SIXTH GRADE MATH

The class has a worksheet today with more practice adding and subtracting decimals. Please see the blog post from Tuesday for an explanation if you are stuck at all.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

The class is working with exponents today. p70 #9-29. We spent a lot of time in class going over examples, so I think everyone has a good grasp on what to do. Please email me if you need help though!

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

There will be a quiz over land and water forms on Monday. Please study each set. I will not mix up the sets but will expect you to match the words to the definitions within each set. To study for the picture portion of the test, put the land or water form in Google and search images. You will see several examples and that might help you understand what each looks like.

The homework tonight is the Economic Activity map and Bar Graph worksheet. Zaire is no longer a country. It is now known as The Democratic Republic of Congo. Sorry for not remembering that in class!

PRE-ALGEBRA

We practiced in class on exponents, order of operations, and evaluating expressions. The homework is a Reteaching worksheet with 12 problems on it. Tomorrow, we will continue with real numbers.

ALGEBRA I

The assignment today is a crossword puzzle that practices skills for translating expressions.

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today's assignment is multiplying decimals. p40 #1-21. This isn't due until Friday. I will be gone in the afternoon tomorrow and the sub will not be collecting today's homework.

Remember, to multiply decimals you do not need to line up the decimal points. Just multiply like they aren't there. When you have your answer count how many numbers are after a decimal point in the problem (the two numbers you multiplied) and then put a decimal point in the answer that many places from the right.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

We began working with exponents today. There is no homework! We did not have enough time to begin in class, so we will wait until tomorrow to begin the assignment.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

We continued taking notes today - discussing different types of water forms (lakes, oceans, bays, etc.). I have postponed the quiz until Monday. We have one more set of water forms to learn tomorrow.

PRE-ALGEBRA

The class learned how to classify numbers today. There is no homework. We didn't have enough time to begin in class, so we will wait until tomorrow to begin the assignment.

ALGEBRA I

The assignment is on p33 #75-92 ALL.

STEM

The class continued redesigning their parachutes today and tested them. While everyone did not have complete success, they all tried and worked very hard to redesign the parachute to be successful.

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today's assignment is adding and subtracting decimals. p34 #8-28. Remember, you just find the sum or difference on every problem. Do not estimate or round!

To add and subtract decimals, remember that you have to line up the decimal points, add decimal points to the end of whole numbers, fill in empty places with zero, and then add or subtract. Please let me know if you get stuck!

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

Today's assignment was a review of all operations with integers. If you are stuck, look back over the blog entries for the last week - the rules for working with integers are there. You can always email me if have problems. Remember, you are doing the evens only on both sides of the worksheet.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

The class took notes over the third set of landforms today. There is no homework.

PRE-ALGEBRA

Today's assignment is a worksheet reviewing the skills from yesterday. You can skip the last problem. It's tricky so we will go over it tomorrow in class. Remember, if you are stuck tonight, scroll down to yesterday's blog post and watch the video!!!!

ALGEBRA I

The assignment today is Properties of Numbers, #32-52 evens and #71-84 ALL. Email me if you run into trouble.

See you all tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today the class learned how to compare and order decimals. The assignment is on p29-30, #7-23. Remember, on #7-9, just write the bigger number down. On #10-15, write the correct symbol. You do not have to write the numbers on those. I will do a short video with a few examples. I also sent home a progress report for the first 1 1/2 weeks. Some students are already getting a little behind with some missing assignments and their average is affected. Parents, please be sure to ask your child for their report. I am expecting anyone with a D or F to have the report signed. Let me know if you have any questions.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

Today, the class played an integer dice game to practice their multiplying and dividing of integers. There is no homework.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

The class took notes on the next set of landforms. The homework for today is the Atlas worksheet.

PRE-ALGEBRA

Today's assignment was over exponents and powers. Do #12-36 evens. I will do a short video with a few examples:

ALGEBRA I

The class took a test today. No homework!

KNITTING

More scarf knitting...everyone is really catching on!

See you tomorrow,

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

On Fridays, the class is always shortened because of House activities. Sometimes we will have time for a new lesson and sometimes we don't. This past Friday, several students had questions on the homework and after we finished those, we played a mental math game. There is no homework!

 

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

On Friday, the homework was p46, #10-30. Multiplying and dividing integers. The rule for multiplying and dividing integers is easy:

If the signs are the same, the answer is POSITIVE.

If the signs are different, the answer is NEGATIVE.

You always multiply or divide the numbers and just follow the above rules for the sign of the answer.

For the word problems at the bottom, you will be finding the vertical speed. Speed is distance divided by time. If the distance is going down, remember that you would write that number as a negative number. So, if a hiker descended 50 feet, his vertical distance is -50 feet.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

The class took notes on landforms. There is no homework!

PRE-ALGEBRA

On Friday, the class worked on an integer assignment with all operations. It was due by the end of class and everyone did very well. No homework!

