Weeks+3-1,3-2,+3-3++January+7+to+Feb.+1

In attempt to think smarter, not harder, Mrs. Schlechter is revising lesson plans on her wikispace. With Common Core Standards being initiated, more time is spent planning for meaningful instruction and assessment in the critical areas of math and reading.

Families are encouraged to get on with their students at [] to see what we are visiting about in our learning community.

I will attempt to share what was covered here! (Less bells and whistles here and more in the classroom.)

Monday- vocabulary review for investigation two of Thinking about Mathematical Models; reviewing where we were before Christmas with slope and slope-intercept Tuesday- multiplicative inverse and additive inverse activity that tied into comparing y= 3x + 3 to y = 1/3x + 3 (similar to the questions we had on the edmodo quiz before Christmas that we need to revisit); students graphed the linear models for each of these equations and discovered their similar feature :); we began graphing other lines that hold clues within their slope to tell us more about Olga Wednesday- Olga problems helped us explore more about **slope** and **slope-intercept**. Worked on solving **multiple step equations** like 5x+7=3x-5. Discussed connections in SADMEG where **additive inverse** and **multiplicative inverse** are part of the steps to solve equations! Used graphs today to explore slope... should talk about y2-y1/x2-x1 more... Homework idea: find out which degree Olga earned in 1988 by determining the slope for points (8,-3) and (5,-3). Monday-vocabulary flash review for invesigation two about Wumps for Stretching and Thinking... students had a difficult time describing the words they thought they knew; reviewing where we were before Christmas and the concept of similar Tuesday-finished up the similar rectangles lab that we started before Christmas, really emphasized similar and proportion concepts... scale factor Wednesday- discussed the attributes of what makes figures/polygons similar (corresponding sides proportional); discussed rules like (1.5x, 1.5y) helping us create similar polygons to the original by 150%; exploring **scale factor** problems on page 304-309 in our blue book. Students chose a scale factor problem to work on as a group as part of their homework assignment. Monday-vocabulary flash review for investigation two about ratios for Comparing and Scaling; students checked out textbook resources to read more about proportions and ratios; reviewing where we were before Christmas break Tuesday-activity for pairs launched class: Who Has the Better Deal?... students explored what unit rate is and how to correctly set up ratios to solve problem that involve comparing ratios... the unit rate was part of the proportion they found to help them solve their problems! Wednesday- reviewed questions from investigation two 3/8 vs. 4/10 which led into our writing our recipe for identifying proportions. Students worked in groups to determine if two ratios formed proportions in given problems. We had developed two strategies for finding proportions: **equivalency strategy** and **unit rate** strategy. Problem C19 was assigned for further examination. Students have to find missing values in the triple ratio proportions shown!
 * 8th grade math**
 * 7th grade math**
 * 6th grade math**

Monday-DEAR with a purpose lesson Tuesday-vocabulary puzzle 20 test; read aloud excerpt from Matthew about Herod to illustrate a possible connection between Horowitz's //Stormbreaker//'s character/villain Herod and King Herod, a villainous character in the book of Matthew; planning for corner projects about calendar items about historical events we covered during semester one Wednesday- American History literature units and rubric discussion; copied "O Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman and the second verse of "Hail, South Dakota!"
 * American History/Reading**