Unit Test

Students took the Unit Test for Accentuate the Negative. Those that finished early worked on an optional logic problem.

Have a great travel week! I will see you again on Monday, May 3.

LARGE GROUP ONLY
Please work on your Dealing Down Unit Project, which is due Tuesday, May 4.

Math Reflections 4, Looking Back & Looking Ahead

LARGE GROUP
Students shared their homework and strategies for winning Dealing Down. We used a Think-Pair-Share to discuss Math Reflections 4, to summarize our learning of the Order of Operations and the Distributive Property. Then students worked on the Looking Back, Looking Ahead, and shared their answers. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
Finish Math Reflections 4, questions 1-3 on page 75.
Finish Looking Back, Looking Ahead, questions 1-9 on pages 78-79.
Study for the Unit Test!

Due tomorrow, Thursday, April 22.

SMALL GROUPS
Cory was sick today so students worked for part of the time with MaryBeth, and within the large group for part of the time. Students shared their ACE homework and Math Reflections 4 homework. Then they worked on Looking Forward, Looking Back problems 5-9 as a review for tomorrow's Unit Test.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK
Finish Looking Back, Looking Ahead, questions 1-9 on pages 78-79. Skip problem 4 if you did not learn coordinate graphing.

Study for the Unit Test!

Due tomorrow, Thursday, April 22.

ACE 4.3 Distributive Property & Subtraction

LARGE GROUP
Today we talked more about the Distributive Property, and found that it works for multiplication over addition, and multiplication over subtraction. Students practiced drawing rectangle representations for expressions showing the Distributive Property. We also learned that when using the Distributive Property, you can write the expression as a product of factors (one or both of which have two terms), which is called factoring the expression, or you can write the expression as a sum of addends (one or both of which might be products), which is called expanding the expression. Students worked on Problem 4.3, The Distributive Property & Subtraction. Class notes may be downloaded here.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
Dealing Down Homework
Make a list of strategies that worked to win Dealing Down. Label by which math concepts they illustrate.

ACE 4.3 Homework
Please choose one of the options below to complete.

Option 1
Problems 5-7 and 33-35 on pages 70-73

Option 2
Problems 6-7, 33-35 and 45-46 on pages 70-74

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 21.

SMALL GROUPS
Students worked with Cory today to learn more about the Distributive Property by finishing the Skills sheet, Properties of Operations, and shared their ACE 4.3 homework. They started working on Math Reflections 4, on page 75.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK

ACE HOMEWORK

Finish Math Reflections 4 on page 75
Problems 17-25 on p.70

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 21.

Unit Project: Dealing Down

LARGE GROUP ONLY
Students will be playing the Dealing Down game and writing a report detailing their strategies for winning the game, while providing evidence of their understanding of:

1. Operating with positive and negative numbers
2. Order of operations
3. Commutative Property of addition and multiplication
4. Distributive Property of multiplication over addition and subtraction

The Dealing Down game is described on pages 76-77 of Accentuate the Negative. The handout with the assignment is here, the handout with the game cards is here, and the handout with the score sheet is here.

You will write a report that includes the following Criteria & Procedures:

• Title—“Dealing Down Report”
• Name on paper
• Typed report using size 12 standard font, or handwritten in black ink, skipping every other
line (in order to get the notation correct)
• Introductory paragraph with a topic sentence
• Four detailed supporting paragraphs

1. Operating with positive and negative numbers
2. Order of operations
3. Commutative Property of addition and multiplication
4. Distributive Property of multiplication over addition and subtraction

• Concluding paragraph
• Paragraphs include mathematical examples and explain strategies in detail
• Use correct mathematical vocabulary
• Use correct conventions
• Please use your imagination and creativity in writing your report.

First draft of report due Tuesday, May 4.

Please play 5 rounds of Dealing Down and record your scores on the score sheet tonight.

Due tomorrow, Tuesday, April 20.