ALGEBRA I

The first unit test will be Monday. The class reviewed both Thursday and Friday and are now ready for the test.

STEM

Friday, the other two groups tested their parachutes. They were not completely successful, so all will be redesigning and retesting on Wednesday.

See you Monday!

 

Mrs. Swickey

 SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today, the class learned how to write, read, and round decimal numbers. I will do a short video with some examples. The assignment is page 24, #11-20 and #26-34.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

Today the class worked more on adding and subtracting integers. The assignment is #7-27 on page 41. Please let me know if you are stuck!

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

The class worked on their island maps today. If you did not finish at school, you need to finish it at home. Remember, you cannot use markers. You need to use crayons or colored pencils.

PRE-ALGEBRA

The assignment today is to multiply and divide integers. Remember the rule for both:

If the signs are the same, it's POSITIVE.

If the signs are different, it's NEGATIVE.

If you have numbers in parentheses stuck together, you are multiplying. Like this: (-2)(-5)(+5) means -2 times -5 times +5. This would equal 50. -2 times -5 is +10 and +10 times +5 is 50.

ALGEBRA I

Today we began reviewing for the first unit test. The test will be Monday. We will continue reviewing tomorrow. No homework!

KNITTING

The class continued knitting on their scarves today. Everyone is beginning to get the hang of it. Before too long, they will be zooming through their scarves!

See you tomorrow,

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today's assignment is #1-6 on page 21 and then the problems I put on the board for #7-15. Remember, you are just naming the decimal for #1-3. Then put #4-6 from the book on the first row of the 10x10 grids I gave you. #7-15 from the board will go in the rest of the grids. You are modeling decimals with the grids. You are NOT doing #7 from the book.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

We spent the class time going over the rules for integer addition and subtraction. Everyone practiced on the board. I did not assign homework because there wasn't any time left in class to work on it and I didn't want anyone overwhelmed at home. They will have class time to work tomorrow.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

The class wrote down the next set of key terms for Unit 1. The homework tonight is to define this list. The class then worked on making a map of their very own island! They will continue working on them tomorrow.

PRE-ALGEBRA

Today's assignment is worksheet "Reteaching 1-3" - it is extra practice with adding and subtracting integers. Then, choose 10 problems from #1-18 to write a word problem with on the back of your paper. Remember, one of them must be "minus a negative" problem. Here are some examples:

ALGEBRA I

Today, the class worked on multiplying and dividing real numbers. The assignment is p56, #22-84, 104-114 evens. Send me an email if you get stuck!

STEM

Today, the groups continued working on their design and writing about the process. One team successfully tested their parachute! They will have the chance to redesign on Friday to try to improve their time. The slowest parachute will be considered the best.

See you tomorrow,

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today's lesson was over estimation and rounding. The assignment is on pages 10-11,  #11-32. When you are supposed to round, you can round to numbers that are easy to use. The book doesn't specify the place to round to, so you might find it easiest to round to the largest place, but you also might round to the nearest 10. Because rounding is an estimate, there are several reasonable answers. I will be looking for those. You might have a different answer than your classmate, but you could both still have reasonable answers. Here is an example:

322 + 78 + 12 = 300 + 80 + 10 = 390 (rounded to the largest place)

322 + 78 + 12 = 320 + 80 + 10 = 410 (rounded 322 to the nearest 10)

Both would be acceptable. The second answer is closer, but the first is still okay.

For compatible numbers, remember you are trying to find numbers that multiply or divide easily. You won't necessarily round to the closest 10 or 100. For example:

59 divided by 7 could be changed to 56 divided by 7 to get 8. It is better to change just one number, if possible, in order to get the closest estimate.

Here is another example:

107 divided by 11 could be changed to 110 divided by 11 to get 10. You might also round 107 to 100 and 11 to 10 and you would still get 10. Either is acceptable.

Send me an email if you need help! My email is b s w i c k e y AT s c b c s . o r g (remove the spaces and change the AT to the at symbol)

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

Most everyone finished in class. If you still have a few left and are confused since you don't have the tiles, ask tomorrow and I can help you with the tiles.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

Today we talked about the different kind of world map projections. Then I passed out the Atlases. The class began working and an Atlas Activity worksheet to become familiar with the atlas. This is due tomorrow.

PRE-ALGEBRA

Everyone finished the homework in class and then I showed them how to play an integer addition/subtraction dice game.

ALGEBRA I

All three finished the assignment in class.

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today, the class reviewed comparing, ordering, and writing whole numbers. They did not have any trouble with the topics, so there is no video tonight. The assignment is: p6-7 #8-28.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

Today, the class learned/reviewed how to order and compare integers and how to find the absolute value of an integer. The assignment is p33 #12-48 evens.

Remember, absolute value is not the same thing as opposites. Absolute value tells you how far a number is from zero on the number line. So, the absolute value of -5 is 5 and the absolute value of 5 is 5.

