Last Class: Math Games!

We met all together today for our last 7th grade math classes of the year.

First students shared their homework, and we finished talking about Problem 1.3, Playing the Multiplication Game. Students decided that the game wasn't fair, because 3/4 of the time the products of 2 dice will be even, whereas only 1/4 of the time the products of 2 dice will be odd.

Then we looked at the game of chance Skunk. Students calculated the chances of rolling two ones (snake eyes!) and of rolling one one, and losing their points in the game. Then we played Skunk, and learned the new game Pico, Fermi, Bagels. Class 7B played some other math games with partners to end the session. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A and class 7B.

If you still have outstanding homework, I will be checking in with you to turn it in this week.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer! Thanks for a great year in math.

Percent Error & How Fair are Games of Chance?

Today we met all together, since MaryBeth and Cory are finished for the year. Tomorrow will be the last 7th grade math class.

Students shared their homework. A number of students did not complete the Roller Coaster homework--it can be found here. If you did not finish the homework, please do it tonight and turn it in tomorrow.

Then we discussed Percent Error, and how it can help you determine how good your estimate is. We found that the closer to 0 the percent error is, the better the estimate. Errors can actually be more than 100% if your estimate was more than twice the actual number.

Students also shared their probability homework from yesterday with others who did the same homework. Then we played two games: the Two Dice Sum Game and the Multiplication Game. Both are games played with two people and a pair of dice. In both cases, we compared the experimental probability (the number of times you win out of the number of times you played) to the theoretical probability (the number of favorable outcomes to the number of total possible outcomes). We discussed the likelihood that the sums would be even or odd in the Two Dice Sum Game, and wondered about the likelihood that the products would be even or odd in the Multiplication Game, to figure out whether it was fair or not. Problem 1.3, Playing the Multiplication Game, can be found here, and class notes may be downloaded for class 7A or class 7B. We will continue working on this game tomorrow.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
Ace 1.3 handout which can be downloaded here
Problems 11-12, 25-26, and 30-31

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK
Ace 1.1 handout which can be downloaded here
Problems 1-2

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9.

Probability & Test Corrections

LARGE GROUP
Today students received their quizzes back from last week, and we went over corrections to the problems. Then we talked about two games of chance, Match/No Match and Red & Blue Wins! We reviewed experimental probability and theoretical probability, and making tree diagrams and ordered lists for calculating theoretical probability. Students worked on Problem 1.2, Red & Blue Wins, which you can download here, and figured out whether the game was fair, what the chances were for winning, and how much the school would earn. Class notes may be downloaded here for class 7A or class 7B.

LARGE GROUP HOMEWORK
1. Please make quiz corrections in colored pencil
2. ACE 1.2 Homework: Problems 3, 21, 22 on handout, which you can download here.
3. Remember to fill out student self-assessment online here if you haven't already.

Due tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8.

SMALL GROUPS
MaryBeth met with the small groups for the last time today. Students went over their quizzes on linear relationships and made corrections. Then they discussed probability, including experimental and theoretical probability, and reviewed tree diagrams and organized lists.

SMALL GROUP HOMEWORK
Please complete Problem 1.1, which you can download here.

An online spinner that you can use to do your work is here. Click on "-1" next to the "Number of sectors" label to reduce the number of sectors to 2. Click on the light blue (cyan) sector in the spinner to change the color to yellow. Click on "spin" below the spinner to spin it.

Due tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8.

Competing Coasters: Estimation & Percent Error

We all met together today, since Cory is no longer working with small groups. And today we had short classes so that we could go to the Upper El Gold Rush performance. Because the performance went long, the 7B class had a shorter class period than 7A.

Both classes talked about roller coasters they had experienced, in preparation for Physics Day at Six Flags tomorrow. We talked about speed, height, length, and duration, and the relationship between these variables in a roller coaster. The learning goal was to talk about Estimation, and how to judge how good your estimates are, by calculating Percent Error.

To do this, we played the game Coaster Competition on the computer. Here are the rules:

Goal: Choose the superlative coaster. Highest points win!

1. Partners take turns
2. Player A chooses a picture of a roller coaster at www.Joyrides.com.
3. Player A estimates & records their estimate on their Roller Coaster Data handout (which you can download here):
· speed
· height
· track length
· duration
4. Player B chooses a picture of a roller coaster they think will be faster, higher, and longer at Joyrides.
5. Player B estimates & records their estimate on their handout:
· speed
· height
· track length
· duration
6. When both players have made their estimates, they check actual data at www.RCDB.com, an extensive roller coaster database. The search box at the top left allows you to find out the actual measurements for your roller coaster. They record the actual measurements on their handouts.
7. One point each is awarded for the fastest, highest, longest track, and longest duration. The player with the most points win.
8. Next time, Player B goes first, and Player A goes second. Players must choose a new roller coaster every time.

In Class 7A, we had a chance to play the game and talk about how to improve our estimates. We discussed how we can figure out how good our estimates are by calculating the Percent Error with this formula:

Estimation Score = Percent Error = (Estimated amt. - Actual amt./Actual Amount) x 100

Class notes may be downloaded here.

HOMEWORK: CLASS 7A
Play the Coaster Competition game 8 times with someone, going to Joyrides to pick a picture and estimate, find out actual measurements on RCDB, and record your data on the Roller Coaster Data handout.

The calculate the Percent Error of your estimates for one of the variables (speed, height, length, or duration) for each of the 8 rounds, and record the percent error on the Estimation Score Chart handout, which you can download here.

Due Monday, June 7.

HOMEWORK: CLASS 7B
Play the Coaster Competition game 8 times with someone, going to Joyrides to pick a picture and estimate, find out actual measurements on RCDB, and record your data on the Roller Coaster Data handout.

Due Monday, June 7.

Student Self-Assessment

Today students shared their homework, then took an assessment of their learning from the past few weeks. Large group students took a quiz on the Filling & Wrapping work they have been doing with cylinders and prisms, and Small group students took a quiz on the Moving Straight Ahead linear equation work they have been doing with MaryBeth and Cory.

As we finish up the school year, we also want students to assess their own learning in math.

HOMEWORK

Please fill out the online student self-assessment form. Answer the multiple choice questions about learning habits, rating yourself as Emerging (starting to show this behavior), Developing (showing this behavior on a regular basis), or Mastering (almost always shows this behavior). Then answer the 3 reflection questions in full sentences, to be included in the progress report that becomes part of your student record that goes to parents and high schools.

Due Tuesday, June 8.