ACE 4.2 Distributing Operations

LARGE GROUP
We discussed the Problem of the Week, Area & Volume. We shared our ideas for figuring out perimeter, the sum of the edges of cubes, area, and volume for these problems. We also discussed the Unit Project--click here for details.

Students also worked on Problem 4.2, Distributing operations. We were calculating the area of subdivided rectangles, and writing math sentences to indicate that the are of the entire rectangle was equal to the sums of the areas of the smaller sections. Class notes are available here for class 7A and class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
ACE 4.2 Homework
Please choose one of the options below to complete.

Option 1
Problems 3-4, 30, 31b, and 44 on pages 69-74
Option 2
Problems 4, 30, 31b, 32, and 44 on pages 69-74

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Tuesday, April 20.

There is also Unit Project homework for tonight--click here for details.

SMALL GROUPS
The small groups worked with Cory today to go over their ACE 4.1 homework, review the Order of Operations, and learn about the Distributive Property. Students made a Distributive Property card, and practiced distributing multiplication over addition with a Skills sheet.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK
ACE 4.3

Problems 5, 6, and 7 on p. 70 and problem 34 on p. 73

Due tomorrow, Tuesday, April 20.

ACE 4.1 Order of Operations

Students worked all together today with Sima, and we discussed the order of operations, the order in which you do operations when computing the answer in a math sentence. Here is a helpful mnemonic:

Please
Excuse
My
Dear
Aunt
Sally

or PEMDAS.

1. Parentheses
2. Exponent
3. Multiplication
& Division (whichever of these 2 comes first when going left to right)
4. Addition
& Subtraction (whichever of these 2 comes first when going left to right)

We worked on Problem 4.1, Order of operations. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

ACE 4.1 Homework
Please choose one of the options below to complete.

Option 1 (please do this one if you are in a Small Group)
Problems 2, 8-16 on pages 69-70

Option 2
Problems 2, 17-29, 41-43 on pages 69-74

Do not use a calculator!
Due Monday, April 19.

LARGE GROUP ONLY:
POW Area & Volume also due Monday.

Math Reflections 3 & Units of Measure

LARGE GROUP
Students took a mini-assessment using the terms factors, divisors, product, multiples, and divisible by.

Then students did a Think-Pair-Share on Math Reflections 3, to consolidate what we know about multiplying and dividing integers.

Finally, students brainstormed all the measurement terms they could think of, and in small groups categorized and labeled them as to what they measure. Students thought of measurements for length, area, volume, mass, time, temperature, brightness, sound, earth movement/vibration, power, data storage, etc.

We discussed the metric system, and students learned how to convert from one unit to the other within the metric system, for example, from kilometers to meters. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
Finish Math Reflections 3, questions 1-3 on page 59.

Finish Metric Conversions handout, which you can download here.

Due tomorrow, Thursday, April 15.

SMALL GROUPS
Students worked with Cory today to practice word and number problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of positive and negative numbers.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK
Finish Math Reflections 3, questions 1-3 on page 59.

Due tomorrow, Thursday, April 15.

ACE 3.4 Integer Product Game

LARGE GROUP
Today the large group did a warm-up problem estimating the answers to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problem with integers. Then we played the Integer Product Game, a variant of a game we played in sixth grade, but with negative numbers as well as positive numbers. Students were very animated as they determined strategies to get 4 in a row and win the game! You can download class notes here for class 7A or class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
ACE 3.4 Homework

Please choose one of the options below to complete.

Option 1
Problems 12-17, 18a-i, and 19-21 on pages 52-53

Option 2
Problems 12-17, 18a-i, 19 and 34-35 on pages 52-58

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14.

SMALL GROUP
Students worked with Cory today to go over the rules for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of positive and negative numbers. They practiced all of these on skill sheets including all the operations.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK

Please spend 30 minutes with Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication & Division at the Mathwizz website.

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14.

