Sixth Grade
Today, the class took a subtraction timed test and a multiplication timed test. Then, they took a place value quiz...I'm still assessing what the students know so this quiz was not for a grade. We then talked about really big numbers and the students were very enthusiastic about a googol and googolplex! (They are REALLY big numbers.) We also did some mental math exercises that they all loved. No homework!
Seventh Grade
Math - In math today, I assessed their knowledge of place value by having them say big numbers aloud. They also took addition and subtraction timed tests. Then we did some mental math exercises. For example, I would say, "Think of the number of US states. Divide that number by 5. Subtract 3. Hold up that many fingers." It gets the students thinking about math and making connections mentally. Then we played another numbers game called "buzz". Parents, ask your children about it! "Buzz" is fun and not only incorporates a lot of math skills, but also improves their listening skills. If they don't listen to their classmates, they can mess up! No homework.
Geography - In Geography, we continued reading in the textbook about the themes of Geography. We will start on maps, longitude and latitude tomorrow. No homework!
Eighth Grade
Pre-Algebra - Today we worked on some place value exercises and the class took a quiz. I am assessing what they already know and what they need to work on so this quiz was not for a grade. We then discussed really big numbers including a googol and a googolplex. (A googol is a 1 with 100 zeros after it. A googolplex is a 1 with a googol of zeros after it!) The class is trying to figure out if they could write out a googolplex in a lifetime. They discovered that they could write a googol in about 70 seconds (class average). We will take that information to see how many googols they could write in a lifetime and if it comes close to a googolplex. Tonight, they need to figure out how many seconds there are in an average American's lifetime. (We know the average American lives 78 years.) Remember students, you must show your work and not just hand in an answer tomorrow!
Algebra I - The class took a quiz on scientific notation today. I am assessing what they already know and what they need to know right now so this quiz was not for a grade. We then watched the Powers of 10 video on You Tube and the class was amazed. If you've never seen it, you should watch it! There is no homework.
See you all tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey
