We began class by going over the homework. We then went through Parts 3 and 4 of [|the project] together and discussing how to finish the project next class. We ended class with the homework quiz over 4.1-4.3.

__HW__:
 * p. 199/9-11, 16-18
 * p. 205/7, 29, 31
 * Finish Part 3 of your project and be ready to do Part 4 and Part 5 next class
 * Organize your homework- staple it to the cover page to be handed in next class

=November 17, 2008= We began class with the Supercorrections quiz over Units 2 & 3. We then went over homework and took notes on mean, median, mode, and range. We ended class by typing our surveys and putting them on the Discussion tab of this Wikispaces page.

__HW__:
 * p. 190/15, 17, 25, 27, 35, 37, 45, 50, 56
 * Collect survey data by asking people to complete your survey (post it on this page if you haven't already done so)
 * Take several other people's surveys by going to the Discussion tab on this page
 * Homework quiz on 4.1-4.3 on Wednesday

=November 13, 2008= After collecting Supercorrections, we went over homework and then explored probability by rolling dice and simulating rolling dice on graphics calculators and spreadsheets. We finished with a brief look at our [|statistics project].

__HW__:
 * p. 183/13-27 odd
 * Read over the Statistics Project [|here] and write your survey questions on a piece of paper
 * Look over your Unit 2 & 3 Supercorrections so that you are ready for Monday's quiz

=November 10, 2008= We worked on the Supercorrections, went over homework, and then we learned how to solve percentage problems using proportions and algebra.

__HW__:
 * p. 176/23-41 odd, 49-63 odd, 69, 71, 72, 73, 75, 83, 85
 * Work on Supercorrections (due Thursday)

=November 6, 2008= We worked on the Supercorrections and then we learned how to solve proportions problems using algebra.

__HW__:
 * p. 168/15-45 third column, 47, 49, 51
 * Work on Supercorrections (due next Thursday)

=November 4, 2008= We took the test. Time was given to begin Supercorrections.

__HW__:
 * Begin your Supercorrections. They will be due next Thursday.

=Halloween, 2008= Today was our revision day. We began by going over the homework. Those who needed to correct old homework did so, and everyone had their unit homework graded for the final homework grade of the quarter. Those who needed to correct old Supercorrections did so as well. The rest of the time was spent working on the revision problems below.

__HW__:
 * Finish p. 156/1-65 odd if necessary (bring to the test on Monday)
 * Study for the test on Tuesday- go through your old homework and notes. Let's minimize those Supercorrections!
 * Bring any IOU's you'd like to use this quarter to class on Tuesday.

=October 29, 2008= We began class by going over the quiz. We then discussed the previous two homework assignments- p. 139 & p. 145. We finished with a lesson on literal equations and had time to work on homework in class.

__HW__:
 * p. 151/19-35 odd
 * Organize Unit 3 homework and staple to cover page for final homework grade of 1st quarter
 * Test Monday on Unit 3

=October 27, 2008= Mr. O'Brien will not be in class today, so here's the schedule:
 * 1) Take quiz.
 * 2) Go over homework- Mr. Nystrom will help.
 * 3) Wonderful lesson on equation solving from Mr. Nystrom.
 * 4) Work on homework.

__HW__:
 * p. 145/13-41 odds, 45

=October 23, 2008= Mr. O'Brien will not be in class today, so here's the schedule:
 * 1) [|Run some laps]. Whoever gets the most in ten minutes wins the extra credit IOU.
 * 2) Go over homework- Mr. Nystrom will help.
 * 3) Wonderful lesson on equation solving from Mr. Nystrom.
 * 4) Work on homework.

__HW__:
 * p. 139/15-35 odd
 * Redo old homework problems that have mistakes
 * Review homework 3.1-3.3 for the quiz Monday

=October 21, 2008= We spent some more time on Supercorrections. We then went over homework, and then spent the rest of the lesson working on equation practice.

__HW__:
 * p. 127/20-50 column 1, 53-59 all
 * p. 133/13-49 column 1, 53, 55
 * Finish Supercorrections by Wednesday at 2:15

=October 17, 2008= We began class by working on Supercorrections. We spoke about the importance of taking responsibility for our own learning- it all starts with homework! We finished class with notes on solving equations.

__HW__:
 * p. 119/19-61 first column (solve at least 5 by showing your algebra steps- the rest can be solved by guess and check).
 * Work on Supercorrections (due by Wed. 2:15)

=October 10, 2008= We took the test. Time was given to begin Supercorrections.

