Pre-Algebra Honors

1.  What was your favorite part about Pre-Algebra this year?  

2.  Name three specific mathematical concepts that you learned this year.  

3.  Do you feel prepared for Algebra next year?  What are some areas you may need to work on?  

4.  I have had the pleasure of teaching the majority of you for the past two years.  What were your general feelings toward math upon entering the 6th grade?  How have those feelings changed over the past two years?  Write at least three sentences that explain your feelings toward mathematics.  

5.  Comment on at least two other student posts.  

YOU are a screenwriter (someone who writes movies).    The character in your new movie must use their brain to think of clever ways to save the world from destruction, but there are a number of problems that he or she must face.  Write a synopsis of this movie, and include at least three problems, each from a different section of Chapter 8.  These problems will have to be solved by your protagonist to save the world!  Be creative! 

(This assignment was supposed to be completed last Tuesday, so now you may simply type it into this blog page.)

Write a word problem that requires someone to set up an equation with variables on each side.  Solve the answer to make sure it works out, but do NOT provide the answer on the blog page.  (Problems from your book and worksheets can provide helpful clues.)  

What do you think is the most important math lesson from each chapter and why?  (7 chapters = 7 most important lessons.  Don’t forget to explain why for each lesson.)

Out of these 7 lessons, which do you think is THE most important and why?  

Chapter 5 has incorporated concepts from all of the previous chapters.  It uses the integer rules from Chapter 2.  It adds and subtracts like terms (in fractional form) and solves equations…all based from Chapter 3.  It also extends our work with monomials (Chapter 4) by multiplying and dividing them.  

As you may have noticed, mathematics is like building a house.  You have to have a foundation in order to continue building the next level.  If there are foundational gaps, we can sometimes fill them in as we go along, but at other times, these gaps can cause an entire section of the house to collapse.  

Your assignment:  Look through Chapters 7 and 13.  Pick at least three sections and discuss how you think you will need to incorporate knowledge from Chapters 2-5.  Be specific.  Then answer the following questions:  

1)  What is the most difficult section we have covered thus far?  Why was this more difficult than the other sections? 

2)  Do you still have foundational gaps in your mathematical knowledge?  (aka: Are there concepts that you still do not understand?)  If so, what are they?  Be honest.  

Answer each of the following questions:  

1)  What was your favorite part of the Scavenger Hunt?  (You can have more than one favorite.)

2)  What was your least favorite part?  (Again, more than one least favorite is acceptable.)  

3)  What would you change about the Scavenger Hunt?  (Additions, Omissions, etc.)

Look over the lessons in Chapter 4.  Why do you think the editors of this textbook put all of this material together in one chapter?  What connects all of the lessons?  Are there any lessons in Chapter 4 that do not fit in the chapter?  Also, do you think other lessons could be added to this chapter?  If so, which ones, and why?  If not, why not? 

Invent a new review game for the end of a chapter.  How would it be structured?  Would there be a clearly-defined winner?  Make sure this game incorporates everyone in the class, where everyone is actively reviewing the material on some level.