POW: Area & Volume

LARGE GROUP ONLY
Please choose 2 of the 3 questions on the Problem of the Week, Area and Volume, to complete. You may download the handout here. Class notes discussing the formulas may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

Due Monday, April 19.

ACE 3.3 Intro to Division of Integers

LARGE GROUP
We worked on Problem 3.3 today, Introduction to Division with Integers, and we used what we know about the relationship between multiplication and division to create fact families and figure out an algorithm for division with negative and positive numbers. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
ACE 3.3 Homework
Please choose one of the options below to complete.

Option 1
Problems 7-8, 10-11, 22c-i, 33 on pages 51-58

Option 2
Problems 7-8, 22f-m, 27, 33 on pages 51-58

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Tuesday, April 13.

SMALL GROUPS
MaryBeth went over the Partner quiz again and addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers. Then she introduced students to division with integers, and students made a card. They went over part B of Problem 3.3, Introduction to Division, and practiced this operation with the Division Skill Sheet.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK:
ACE 3.3 Homework

Problems 8-17 on page 52

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Tuesday, April 13

Partner Quiz Corrections

Today both groups met together with Sima. We discussed the Partner Quiz answers. Students practiced standardized test math questions, and some students worked at the Mathwizz web site on addition and multiplication of integers.

Homework: Partner Quiz Corrections

Please look at the problems marked with arrows on the Partner Quiz, and try again. You may use your notes, math book, and help from others. Please make your corrections in colored pencil! I will not accept corrections made in regular pencil, or erasing your work, because it is important to make your thinking before and after visible.

Corrections due Monday, April 12.

ACE 3.1 Intro to Multiplication with Integers

LARGE GROUP
The students considered the following puzzler as a warm up problem. Class 7A should consider this problem further, and both classes should share this with their families!

String Burning Puzzle

You have 2 pieces of string of different, unspecified length, and some matches. Each piece of string takes exactly an hour to burn, but the burn rate is not constant. This means that it could take 59 minutes to burn the first 1⁄4, and 1 minute for the rest. The strings have different burn rates, and of course you don't know the rates anyway. Using only the matches and the strings, measure 45 minutes.

Then we worked on Problem 3.1, Introducing Multiplication of Integers, looking at a number line model to see whether products are positive or negative when we multiply integers together. Some students also worked on Problem 3.2, Multiplication Patterns. We found that like addition, multiplication is commutative. If you switch the position of factors in an equation, the product is still the same.

Algorithms for multiplication students came up with called for multiplying the absolute values of numbers together. When multiplying two positive or two negative numbers, the product will be positive. When multiplying a positive and negative number together, the product will be negative. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

LARGE GROUP ACE 3.1 Homework:
Please choose one of the options below to complete.

Option 1
Problems 1-4 on pages 50-51

Option 2
Problems 2-4, 24, and 30 on pages 51-56

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Thursday, April 8.

SMALL GROUPS
Students worked with Cory today on Problem 3.1, Introducing Multiplication, parts A1-5, B1-4, and B6.

SMALL GROUP ACE 3.1 Homework:

Problems 1-4 on pages 50-51

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Thursday, April 8.

Measuring Rectangles & Intro to Multiplication of Integers

LARGE GROUP
We discussed the Problem of the Week, the X/O problem, and how experimental probability begins to approach theoretical probability as you do more trials. Then we finished talking about Measuring Rectangles, and how the dimensions are in a constant ratio no matter what they are measured by. Finally, we began thinking about multiplication with negative numbers. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A and class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HW
Please finish questions 4-5 on Measuring Rectangles.

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 7.

SMALL GROUP
Students worked with Cory on Problem 3.2, Multiplication Patterns, as an introduction to Multiplication with negative numbers. Students made a Multiplication of Integers card.

SMALL GROUP HW:
Problems 4-5, 6a-d on page 51

Do not use a calculator!
Due tomorrow, Wednesday, April 7