__HW__:
 * Pick up your tests after 12:55 on Tuesday, 10/14 and begin your Supercorrections. They will be due next week.

=October 8, 2008= We began class by [|running some laps]. We then corrected the quiz and went over homework. We worked on a practice chapter assessment. Those who finished early worked on organizing homework and preparing for the test.

__HW__:
 * Finish p. 106/1-61 odd and the practice chapter assessment if necessary (be sure to check answers)
 * Organize your homework- make sure each assignment is completely checked and corrected. The grading rubric is available here: [|hw_policy.pdf]. Put oldest homework on top- be sure your SAT tests are finished!
 * Study hard for Friday's test- redo your quizzes, check over your homework errors, [|run some laps]!

=October 6, 2008= Today was the NWEA testing. Those who finished early started on the revision assignment below.

__HW__:
 * Begin your revision assignment: p. 106/1-61 odd (this will also be your homework on Wednesday, so you only need to do half tonight).

=October 2, 2008= We began class with homework questions. We then took the quiz. When we finished, we spent a little time working on the next [|SAT Quiz] (Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability Practice Quiz #1). We finished with some notes on multiplying and dividing with algebraic expressions.

__HW__:
 * p. 101/17-47 odd, 50-54
 * No class on Monday due to NWEA testing- Unit 2 test will be next Friday.
 * Finish Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability Practice Quiz #1 (click on the Practice Quizzes tab) on the [|SAT practice site] by test day.

=September 30, 2008= We began class by [|running some laps]. We then corrected the quiz and went over homework. We took notes on adding and subtracting like terms (using p. 92/5-11 as our examples) and then ended with some time to practice with the homework.

__HW__:
 * p. 92/5-11, 21-45 odd, 50, 51
 * Quiz Thursday on Unit 2 homework through 9/30
 * Make sure both you have scores for both [|SAT tests online] and that you've shared your grading spreadsheet on [|Google Docs] with obrienbluester@gmail.com

=September 26, 2008= We started class with the quiz. We went over the homework, and then we looked at how we can perform mental math calculations using number properties. This led us to some notes on the Commutative, Associative, and Distributive properties (for another explanation of these properties, go [|here]). We finished by taking a look at the SAT Number and Operations Practice Quiz #1 and spoke a bit about the SAT in general. We began work on Number and Operations Practice Quiz #2.

__HW__:
 * p. 86/13-21 odds, 23-25, 32-37
 * Quiz Thursday on Unit 2 homework through 9/30
 * Finish Number and Operations Practice Quiz #2 (click on the Practice Quizzes tab) on the [|SAT practice site] if necessary.

=September 24, 2008= We started by doing Number and Operations Practice Quiz #1 (click on the Practice Quizzes tab) on the [|SAT practice site]. We then corrected the homework and did the Activity on page 73-74 of our text. This led to our notes on multiplying and dividing real numbers- including reciprocals and division by zero.

__HW__:
 * p. 78/19-59 odd, 60-63, 66 (do not use a calculator for these)
 * Finish Number and Operations Practice Quiz #1 (click on the Practice Quizzes tab) on the [|SAT practice site] if necessary.
 * Make sure your [|first quarter grades spreadsheet] is correct (see Mr. O'Brien if unsure), be sure it is named **R1 YOUR LAST NAME Quarter 1 Grades**, and then click the Share tab and share it with obrienbluester@gmail.com.
 * Quiz Friday on Unit 2 homework through 9/22

=September 22, 2008= We began class by [|logging into the SAT site]. We went over the homework, reviewed number types, and then took some notes on subtraction (which is of course just addition of opposites!). We then explored how to use spreadsheets to calculate our quarter grades (see [|this example] and then get started by [|clicking here]) and finished with some SAT revision.

__HW__:
 * p. 71/16-44 left column, 46-58, 64 (do not use a calculator for these)
 * Finish your grade spreadsheet (if necessary), check it against the grade on [|Powerschool], and bring back signed for an extra responsibility point
 * Quiz Friday on Unit 2 homework through 9/22

=September 18, 2008= We began class with a bit more time for Supercorrections. We then did a number ordering exercise and read the following explanations of [|whole and natural numbers], [|integers], [|rational numbers], and [|irrational numbers]. We took notes on signed number addition. We used money as our example, and we used [|this demonstration] to learn how we can always use chips to help us answer signed number questions. We finished by [|taking a look at the SAT].

__HW__:
 * Finish Supercorrections- they will be due by 2:15 Friday afternoon.
 * Do [|these ten problems] and print out for homework.
 * p. 65/20-53 middle column, 55-58, 64-66 (do not use a calculator for these)

=September 16, 2008= We learned how to do Supercorrections and worked on them. Those who finished early helped others, and then we all signed up for [|SAT practice accounts]. We took some brief notes on opposites and absolute values.

__HW__:
 * Work on Supercorrections- they will be due by 2:15 Friday afternoon.
 * p. 58/13-51 odd
 * Be sure you can access Google Docs (test by clicking [|here])

=September 12, 2008= Today we took the test. Those who finished early [|ran some laps]. When everyone finished, we learned about Supercorrections.

__HW__:
 * Come to Mr. O'Brien's classroom at 2:15 Monday afternoon to collect your test. Spend one hour on your Supercorrections before Tuesday's class. They will be due by 2:15 next Friday afternoon.

=September 10, 2008= Today was our revision day before the test next class. We began class by running a few laps. We then practiced our puzzle solving skills with leaping frogs and looked for patterns in the puzzle. We corrected the quiz in class and linked each question back to a homework problem from p. 8. We spent some time correcting the homework due today and revising the triumvirate- **graphs**, **tables**, **equations**. We worked on this order of operations puzzle in groups, and ended with an order of operations Bingo game.

__HW__:
 * p. 46/1-8, 13-21, 25, 29 [be sure to check and correct each problem *before* test day]
 * Organize your homework- make sure each assignment is completely checked and corrected. The grading rubric is available here: [|hw_policy.pdf].
 * Come to the test relaxed, prepared, and with your homework, a pencil and a calculator.

=September 8, 2008= We began class with the quiz. We then discussed the homework from last class and finished with notes on graphing. Important vocabulary included coordinate plane, origin, axes, and quadrants. We practiced plotting points using [|Billy Bug]. We also worked with three examples converting between tables and graphs and equations and back again.

__HW__:
 * Unit 1 Test Friday on Chapter 1 in text (excluding 1.6)
 * p. 27/27-33 odd, 39
 * p. 34/9, 13-21 odd, 30, 36-39, 45, 46

=September 4, 2008= We began class with [|this problem]. It led to a discussion of order of operations, expressions, and equations. We then finished discussing the Course Methodology and went over the homework from p. 8. We discussed the order of operations further and took notes (for additional review, take a look at [|this website] from class). We then used [|this applet] to further practice with order of operations- the applet helped to reinforce the idea of equality of expressions which is so key in algebra.

__HW__:
 * Quiz Monday on section 1.1
 * p. 16/11-21 odd, 37-39
 * p. 21/[19-41 odd- show steps], 43-47 odd, 51, 53, 63, 64

=September 2, 2008= We began class with the homework quiz. Following the quiz, we went over the Course Methodology and discussed expectations for class. We then began examining some sequences of numbers to find patterns. We explored first and second differences and saw how they could help us make predictions for number sequences. We finished with a look at the textbook and talked about how to format homework assignments.

__HW__:
 * p. 8/ 12-15, 20, 21, 32, 36-39 (without a calculator)

=Thursday, August 28th= We thought about the following...

For each of the following problems, first estimate an answer and then try to calculate an answer using your mathematical skills. If you're interested in how we name large numbers, [|click here].
 * 1) When was one million seconds ago? How about one billion seconds ago? For more on this problem, [|click here].
 * 2) If a piece of paper could be folded in half fifty times, how high would the stack of paper be? For more on this problem, [|click here].
 * 3) Suppose a string were tied tight around the earth. If one additional meter were added to the string, and the string was lifted the same distance off the surface of the earth, how high would it rise? For more on this problem, [|click here].

__HW__:
 * Explore this class website- it would be a good idea to bookmark it.
 * Create a Google Account by going [|here] (you do not need to use Gmail, but you will need a Google Account for some class activities this year)
 * Cover your text book.
 * Read the course methodology and come to class prepared to discuss it (a copy is available on the home page).
 * You will have a quiz next class on the above- be prepared!
 * Give the parent/guardian letter to your parent/guardian (a copy is available on the home page).
 * Please complete this [|student information sheet] (plan on spending about half an hour on this- I would like some thought on some of the questions).