IA Update Wednesday, December 16

Today in class we reviewed classifying polynomials and adding/subtracting polynomials. Tomorrow we will be learning how to multiply polynomials.

Homework (given out today, due on the block day) is linked below:
Holt 7.6/7.7 Worksheet

Thanks!

Friday, December 11 Update

Hi all,

In Intermediate Algebra we are currently reviewing exponents. Students will take their exponents benchmark this Tuesday, December 15. Students were given a review for this in class on the block day.  A copy is also linked below. The exponents review is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday.

Exponents Review

The grade book is currently updated. There are a handful of students that have missing quizzes or tests. Please check schoolview to see how your student is doing. I will be after school next Tuesday (12/15) and Thursday (12/17) as usual.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thanks and have a great weekend!

Update Friday, December 4

Hello! Please see below for what we are doing in Intermediate Algebra (IA) and Investigations.

Intermediate Algebra
We spent the block day this week reviewing for our Systems of Equations and Linear Inequalities test. Students will be taking this on Monday in class. Our next unit is a quick review of exponents. We will spend about a week on it then we will begin learning about polynomials!

Students have a review packet to complete over the weekend. A pdf is linked below if your student lost theirs or forgot to bring it home. Please encourage your students to email me over the weekend if there are any problems they are struggling with.
Review for Systems Test

Investigations
We finished our unit on Solving Equations and are moving into Data and Statistics. We started our first activity- called "Piling on a Penny" this week. Students are looking at how many drops of water a penny can hold. We will then be analyzing the data together next week.

Hope to see some of you at Breakfast with Santa this Sunday at Edgewood. Have a great weekend!

IA Update Wednesday, December 2

Hello everyone!

Today in Intermediate Algebra we are continuing our practice with systems of inequalities. We are focusing on graphing and setting up inequalities to represent and solve word problems.

Students were given a yellow worksheet yesterday as homework that is due on the block day. An extra copy is attached below.
Linear Inequalities Homework

Our unit test is still scheduled for Monday, December 7. Students will get their review packet in class on the block day. I am encouraging students to stay after to work on any missing work, retakes, and to just be proactive in their learning. I will be after school again on Thursday.

Here is some IXL that may help students review for the upcoming test (not required but encouraged):

Algebra 1

Any of the T's

U1, U2, U3, U8, U9, U10, U11

Thank you!

Update Monday, November 30

Hi all,

Just a reminder that I will be holding make-up conferences this Thursday, December 3 from 4-7pm. This will be in the library at Edgewood. I was unable to make conferences before Thanksgiving because I was out of town.

Intermediate Algebra
We reviewed all 3 ways to solve a system of equations in class today. Students were supposed to have completed the book work for Holt 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 by today. I have updated this in the grade book- a lot of students are missing 1 or 2 of the assignments. The test for this unit will be next Monday, December 7 so it is important that students get this missing work taken care of quickly.

Students had a short assignment to complete tonight (it is due tomorrow). It is a worksheet with 10 problems on it. They were given time to start on it in class.

As usual, I am after school Tuesday and Thursday this week. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Thanks!

Intermediate Algebra Update Thursday, November 12

Hi all,

We are using the block day this week to wrap up our quizlet learning targets. We will review as a class on Monday, and students will then take the Linear Functions final unit test on Tuesday (November 17).

Students have been given a review packet and it is due at the beginning of class Tuesday. There is a link below for students that need an additional copy.
Linear Functions Review Packet

I will be after school tomorrow (Friday, November 13) for students that need to keep preparing for the test on Tuesday or that want to retake the Functions test from quarter 1. Students only have until Tuesday, November 17 to retake the Functions test and have it go back on their quarter 1 grade.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns!

End of Quarter 1- Thursday, November 5

Hi everyone. Please see below for updates.

Invesigations
I will not see 7th grade students for Investigations at all this week due to LEC. Grades have been updated. Students are free to make corrections to any worksheet or exit slip they did not get 10/10 on and re-submit them to me. I hold on to most worksheets and exit slips so students need to stop in to see me if they want to do this before the end of the week. I will be after school Tuesday and Thursday (girls will be at school Tuesday and boys will be at school Thursday due to LEC).

Intermediate Algebra
Students will be taking their last big test for the quarter on Tuesday. The topic is Functions. I touched base with all 7th grade students and all are planning to stay after this week to get it done still. Girls have stay back from LEC on Tuesday and will do theirs Tuesday after school. Boys are back from LEC and in school Thursday and will stay after then.