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

Today, the class took notes about latitude and longitude. They also set up a Geography folder in which they will keep their notes for class. The homework for tonight is to define the key terms using the Glossary or Gazetteer from the back of the textbook.

PRE-ALGEBRA

We reviewed the rules for adding and subtracting integers. The class completed an integer addition page in class to see if they remembered how to do it. Everyone did really well! The homework is the integer subtraction page. I made a video explaining how to subtract integers following the rule. Here are both rules:

INTEGER ADDITION

If the signs are the same, ADD, and keep the same sign.
If the signs are different, SUBTRACT, and use the sign of the bigger number.

INTEGER SUBTRACTION

First, change the subtraction sign to addition and change the sign of the next number.
Next, follow the addition rules.

Here is a short video with some examples of how to subtract:

ALGEBRA I

Today, we reviewed how to subtract real numbers. We worked through several problems together. The homework is p46-47 #44-88 evens.

KNITTING

Today, everyone finished their cast on stitches and learned how to create the knit stitch. Most just had a few stitches completed by the end of class, but they will soon all be flying through it!

See you tomorrow,

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

On Friday, class was shortened because of House and a fire drill. The class turned in their homework and homework policy forms. We didn't have time to take the next timed test. There is no homework!

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

We continued the lesson from Thursday. The class learned how to use compatible numbers in division. The homework assignment is to finish the lesson - #18-32 All. To use compatible numbers, you have to change the numbers in the division problem to "friendly" numbers. For example, if your problem was 50 divided by 7, you could estimate that by changing the 50 to 49 and dividing 49 by 7. The estimate would be 7. If your problem was 37.72 divided by 6.48, you could change the 37.72 to 36 and the 6.48 to 6 and divide 36 by 6. Your estimate would then be 6.

GEOGRAPHY

We began reading Chapter 1, Section 1 and discussing how the Earth's rotation affects the seasons and day/night. There is no homework - we will continue on Monday.

PRE-ALGEBRA

The class worked on the assignment during class. If you didn't finish, be sure it is complete by Monday. p12-13, #6-28 All.

ALGEBRA I

Adding Real Numbers. The assignment is p40,#2-62 evens.

STEM

The class began designing and building their parachutes. They will finish designing and will test the parachutes on Wednesday.

See you Monday!

Mrs. Swickey

SIXTH GRADE MATH

Today's assignment was to do problems #1-20 on page 2. This is a review page and I want to see how everyone does on their own. I did help people out in class and I'd be happy to answer any questions through email, but this assignment will be a completion grade. I'm looking to see what the 6th graders can and can't do.

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

Your homework today is to work #6-17 ALL on page 6. This includes the rounding and front end estimation. I made a short video with explanations of each, but please let me know if you still have trouble.
 

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

Today, the class worked in pairs on an Atlas Activity out of the texbook. There is no homework because they will finish in class tomorrow. We also found out that not everyone is good with cardinal directions (north, south, east, west). However, each person assigned "north" knew where to go!

PRE-ALGEBRA

No class today because of Mass. See you tomorrow!

ALGEBRA I

Today, the students worked on fraction review. The assignment is p21-23 #2-54 evens, and #84-90 evens.

KNITTING

Today, I showed the knitting class some different projects that can be done if you get really good at knitting! Then, they each found the end of the yarn (not as easy as you'd think) and learned how to cast on stitches. It was a little tricky at first, but everyone was successful! We will continue on Monday with casting on and then begin learning the knit stitch. I'm very excited to be teaching this elective. I think it's going to be a lot of fun! 

See you all tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

First Day of School

SIXTH GRADE MATH

The class had a great first day in math today! We spent the time going over rules and procedures for my class, and students were assigned their textbooks. Then, the class wrote what they liked and didn't like about math and took a timed fact test. There is no homework today!

SEVENTH GRADE MATH

We had a great first day in 7th grade math. The students were assigned their textbooks and they began working on a review lesson. It is p2. #1-21. Many didn't finish in class and will need to complete the assignment for homework tonight. Please email me if you have any questions!

SEVENTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY

On our first day in Geography, the class made a list of as many countries as they could remember. Many students had extensive lists with over 20 countries! We also went over the Homework Policy and came up with some class rules. 

PRE-ALGEBRA

In Pre-Algebra, the class received their new textbooks and we began going over the first lesson. We will continue the lesson tomorrow in class. No homework!

ALGEBRA I

Our first Algebra I class was great today! We jumped right in with learning about sets of numbers and reviewing the different symbols used in math. The students received their new textbooks which are the same books used at both of the Catholic high schools. The homework is p14-15 #2-60 evens.

STEM

Mrs. Lassiter and I are both very excited about our STEM class! Again, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We learned about the engineering design process and talked about what a engineer does. Then the students worked together to put the steps in their proper order and place. They also watched a skydiving video as an introduction to our first design project - a parachute! Each group will design a parachute that will safely carry a cup full of Skittles from the loft to the floor in my classroom. Everyone seemed excited and eager to get started designing. 

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey