Parents and guardians,
Happy new year to all. Since returning to school we've completed chapter 7, a chapter on angles and scale drawings. After the test but before moving on to chapter 8, I had the students complete a scale drawing of our classroom. They simply had to scale our classroom down to a piece of paper, but it's not as easy as it sounds. It was fascinating to see the various approaches to this assignment and I think they had a lot of fun, too. We are now in chapter 8 which mostly involves the geometry of circles. It's a short chapter and the test is scheduled for next Friday, January 22. Note this date is different than what was originally posted.
We are moving through this chapter a bit differently. Previously, students were given packets of problems which they completed in class at their own pace, utilizing the whiteboards and working with partners or in small groups. I would then circulated throughout class checking for understanding and answering questions. Unfortunately, the school is out of ink for printers and has been for at least a few weeks, some say a few months. Because of this I have not been able to print and copy chapter 8 packets yet. Our class format is currently whole-class instead of small groups. I encourage students to use their books at home for extra practice for the test.
On another note, my after school help days have changed from Tuesdays and Thursdays to Wednesdays and Thursdays. Late buses now run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
What you can do at home: while this chapter focuses on geometry, I'd like to share these mobile puzzles related to visual equations. It's been a big hit with the regular math classes and I'm going to share these puzzles with your children soon. I wish I had discovered it when we were in the equation chapter. Try some out together if you wish.
Lastly, the pictures attached to this update include pictures from our December 23 (the half day before winter break) locker clean out as well as pictures of our new school art piece and the recent geography bee. Enjoy!
Thank you for reading and, as always, just hit "reply" if you have a question or concern,
Ms. Vila