There was a scatterplot worksheet assigned over the weekend. This is due Monday. Students also already have their review worksheet and this is due Tuesday. Grades are updated- please check in on how your student is doing!



As always, please feel free to call or email with any questions. Thanks and happy November!

IA Update Wednesday, October 28

Hello all! We covered function notation in class today. Tomorrow we will wrap up our notes on Functions and then spend a lot of the block practicing the different skills. Students who are gone for the Explore test need to stop in and get their homework from me on Thursday or Friday.

Homework (due on the block day):
Holt 4.3 page 253
#15-23, 25, 26, 28

Update for Monday, October 26

Intermediate Algebra
Hello all! We are still in the process of finishing OLPA testing in Intermediate Algebra. Some students will be finishing up tomorrow in class and some will be getting pulled from other classes to finish this week.

Students will have homework Tuesday night that is due Wednesday.
-Domain/Range and Continuous/Discrete Graphs Video & Notes
-Yellow worksheet

We will be testing on our current unit (functions) on Tuesday, November 3. As mentioned in the email, 7th grade students will miss this due to LEC. They will need to make it up as soon as possible. Their grade will be an incomplete until it is made up. Our following unit will be linear functions!

7th grade Investigations
We are currently in a unit on expressions and equations. We will be taking a short break from it to complete a Halloween activity where students figure out the best bag (size wise) to take trick-or-treating.

IA Tuesday, October 20

Today in class we focused on identifying functions from graphs, tables, ordered pairs, and mapping diagrams. We did an intro activity and then used the analogy of a pop machine to help get familiar with it. Students were given time in class to get started on their homework.

Tuesday Homework (due Wednesday 10/21)
Blue worksheet (front and back)

IA Monday, October 19

Hi all,

We started our unit on Functions today. Our focus was on matching graphs to scenarios and writing descriptions for given graphs. Students have homework that is due tomorrow.

Homework Monday 10/19 (due Tuesday)
Holt 4.1 page 237
Regular: #10-16, 24, 26-28, 32-35
Challenge: #18-20, 24, 26-28, 33-35

Intermediate Algebra Reminder- Test tomorrow!

Hi all! Just a reminder to Intermediate Algebra students that you have a test tomorrow (or Wednesday depending on what hour you are in) on absolute value and inequalities. You were given two worksheets to help you review. This were handed out at the end of last week. 

Here is some additional IXL that may help you review (this is not homework):

Algebra 1

Absolute value equations: L1

Regular inequalities: K8, K9, K10, K11

Compound inequalities: K14, K15

Absolute Value inequalities: L3, L4

End of week update, October 8

Hello everyone! Please see below for updates.

Intermediate Algebra
We finished up all our notes on absolute value and inequalities this week. A score for an exit slip was entered into the grade book. Students will be taking their final unit test on this material next Tuesday or Wednesday (whichever block day they have my class). I gave students two homework assignments- one is book work and is due Monday and the other is two review worksheets that are due on the block day. I like to give review worksheets out early so students have plenty of time to work on them.

Homework due Monday, October 12
Holt 3.7 page 215
Regular: #21-37 odds, 32, 43-49 odds
Challenge: #45, 47, 49-51, 58, 59, 63

Homework due block day (Tuesday, October 13 or Wednesday, October 14)
2 Review Worksheets - handed out in class

Just a reminder that students have 2 weeks from the day a graded assignment is returned to retake it. Some students need to retake the solving benchmark (they will have until Tuesday, October 20 to do this). Students are also asked to stay after when they have 2 or more missing assignments.

Our next unit will be Functions and we will be starting this after MEA!

Investigations
Students are working on their probability projects. They are creating a game or activity using the given resources and writing up rules and directions. They are then going to find the theoretical and experimental probabilities associated with their game. Each group/pair is also determining whether or not their game is fair and why.

IA Update Tuesday, October 6

Homework (due on the block day- Wednesday or Thursday)

Holt 3.6 page 208-210

Regular: 15-28, 32-37

Challenge: 24-28, 32-35, 51-56

IA Monday, October 5

Intermediate Algebra

Students took notes on solving and graphing multistep inequalities. They have their first homework assignment out of their textbook tonight. Students have the option to complete the regular problems OR the challenge problems.

Holt 3.5 page 199 (due Tuesday, October 6)

Regular: 26, 27-47 odds

Challenge: 26, 27, 33, 35, 45, 59, 70-72

Students will have a concept quiz tomorrow on absolute value equations and solving/graphing multistep inequalities. We will also be taking notes on solving and graphing compound inequalities.

End of the week updates Friday, October 2

Hi all! Please see below for class updates.

Intermediate Algebra
Students took their Solving Equations Benchmark yesterday or today in class. Overall students did really well. This was a check of mastery for prior skills so students must score 8/10 or higher to pass. If not, they will need to make corrections and do a retake. Grades for this (called "Solving Equations Benchmark" on schoolview) have already been entered.

Our next unit is absolute value and inequalities. Students have a short homework assignment to complete over the weekend regarding this. The first part of their worksheet has them watch the required video on absolute value equations and take notes (the video is only 5 minutes long). The back of the worksheet has some practice problems they need to complete. This is due Monday, October 5. Our goal is to test on this unit right before MEA.

Investigations
We are finishing up our last activity on probability called Spinning Sums. Students will be working with a partner next week to design their own game. They will decide what materials will be used, what the rules are, and will then analyze the probability of winning/losing.

***I will be available for conferences next Thursday. I look forward to seeing you there!***

Intermediate Algebra Wednesday, September 30

Hi all,

I was out sick yesterday (Tuesday, September 29). Students had an independent, self-paced work day and overall did really well with it. They took a very quick pretest on solving equations to see where they were at, then watched a review video and took notes. There is one pink worksheet that was given as homework and is due on the block day.

Solving Equations Homework

We used our time in class today to practice solving multistep equations and literal equations. There was one tarsia puzzle students completed and one worksheet. Students were given the option to work alone or with a partner.

Students will be taking a benchmark on solving equations on the block day. They must pass with 80% (or 8/10) or higher. There is a retake available if students do not pass the first time. However, I encouraged students to study tonight and work hard to they pass the first time. I've listed some IXL that may help students review.

IXL- Algebra 1
J5, J6, J8, J9

Updates for Classes; Monday, September 28

Intermediate Algebra

Students are presenting their data and statistics projects today. So far, they have gone pretty well! Most students used their class time well last week and came ready to go. A lot of groups had interesting questions (how many hours of television do you watch a week? how many pairs of shoes do you own? how many followers do you have on instagram?) and did well explaining their results.

There is no assigned homework tonight. The next thing we will cover is a quick review on solving equations (both multistep and literal). I suggested that students watch the following videos on my webpage if they are feeling rusty:
-Solving Literal Equations
-Solving an equation with variables on both sides

Students will take a pretest on Solving Equations tomorrow. This will let me see where each student is at and how much practice they need. I also told students to feel free to email me if they would like some IXL/additional practice sent to them.

Investigations

We will be finishing up our activities regarding probability sometime this week or early next week. At least one grade will be entered every week so please check schoolview regularly. Most of the time when an assignment is missing students have it but forgot to turn it in. Students are also usually exempt from an assignment they miss when they are gone from school.

As always, feel free to call or email me with any questions.

IA Partner project due Monday, September 2

Students had time in class to work on their partner project. Most students used their time well and have little to no homework this weekend. Students will be presenting on Monday with their partner(s). Their grade for this project will go into the 90% part of their grade as this is in place of a unit test.

Intermediate Algebra Wednesday, September 23

Hello all!

We finished all of our notes on data and statistics today! Our last topic was on misleading graphs.  A lot of students chimed in to share their opinions and we had some great contributions. Students had the last 20 minutes of class to finalize their topic for their group project. Students are working in groups of 2 or 3 and posed a question that will provide them with numerical data. Most students need to get some data taken outside of the classroom (they need 40 data points total) and need to have this taken by Thursday/Friday (whenever their block day is). We will use the block day to analyze our data and make our presentations. At this point I am planning on students presenting on Monday.

Students will be taking their second concept quiz on data and statistics Thursday/Friday. It will be in the grade book by the weekend.

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Intermediate Algebra Tuesday, September 22

Hello all! Today in Intermediate Algebra we spent time summarizing everything we have learning about analyzing and describing data. A lot of students are becoming more familiar with all the new vocabulary we are learning (skewed left, skewed right, bimodal, standard deviation) which is great. I am excited to see what students do for their partner project and how their data turns out.

Tuesday 9/22 Homework (due Wednesday)

Tomorrow will our last day learning about data, and it will be a short discussion on misleading graphs. Students will then have time to work on their partner project. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the project!

***There are some students that need to retake the Cycle 1 Formative Assessment. Just a reminder that students have 2 weeks from Monday (the day the formative assessment was returned) to complete the retake. This gives students until October 5. I am after school Tuesdays and Thursdays and am available some days during lunch.***

IA Monday, September 21

We are getting close to wrapping up our data and statistics unit. Students will take their last set of notes in class tomorrow and will begin their partner projects on Wednesday.

Students had one green worksheet (on evaluating expressions, combining like terms, and the distributive property) as homework tonight. If a student got 16/17 or 17/17 on the cycle 1 formative assessment they were told they do not have to complete the homework.

Homework- Evaluating Expressions and Combining Like Terms

A lot of students have also asked for extra practice to help prepare for their cycle 1 formative assessment retake. I emailed additional practice and am also linking it below. An answer key is attached so students can check their work as they go.

Students need to complete the green worksheet (homework tonight) and make corrections before they can retake the cycle 1 formative assessment. Some students requested I email them copies of their formative assessment so they can work on corrections at home- those emails were sent after school today. 

Distributive Property

Evaluating Expressions

Just a reminder on times I am available for students to come in:
Tuesday: during 8th grade lunch, after school
Wednesday: during 7th grade lunch
Thursday: after school
Friday: during 7th and 8th grade lunch

End of week 2; Friday September 18

Hello everyone!

Intermediate Algebra Updates
We have been working hard on our data & statistics unit. Students have learned about collecting and displaying both categorical and numerical data. They have also learned about (and been practicing) describing data in terms of shape, center, spread, and outliers. There will not be a unit test- instead students will be completing a partner project for their final unit grade. Students will work in groups of 2 or 3, will pose their own experiment, collect data, and then analyze it. Each group will be giving a short (2 minute) presentation. I've advised students to pick a partner they trust and work well with, as they will receive the same grade as their partner. Depending on time, we will be doing this at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week.

As an FYI, I do track student completion of homework and this can be viewed in Schoolview. Students are required to stay after if they have 2 or more missing assignments. Most students are doing great with homework completion this far and have been very responsible. A lot of students have been willing to answer questions and share their opinions which is wonderful!

Investigations Update
We have continued our activities that focus on building our group work skills. There are 2 grades for students that should now show up on Schoolview. Both were reflections for completed activities. The majority of students did well. If students lost points it was generally because they did not write in complete sentences or they did not answer the questions entirely.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend!

Int. Algebra 9/15/15

Hi all,

We started our first unit today on data and statistics. We took notes together as a class for the first part of class. Students were provided a fill-in-the-blank notes sheet, which is generally how we will do notes. There is one worksheet for students to complete as homework. It is yellow, double sided, and is due tomorrow. Students were given 10-15 minutes to begin this in class and a lot of kids got a good start.

Below is a link to the homework if your student lost their original and/or was absent:
homework 9/15/15

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!

End of the first week!

Hi all! Please see below for updates regarding IA (intermediate algebra) and Investigations. A syllabus was sent home with each student (for both classes). A lot of students have already returned their syllabus after looking at it with a parent/guardian and getting it signed. Please encourage your student to do this if they haven't yet. You can find an extra copy of either syllabus on this website.

Intermediate Algebra:
We have had a busy week! On day 1 students got introduced to the class, did an activity with the syllabus, and contributed to our "back to school questions" wall. On Thursday and Friday students took the semester 1 pretest. This pretest is not graded; it is a way for me to see where students are at. We will spend some time in the beginning of next week talking about habits of mind, and will then move into our first unit (data and statistics). No other homework has been assigned yet.

Investigations:
Classes have been great so far! I see students twice a week, following our A/B schedule. I saw my "B" day students once. We spent that first day going through the syllabus and filling out "all about me" sheets so I can get to know them. I got to see my "A" day students twice. We spent our first day the same way as the B day students. The second day (Friday) we did two different activities- one where students had to try to spell out the word "fly" from pieces and another where they were given a bag of materials and had to make the longest creation possible. It was a lot of fun!


***I also wanted to mention that auditions are being held for the school play next Monday and Tuesday. There are a variety of roles that need to be filled. We will also need students to help build and create the set! I will be helping Wednesdays after school with this. Encourage your students to get involved. Feel free to call or email me with any questions. We are also looking for parent volunteers to help throughout!***

Welcome to Ms. Miller's Website!

Welcome! My name is Ms. Miller and I will be teaching Intermediate Algebra and 7+ Investigations this year. Last year I taught the same classes and the spring before that I spent time doing intervention work with 6th-8th grade students. I received my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and my Teaching License from the College of St. Scholastica.

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This webpage is a great resource to see what we did in class this week, what homework was, a copy of the syllabus, and any upcoming assessments. The IA Videos tab is where you will go to find any videos and resources that are being used for instruction. The Announcements tab will be regularly updated with what was covered in class that week. New posts will go up multiple times every week so please check back regularly! You can also reach me by phone or email with any questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a wonderful year!