Thursday, August 26th

Sixth Grade

Math - Lesson 6. To find a fraction of a number, divide the number by the denominator in the fraction. So, to find 1/5 of 250, divide 250 by 5. The answer would be 50. Do the same thing with money. To find 1/4 of $3.20, divide $3.20 by 4. The answer would be $0.80.

Remember, the Spelling unit is due on Tuesday. You will have your first test Tuesday as well!

Seventh Grade

Grammar - There is a test over Chapter 1 - Nouns - tomorrow! Read through the red rules and you will do just fine!

Spelling - Unit 1 is due tomorrow! You will also have the first Spelling test. Please study the words!

Vocabulary - We began our first vocabulary unit today. I will always assign 10 sentences (choose 10 words and write a sentence with each), vocabulary cards, and the unit. The due dates for these are as follows:

10 Sentences - Due TOMORROW
Cards - Due MONDAY
Unit - Due TUESDAY
Test - THURSDAY

The test will include the first 7 idioms. After the first unit, there will be 10 idioms per test. The first set of idiom sentences is due tomorrow. The students are writing these in class. After writing tomorrow's idiom sentence, they will turn in the whole set. I will grade these and give them back in time to study them for the test next Thursday.

Math - Lesson 5. Whole number place value. I passed out a small sheet with the place value chart on it. The students will be able to get more of these from me as they need them. The sheets have blanks under each place to put numbers. This helps those students who still struggle with place value figure out where the numbers go.

To write a number in words, first SAY the number. If you can say it, you can write it! Remember not to use the word AND. (That is for the DECIMAL.)

So, to write the number 42,000,215,104,003, you would start at the left. Forty-two trillion, two hundred fifteen million, one hundred four thousand, three. Commas go in the written number in the same places.

Use the chart I gave you to write the number FROM words. Be sure to fill in places that aren't in the written number with zeroes. For example:

two billion, twenty-three million, four hundred five

2,023,000,405

There are no thousands, but you still must put zeroes in the thousands group. Also, since there are no hundred millions, place a zero in the hundred millions place.

To write in expanded notation, remember to write each digit multiplied by the place it is in in parentheses with plus signs between the parentheses. For example:

5,001,245 would become:

(5 x 1,000,000) + (1 x 1,000) + (2 x 100) + (4 x 10) + (5 x 1)

Eighth Grade

Pre-Algebra - Lesson 6. Decimal place value. Please use the place value chart I sent with each of you and be sure to write if you have any questions! If you read through what I wrote for 7th grade, that will help some. I know you are also doing decimal places, but it follows a similar principle. Remember when rounding, to look at the number to the right of the number you want to round. If the number to the right is 5 or greater, then the number you are rounding goes up 1. If it is 4 or less, then it stays the same. Every number to the right of your rounded number GOES AWAY. (as long as it is after the decimal)

Algebra I - I think you know what you are doing! Just....watch those signs! Remember:

-4-3 isn't -1. Since this can be written as (-4) + (-3), the answer is -7.

As always PLEASE EMAIL ME if you have any questions!

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Wednesday, August 25th

Sixth Grade

The class took a Literature test over My Side of the Mountain today. Remember, Spelling Unit 1 is due next Tuesday! Math - Lesson 5. Order of operations. Remember, you have to do what is in parentheses first. If you don't have parentheses, work multiplication and division left to right and addition and subtraction left to right. Here are a few examples:

Seventh Grade

Literature - The class took a test over Hatchet today. Grammar - Worksheet over nouns. There will be a test on Friday! Spelling - Remember, the unit is due on Friday. Math - Lesson 4. Here are a few examples of the number line problems:

Eighth Grade

Pre-Algebra. Lesson 5. Read the problems carefully to tell whether to add or subtract and don't forget the labels!

Algebra I. Remember with absolute value to first find the value of what is inside the absolute value lines. Then, change what is inside the lines to a positive number. If there is a negative sign on the outside, then your answer is negative. Here are a few examples:


And, as always, EMAIL ME if you have any questions!

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Tuesday, August 24th

ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS - MRS. LASSITER NOW HAS A BLOG TOO!

YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.
The address is: www.lassiter678.blogspot.com

Sixth Grade:

Literature - Don't forget! Tomorrow you have a test over My Side of the Mountain! Be sure you are studying the notes you took in class. Also, go over what you want to write for the essay. I will be grading the essay based on the detail and accuracy you put into your answers. Remember that it is supposed to be 5 to 7 sentences long! You all have done a terrific job as we've discussed the book so I know you will do just fine on the test. Don't stress about it, okay? If you have a question about something you wrote down, feel free to email me tonight. I'm here for you!

Math - Lesson 4. Missing numbers in multiplication and division. Here are some examples:

(remember, you can click each picture to make it bigger)

Seventh Grade

Literature - Remember to study for your test over Hatchet for tomorrow! Be sure you go over what you would like to write for your essay. I will be grading for details and accuracy of information. It needs to be 9-11 sentences!

Grammar - pp. 23-25. Exercises A, B, C, & D & DWS. Remember to follow ALL directions except on Ex. B - you do NOT have to write the sentences, just the compound nouns. And remember - some sentences will have more than one compound noun.

Math - Lesson 3. To know what you are supposed to do, scroll down to yesterday's blog post for 6th grade. You will find the information for missing numbers in addition and subtraction there. Then, look at the pictures for 6th grade today. You will find the information for missing numbers in multiplication and division there.

Eighth Grade

Pre-Algebra. Lesson 4. Look at the examples for 6th grade today. You are doing the same thing, but with much harder numbers. Remember, that for now, you are not adding the decimal point and continuing to divide. Write any remainders in division as remainders for now. We will get into dividing with decimals in a few lessons.

Algebra I. Lesson 4. A lot of information was presented in this lesson. For most of it, you can look back at the lesson for examples, but I will show you a few examples of how to use the unit multipliers.



See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Swickey

Monday, August 23rd

Sixth Grade

Reminder - For the NINE 6th graders who did not turn in their summer math, be sure to bring it to class tomorrow!

Math - Lesson 3. Missing numbers in addition and subtraction. Here are two examples for you. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger and easier to see!



Spelling - The class started Unit 1 today! We will usually start a new unit on Wednesdays and they will be due the following Tuesday. Spelling tests will be on Tuesdays for 6th grade. Unit 1 is due NEXT Tuesday. Each student needs to complete the entire unit and the Challenge page. The only things I do not require in Spelling are the writing assignment on the 4th page (unless otherwise specified) and any circling of letters in a word.

Literature - Today, we began going over the summer assignment. We will continue to discuss the book tomorrow and the class will have a test on Wednesday!

Seventh Grade

Grammar - pg. 21-22. Exercise A. Do NOT write the answers in columns. Simply write person, place, or thing for each number. DWS - Follow directions carefully! Remember to turn to page 22 to find the directions for each sentence you will write.

Spelling - The class took a pre-test over Unit 1 today. The units will be due each Friday. The tests will also be on Fridays. The only things I don't require in Spelling are the writing assignments (unless otherwise specified) or any circling of letters. The Challenge page is always part of the assignment as are the Vocabulary Connections pages.

Math - No homework today! The class finished up Lesson 2 in class after we discussed a few more topics covered in the lesson. (There was a lot of new information in Lesson 2!)

Eighth Grade

Pre-Algebra - Lesson 3. If you need help, scroll back up and look at 6th grade's examples. It's the same exact thing except your numbers will be bigger!

Algebra I - Lesson 3. Below is an example of a shape with the half circles on it.


Now that you've got the all the straight sides figured out, you need to find the perimeter of the two half circles. Remember that you can just multiply pi by the radius to find the circumference of a half circle. So, 3.14 x 7=21.98 and 3.14 x 3=9.42.

Once you have those, then add everything up and that's the perimeter of the whole shape!

21.98 + 9.42 + 13 + 14 + 7 = 65.4cm

And, as always, EMAIL ME if you have a question!

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey

Friday, AIugust 20th

Sixth Grade

Math - Lesson 2 - Multiplication of whole numbers and money. Multiplication and division fact families. I'm not giving examples as everyone knew what they were doing! We are off to a terrific start in 6th grade math. I'm looking forward to our first day for Literature and Spelling on Monday. Have a great weekend! (Be sure to email me if you are stuck.)

Seventh Grade

Language Arts - "Sorry Sentences". Everyone should have written down the five sentences from the board. Please change them to be more interesting and not BORING! Remember, you can change the words in the sentence and add adjectives or adverbs. You must keep the same meaning of the sentence. So, for the first one, "The cat slept", you must still have a sleeping cat in the sentence, and whether or not you use the word "cat" or "sleep" is up to you!

Literature - We continued discussing the summer reading, Hatchet, today. We will finish up reviewing the book on Monday and there will be a test over the book on Wednesday.

Math - Lesson 2. This lesson introduces a lot of new material. Because there were a still a few things to go over when class ended, you do not have to complete the entire lesson by Monday. Please work on it, use your MiniMath notes for help, and skip any problems you don't know. On Monday, we will go over the few remaining examples from the lesson and you will have until the end of class to turn it in.

I am very pleased with what a great start we've had to the school year! Thank you for all your hard work.

Eighth Grade

Both groups have Lesson 2 as the assignment. The concepts covered in the lessons reviewed skills previously learned. I won't post any examples, but as always, please email me if you have questions! I also want to say thank you to the 8th grade. You guys are setting a great standard in class by working hard and using the class time so well. I've been proud of you!

Have a great weekend!
See you Monday......
Mrs. Swickey

Thursday, August 19th

Sixth Grade

Math - Lesson 1. Everyone did a great job today and remembered how to do the problems in lesson 1, so I won't put examples up. If you do have a question, go ahead and email me!

Seventh Grade

Literature - We began going over questions from Hatchet today. Mr. Gungoll came in for a short visit and everyone was so well behaved! I was very proud of you. There is no homework.

We also learned the first idiom today! It was a day in the sun. The students each wrote a sentence using the idiom. They will learn a new one each day.

Math - Lesson 1. Remember that counting or natural numbers start at 1 and count up and we show those numbers like this - {1, 2, 3...} Then, whole numbers include zero so we show them like this - {0, 1, 2, 3...} The only difference between counting numbers and whole numbers is that whole numbers also includes zero! That's it. To evaluate expressions, remember that you are just "plugging in" the values given for the variables and solving the expression. A variable is one of the letters that stands for a number. Here is an example:

Evaluate the following expressions when: a=4 and b=12

a + b b-a ab b divided by a

Plug in the numbers for the letters and solve:

4 + 12 12-4 4 x 12 12 divided by 4

16 8 48 3

Be sure to use your MiniMath booklets if you are confused!

Eighth Grade

Pre-Algebra - Lesson 1. There are several concepts in this lesson. First, to name the value of a certain digit in a number, just use the table on page 1. Count over how many places the digit is from the right and name that place. Second, if you are asked the following: Write the 7 digit number that has a 4 in the tens place, a 2 in the ten-thousands place, and 5's in all the rest of the places, write 7 5's, like this:

5555555

Then put the commas in by counting by threes from the right.

5,555,555

Then change the numbers that are exceptions. Change the tens place to 4 and the ten-thousands place to 2.

5,525,545

For the problems that ask you to write the numbers in words, first put the commas in the correct places. Then, say the number out loud. Be sure you are saying the proper places. If you can say it, you can write it! So, the number from the above example is now:

five million, five hundred twenty-five thousand, five hundred forty five.

If you are supposed to write a number with numerals from words, be sure you aren't skipping anything. For example, to write this number, twenty-two billion, forty-one thousand, three, you would do this:

22,000,041,003

I put three zeroes after the 22 because there are no millions. There are also no hundred thousands so I put another zero. Then there are no hundreds or tens, so I put two more zeroes. Be sure you are using place holder zeroes! If you are unsure about one, email me!

For expanded notation, remember each non-zero digit will be in a separate parenthesis. So, if you n7eeded to write 41,025,700 in expanded notation, you would do the following:

(4x10,000,000) + (1 x 1,000,000) + (2 x 10,000) + (5 x 1,000) + (7 x 100).

Each digit is multiplied by it's place value. Since the 4 is in the ten-million's place, it is multiplied by ten million, etc. You don't have to show the zeroes in expanded notation.

To write a standard number from expanded notation, remember to include zeroes for places not stated. Here is an example:

(7 x 100,000) + (3 x 1,000) + (2 x 100) + (4 x 1)

This would be: 703,204

There is no number multiplied by ten thousand or ten so there are zeroes in those places.

Again, PLEASE email me if you are stuck and need help. I want you to really utilize both the blog AND me each night! I'm here for you and don't want you struggling with math!

Algebra I. Your assignment is Lesson 1, but it was so easy, you don't need examples! (If you really do though, just email me.)

I was very proud of how hard all of eighth grade worked today. You also were very respectful of each other. Thank you!

See you tomorrow....
Mrs. Swickey

First Day of School!

The first day of school was great! I think we are off to a terrific start in all classes.

6th Grade

Today, 6th grade came to math class. The Literature and Spelling class will be on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, so we will start both of those subjects next Monday. We spent our time in math class going over procedures and how I expect things to be done. I know some things are familiar and others are new. I sent home a parent letter so please read through that and let me know if you have any questions! I will be sending home a homework policy tomorrow. You will need to sign and return it by Friday. The students then took a timed addition facts test. There is no homework! This will not happen too often as we will start working through the lessons tomorrow. Again, feel free to email me if you have any questions. My email is in the right sidebar.

7th Grade

We had a terrific day in 7th grade! I was so glad to see 20 familiar faces. Since we do not have any new students, the day went very smoothly. We spent much of our time going over procedures for the classroom, organizing supplies, and discussing the various classes. We attended Mass this morning and the 7th graders met their 1st grade buddies for the first time! It went very well and our new principal, Mr. Gungoll, praised the class on their behavior and how good they were with the 1st graders. We are going to expand the meaning of the buddies this year and will be doing little things for them throughout the year. Mrs. Politte and I are very excited about this!

The students have no homework for me other than decorating their MiniMath booklets. These are going to be used in math as a way to take notes. For each lesson, the students will take notes on a page in the booklet. This will be another resource for the students to use when they are trying to figure out the problems in the lesson. Every 15 lessons, they will turn in the MiniMath and receive a grade for it! Then, they will start a new MiniMath. I think it'll be a great way to help them learn to take notes in math as well as increase their understanding of the concepts.
I passed out the homework policy and would like you to review, sign, and return the bottom slip of the form by Friday. Please let me know if you have any questions! My email is in the right side bar as well as on the homework policy.

8th Grade

It was great to see everyone again! I can't believe you are in 8th grade this year. It seems like just yesterday we were having the first day of 6th grade! Wow. We spent our class period today going over the class procedures and how the split class will work. I sent home a pretty detailed handout about Pre-Algebra and Algebra I. Parents, please read through it and let me know if you have any questions. I feel good about how things are going to work and I can tell the class is committed to 8th grade math being a success! I will be sending home the homework policy tomorrow. Please review, sign, and return by Friday. As always, you can email me with any questions. My email is in the right sidebar!

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Swickey