Tuesday

Sixth Grade

Today, the class took a test and began working on Lesson 22. Equal groups. Remember, you must illustrate the problem! For example, if your problem is: 2/5 of $3.50, you would draw a rectangle and divide it into 5 pieces. (the 5 comes from the bottom of the fraction). Then to determine how much is in each piece, divide $3.50 by 5. That is 70 cents. Since you want to know 2/5, you would add 70 cents and 70 cents (2 of the groups). The answer would be $1.40.

Seventh Grade

Spelling - Second two pages of Unit 6. Remember, the test is on Thursday this week!

Vocabulary - Unit 3 was due today. The test for Unit 3 is Thursday. Be sure you are studying!

Literature - The class took a Selection Test over "A Boy and A Man" today. No homework!

Math - Lesson 2-5. #2-15 and #28-29. These are basically the same as the addition problems. Remember, to get the variable by itself, you must get rid of whatever is on the same side with it. To do this, you have to do the opposite of what is happening. So if you have an equation like this: m - 3 = 5, since 3 is being subtracted from m, you would add 3 to get rid of it (-3 + 3 = 0). Then add 3 to the other side. That gives you 8. Scroll down to yesterday's examples for more help. I think everyone really understood today and most students finished. If you need more help, email me or ask tomorrow.

Eighth Grade

Today, we just reviewed for the test which will be tomorrow! Please go over your answers again and make sure you understand how to solve the problems. If you were absent, scroll back to yesterday's post and you will see the answers to the practice test! Check your work and let me know if you don't know why you missed them.

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Monday

Sixth Grade

Today, the class worked through a test review. There is a test tomorrow, so be sure you are going over the review and that you understand all the questions! There is no other homework.

Seventh Grade

Spelling - Unit 6. First two pages. This is a review unit. You will have to complete the entire unit. There is no challenge page with a review. The unit will be due on Thursday. Each student circled the words that will be on the test on Thursday, so be sure you are studying!

Vocabulary - Unit 3 is due tomorrow! Please make sure you are getting it completed. There will be a test on Thursday.

Literature - Two worksheets over "A Boy and a Man". For the Vocabulary Check, make sure you are looking in the book for the definitions. There will be a Selection Test over the story tomorrow.

Grammar - Measurement abbreviations. pp. 300-302. Exercise A, B, and DWS. Follow the instructions for each.

Math - Lesson 2-3. #2-21 ALL. Remember, you will get credit for showing the work in the way that I showed you in class as well as for the answer.

For example:

If you have the problem: n + 3 = 20, you would write the equation down on your paper. Draw a line down the middle of the equals sign (this is optional). Then, since the 3 is being added to n, you get rid of it by subtracting 3 from both sides. That is your second row and it must look like that. I know that right now you can probably tell what the answer is, but it will really be helpful when the equations get a lot harder to have this pattern down. Then, cross off the +3 and the -3 underneath it because that would equal 0. You are left with just the n on the left side. After subtracting 3 from the right side, you will have as your answer 17. Be sure that all your problems have the same steps.

Another kind of problem looks like this:


Here, you have the problem n + (-2) = 10. Since you are adding (-2) to the n, you get rid of it by subtracting (-2). Do that to both sides and you have the second row. (My blue mark covered up the - on the left side, but it does show -(-2) there). Now you can cancel the + (-2) and the - (-2) on the left side and all you have left is the n. On the right side, you notice that you have "minus a negative" so you change that to "plus a positive" and add 10 +2 for your answer.

I know there will be other kinds of problems on your assignment. Do your best and I will answer as many questions as I can tomorrow.

Eighth Grade

Practice Test for Chapter 1. This is in your practice book. You are doing all the test except #22-24 and #35-36. I am posting the answers to the practice test here. Please check your answers against these and if you don't understand why you missed them, be sure to ask about it tomorrow. They are a little fuzzy because of the resizing in my blog program, but if you click on the picture, it is very easy to read.

Thursday

Sixth Grade

Lesson 20. Finding Great Common Factor. To find the GCF, list all the factors of the numbers and then choose the biggest number in BOTH lists. For example, to find the GCF of 16 and 24. You would list the factors of 16 - 1,2,4,8,16 and 24 - 1,2,3,4,6,8,12,24. Notice that both lists have the number 8 in them. That is the biggest number in both lists so it is the GCF.

Seventh Grade

**PROGRESS REPORTS WERE SENT HOME TODAY!! PLEASE GET THEM SIGNED AND BROUGHT BACK TOMORROW!!!!

Spelling - Challenge page. Remember, the entire unit is due tomorrow! Also, be sure you are studying the words for the test.

Math - Worksheet with distributive property and like terms. For combining like terms, remember that you identify which terms are "alike" meaning, they have the exact same variables or they are just constant numbers. Then, combine the coefficients. For example:

2a + 3 - 5a + 8. Here, the 2a and the 5a are "alike". Since 5a has a minus sign in front of it, remember to use that and say to yourself, "2a - 5a", then think "2-5" which is -3. So you have -3a. Now, combine the constant terms: the 3 and the 8. Since 3 and 8 both have plus signs in front, they are both positive. 3+8 = 11. So, now you have -3a + 11. That's it! Remember, you CANNOT combine two terms unless they have the exact same variable. Since the 11 doesn't have it's own "a", you can't add it to the -3a.

For the ones with parentheses in them, you will be using distributive property and combining like terms. For example: 2a(3 -5b) - 8. Here, you have to distribute the "2a" to both things in parenthesis - the 3 and the -5b. First, multiply 2a by 3 = 6a. Then multiply 2a by -5b = -10ab. Now you have: 6a -10ab - 8. Since no terms have the exact same variables, you are done!

Another example would look like this: -3(5y - 8) + 10. Here, you would multiply the -3 by the 5y to get -15y. Then multiply the -3 by the -8 to get +24. (remember, the sign in front of a number goes with it...so you can think of the 8 as negative). Now you have, -15y + 24 +10. You can add the 24 and 10 because they are both constants. The final answer is -15y + 34. You cannot combine these because 34 doesn't have it's own "y".

Complete the worksheet for tomorrow!

Eighth Grade

Lesson 1-14. Order of Operations. #2-25. Remember the order.

Brackets
Parentheses
Exponents
Multiplication or Division
Addition or Subtraction

The key is to remember that you multiply OR divide, whichever is first from left to right. So if you see, 25 divided by (-5)(-3). You would do the 25 divided by (-5) first! That would be -5 which you would then multiply by -3 to get +15. Take your time and make sure you are not blowing off any signs!

Don't forget to return your progress reports tomorrow. If you don't, they are getting mailed to your house!

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Tuesday

Sixth Grade

Today, the class did not have a regular lesson. Everyone seemed to be struggling with measuring so I printed out some extra practice on a worksheet. Also, I wrote 5 lengths on the board and the students need to draw lines that measure each length. After completing that, do Supplemental lesson 16. You can find this at the back of your textbook.

Seventh Grade

Spelling - Work the second two pages in the book.

Vocabulary - We read through the words for Unit 3 today. The assignment is to write 10 sentences using the words. The cards will be due on Monday and the unit will be due on Tuesday.

Literature - The class took a Selection Test over "Ransom of Red Chief" today.

Grammar - pg. 300. Complete the Exercise and the DWS on THIS page only! Follow instructions. (Most students finished in class.)

Math - Lesson 2-1. Work the front page only of the lesson.
Here are a few examples:

Eighth Grade

Today, we continued working with powers of exponents. Do #3-39 evens from Lesson 1-13. Look back at yesterday's examples for help. And remember, do not leave negative exponents! Also, everything inside a parenthesis is being raised to the exponent that is on the outside.

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Monday

Sixth Grade

Lesson 18 - Finding the average of a group of numbers. Remember, if you are going to find the average, add the numbers up and then divide the answer by how many numbers you added. So, if you want to find the average of 20, 22, 25, and 33, add them up. It equals 100. Then divide by 4 since there were 4 numbers. The average is 25. If you need to find the number halfway between two numbers, just find the average of them. Add the two numbers and divide by 2.

Seventh Grade

Spelling - Unit 5. First two pages. You will be completing the entire unit this week, so make sure you are working on it each night.

Literature - Worksheet for "Ransom of Red Chief". Remember to use complete sentences when writing the conflicts and resolutions. Tomorrow, you will be taking the Selection Test over the story. Remember to be thinking about the essay question! You will write about a character who does not act like what you would think based on stereotypes. You will also write about a character who seems realistic at first, but whose behavior is exaggerated.

Grammar - Abbreviations. pp. 295-297 Exercises A & B and DWS. Follow instructions for exercise A. Write the date and abbreviation on exercise B and follow instructions for DWS.

Math - Lesson 2-1

Writing expressions. Remember, if the wording says "more than" or "less than" the number that is more or less than goes AT THE END. For example, the phrase "two more than a number" would be written in MATH as "n+2". Another example would be, "five less than three times a number". This would be "3n-5". Also, if you have one like this: "twelve times the sum of a number and negative three" you have 12 being multiplied by THE SUM. So you have to show the SUM in parentheses and then the 12 being multiplied by the parentheses. It would look like this: 12(n+ -3). This shows that you have to find the sum first before multiplying by 12. So, if it asks for something multiplied or divided by a SUM or DIFFERENCE, you must show the adding or subtracting in parentheses first.

Part of the problems will have you write it in English from the math symbols. For example:
2n + 5 would be written as "twice a number plus five" or "two times a number increased by five" or "five more than double a number". There will be several correct ways to write it. Just be sure that if something is in parenthesis, you say the sum or difference of the numbers inside. For example: 3(5n-7) would be written as "three times THE DIFFERENCE between five times a number and 7. You are to work all the problems on the front page and evens on the back. (except for the Test Preparation problems at the bottom.)

Eighth Grade

Lesson 1-13. Power of Exponents. Today, we learned how to raise a power to a power. Remember, if an exponent doesn't have ITS OWN number, then you multiply it by other exponents. I will do several examples. In the following problem, everything inside the parenthesis is being raised to the fifth power. That means that you have three to the fifth power too. Since the 5 doesn't have it's own number, but is outside a parenthesis, it is more powerful, so it multiplies by the other exponents. Since the number 3 doesn't have an exponent, you just say three to the fifth power.



In the following example, everything inside the parenthesis is being raised to the negative second power. First, you would multiply all exponents by negative 2. Since the -3 has its own exponent, you will multiply negative 2 times 2 to get -3 to the negative fourth. Notice that the -3 isn't in it's own parenthesis. That means that really only the 3 is being raised to the negative fourth power. The negative sign in front of it isn't. Continue multiplying the exponents to get the second row. Now, since you have two things to a negative power, these will need to be moved to the denominator while you change the exponents to positive exponents. The m to the fourth stays on top because it isn't a negative exponent. The -3 moves and changes to a positive 4 exponent. (the negative in front of the three DOES NOT change.) Once you have all positive exponents, you can then work out any numbers. -3 to the fourth power is -81. The reason it isn't positive is because the negative is NOT included in being multiplied four times. It would look like this: -(3x3x3x3).


There are other kinds of problems in your book, but these basics should give you quite a bit of help. Remember, do NOT leave any negative exponents! Simplify until you have ALL positive exponents! You are working the evens on the front side of the lesson.

See you tomorrow,

Mrs. Swickey

Thursday

Sixth Grade

Today, the class took Test 2. Lesson 16 was also assigned and is due tomorrow!

Seventh Grade

Spelling - Unit 4 is due tomorrow! Be sure you have everything completed, except the Vocabulary Connections pages.

Literature - Read "Ransom of Red Chief". You will need to have the story read and the questions at the end answered by Monday. The questions are: Thinking About the Selection #1-8. Critical Thinking and Reading #1-5 and Analyzing Literature #1-2.

Math - The class took a test today over Chapter 1. Also, each student got a "Mystery Picture" to complete on graph paper. Please finish it and I will hang them up in the hallway!

Eighth Grade

Lesson 1-12 #2-54 evens.

For this lesson, you will be using the same skills from the last two assignments. Please scroll back through my blog posts to Tuesday's explanation and last Thursday's explanation. Also, there is some information on last Wednesday's post in the 7th grade section that could be helpful.

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Wednesday

Sixth Grade

The class will take Test 2 tomorrow. Today, we worked through the Practice Test. There is no homework tonight. Lesson 16 will be assigned tomorrow!

Seventh Grade

Spelling - 2nd two pages.

Vocabulary - There is a test over unit 2 tomorrow! We did not have time to review the words or idioms today so be sure you are studying tonight!

Grammar - There was a test today over Capitalization. No homework!

Math - Today, we worked on the Practice Test for Chapter 1. Please finish the practice test and we will go over those answers before you take the test tomorrow.

Eighth Grade

Because most of the students who have been absent, were back today, I spent the class period teaching them the last few concepts. The rest of the class completed a fun "mystery picture" using graph paper. There is no new homework today. If you have been absent, you must complete the missed assignments quickly or you will not understand the new material coming up.

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Tuesday

Sixth Grade

Lesson 15 - Equal Groups Stories: Sometimes you will have word problems that use multiplication or division to solve. These are equal groups. For example:

There are 12 classrooms for 6th grade at Hidden Springs Middle School. There are 2526th graders and each classroom has the same number of students. How many students are in each classroom? Remember, you multiply as follows:

number in each group x the number of groups = total in all

Since you only know the number of groups and the total, and the question is asking you for how many students "in each classroom" you don't have the "in each" number.

N x 12 = 252

So, you would divide 252 by 12 = 21

For the label, go back to the question. "How many students..." so your answer is 21 students.

Tomorrow, we will do the practice test and on Thursday you will have Test 2.

Seventh Grade

Spelling - First two pages. You will NOT have the Vocabulary Connections pages this week, but you still must do the Challenge page!

Vocabulary - Unit 2 is due tomorrow! Also, you need to study for the vocab. test.

Literature - We began reading "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry today. It is a funny story!

Grammar - Tomorrow, there is a test over Chapter 19 - capitalization.

Math - Lesson 1-11. (Thanks for catching my error, Veronica!) Do the entire lesson! The lesson reviews the coordinate plane which the class learned last year. The only new information was in labeling the quadrants. Remember, start with the upper right section of the graph, that is quadrant 1, and go counter-clockwise (to the left). Use your source book for more information!

8th Grade

Today, we continued working with exponents. The assignment is a worksheet focusing on one skill - negative exponents and how to simplify expressions with them.

For example:

What is happening in the above problem is 2 is being raised to the "negative third" power. You do not simplify this by multiplying 2 by -3. You must change the exponent into a positive exponent before simplifying. How you do this, is you find the reciprocal of whatever is being raised to the negative power. Since that is 2, the first step is to change 2 into it's reciprocal, 1/2. The negative exponent moves to the denominator with the number and changes into a positive 3. Now you can simplify. Since 2x2x2=8, the answer is 1/8.

If the negative exponent was in the denominator you would move it up to the numerator.
Since the negative exponent is in the denominator, you would do the reciprocal of 1/2 and change it to 2 (moving the 2 and the exponent to the numerator) and change the negative 4 to a positive 4. Now you can simplify. 2x2x2x2=16 so that is your answer! What happened to the 1 in the numerator? It moved to the denominator and 16/1 = 16.

Sometimes the problem will involve variables. Remember, you move whatever is being raised to a negative power.


Here, there is a variable with a negative exponent in both the numerator and denominator. Since x to the negative 2 is on top, it moves to the bottom and the exponent changes to a positive 2. The same happens to the y. It moves to the top and it's exponent changes to a positive 3. You can't simplify this any further so that is your answer!

Here's another kind:

What happened here is that because the two variables are the same, we add the exponents first. Since -3 + 5 = 2, then your exponent is a positive 2. There is no need to move anything to the denominator.

There are other kinds on the worksheet, but do the best you can and ask tomorrow if you have questions!

You are doing #7-34.

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

Thursday

Sixth Grade

Lesson 14 - The Number Line and Negative Numbers. Remember, if you have a smaller number minus a larger number, the answer will be negative. Think about the number line. When you subtract, you move to the left on the number line. If you move to left and pass zero, you are then in negative numbers. For instance, 4-9 means that you start at 4 and move to the left 9 places. You'd land at -5.

Seventh Grade

Vocabulary - Cards are due Tuesday and the unit is due Wednesday! Don't wait until the last minute to finish the unit!

Grammar - DWS at the bottom of page 288. You are doing the DWS with the letter! Don't forget the words that should be capitalized.

Math - Lesson 1-10. Order of Operations. PEMDAS - Parenthesis, exponents, (multiplication and division), (addition and subtraction)

Don't forget to follow the correct order!

If you had this:

5 x (-3 x 2) - [4 + (6÷2)]

You would do what is in the brackets first - and inside the brackets, you have to do the 6 divided by 2. So you would have 4 +3 inside the brackets, which is 7. Now, you simplify the (-3x2) to get (-6). Now you multiply that by 5. You are left with -30 - 7, which is the same as -30 + -7. Add and keep the same sign: -37.

If you have a division problem before a multiplication, do it first:

6÷3x2 means you divide 6 by 3 first and then multiply by 2. The answer would be 4.

8th Grade

Exponents Worksheet

The rule is when you are multiplying and the variable is the same, you ADD the exponents. When you are dividing, you SUBTRACT the exponents.

Here, you would multiply the constant numbers 3 times 4. Then, you combine the two x's and the two y's by ADDING the exponents. Think about this:
AND



So, you just add the exponents together:


The final answer is:




One other problem would involve division:


Here, you would divide the constant numbers, 42 divided by 6 = 7

Then, you subtract the exponents of the same variables:


I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday!

See you on Tuesday,

Mrs. Swickey

Wednesday

I'm posting a little later because I wrote out several examples for 7th and 8th grade math. I hope they help!

6th Grade

Lesson 13 - More word problems. Larger-Smaller Difference. This is where you a word problem where it's asking you what the difference is between two numbers. For example: There are 68 cats and 24 dogs at the shelter. How many more cats are there? That means you'd just subtract the larger number minus the smaller number: 68-24=44 more cats

Later-Earlier difference problems involve time. Remember to think about your answer! Does it make sense? For example: Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 and died in 1826. How old was he when he died? Take the later date and subtract the earlier date: 1826-1743=83 years old. If it is asking about a person's age and you get an answer like 212 years, you've most likely made a mistake! Think about the answer.

7th Grade

Spelling - Remember, the test is tomorrow because we are out of school on Friday! Finish the unit except for the Vocabulary Connections pages and be sure to do the Challenge page. Then STUDY!

Grammar - Capitalizing titles of things, school courses, and capitalizing in letters: pp. 286-288 Exercise A, B, and DWS. Also do the Exercise on page 288. You do not have to do the DWS that has you write a letter. We will do that tomorrow!

Math - Lesson 1-9 #2-20 ALL and #22-34 even. Remember, if it is asking for exponential form, write the answer with exponents: 3x3x3x3 would be 3 to the fourth power. (-3)(-3)(-3) would be (-3) to the third power. Remember, if the number being repeated is negative each time, then you MUST put the number in parenthesis. If it isn't, like this: -(8x8x8x8x8) then you would write -(8) to the fifth power or just -8 to the fifth power, but you would NOT include the negative in the parenthesis because the number being multiplied 5 times is just 8, not -8.

For evaluating, you are writing the number in standard form. For example, -3 to the third power would mean: -(3x3x3) because only the 3 is to the third power, not the negative. The answer would be -27. If it was (-3) to the fourth power, then you have (-3)(-3)(-3)(-3) and you would get 81. (It isn't negative because the number being multiplied 4 times is (-3). )

For simplifying using the law of exponents, if you have a problem like this:

Because the bases are the same (the 13), you would subtract 8-2 and get 13 to the sixth power. For a problem like this:



The bases are the same (the 14), so just ADD the exponents to get 14 to the 14th power.

8th Grade

Lesson 1-10 #2-56 evens.

I have drawn several examples for you. First is a decimal divided by a decimal:


Now, you also might have a decimal divided by a decimal written like this:
Then, you will have dividing fractions:


Complex fractions are just another way to write a division problem. You would read it from top to bottom. So the following problem would be "negative three eighths divided by two and one fourth". The fraction bar just means divide.

On the second page, you have more complicated problems. Just work inside the parenthesis first and remember the rules for signed numbers for all operations. This one has an addition problem as well as division.


See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Tuesday

6th Grade

The class took their first test today! There was still an assignment though. Lesson 12 is due tomorrow. On the multi-step word problems, just make sure you are understanding what they are asking for. For example: What is the difference of the product of 6 and 2 and the quotient of 6 and 2? You are finding a difference, which means subtract. The two things you will subtract are the product and the quotient. That means you need to find the product - which is 6x2=12 - and the quotient which is 6 divided by 2 = 3. Now find the difference: 12-3=9.

7th Grade

Spelling - Second two pages of Unit 3 are due tomorrow.

Vocabulary - We discussed Unit 2 words today and the sentences with 10 words are due tomorrow. Cards will be due next Tuesday. The unit will be due next Wednesday and the test will be next Thursday.

Grammar - The final draft of your "What Makes Me, Me?" essay is due tomorrow. Be sure to follow all the instructions in the handout I gave you.

Math - We began the next lesson, but didn't have time to finish it. No homework!

8th Grade

Lesson 1-9. #2-46 evens. Remember the rule for multiplying signed numbers: If the signs are the same, the answer is positive. If the signs are different, it's negative. Also, if you have an even number of negative signs, the answer will be positive, if you have an odd number of negative signs, the answer will be negative.

Remember, when you are multiplying two mixed numbers, change the mixed numbers into improper fractions (do the u-turn) before multiplying. For example: 3 1/2 x (-1 3/4) You would need to change the 3 1/2 to 7/2 by multiplying 2 times 3 and adding 1 to get 7 and leaving the 2 as the denominator. Then change (-1 3/4) to (-7/4) the same way. Then cross cancel the two improper fractions: 7/2 x -7/4 You can only cancel the two and the 4 to get 49/2. Since there is one negative sign, the answer is (-49/2 or -24 1/2)

For #32-36, you must do what is in parenthesis first. Follow the rules for adding and subtracting sign numbers though! Take your time. Then multiply by what is on the outside of the parenthesis.

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey