Math Dictionary Sections: (9) Multiply & Divide Fractions
Upcoming Assessments: WWU Quiz 3 (Thurs. 11/11/10); Coordinate Plane Quiz (Fri. 11/12/10)
Monday and Tuesday were student holidays while teachers were in school for parent conferences (Monday) and staff development (Tuesday). When the students returned on Wednesday, we took our first benchmark test, which covered materials from the first marking period. The 30-question test was taken on laptops, which for most students is a very different experience than what they are used to from elementary school. Students were instructed to show all their work on a separate sheet of paper, even on questions they can use the calculator, which is difficult for many students at first as they do not understand the need. The scores for the benchmark will not be counted towards their grades but will be added in the notes that appear at the bottom of the grade reports on Edline. The questions for this test will be gone over in class as part of warm ups for the next two weeks.
On Thursday and Friday, we wrapped up our work on multiplication and division of fractions and mixed numbers. We revisited the word problems we started working last week, picking them apart in order to determine which operation the question requires and how to set the numerical problem up to solve. We also visited several sites that have been recently added to the class Portaportal, particularly those that deal with fraction review. The unit was wrapped up with a recipe activity, when I asked students to picture a time (such as the upcoming holiday season) when they or their families have needed to cook for more people than they usually do on a regular day. Students then used their new knowledge for multiplying and dividing fractions to change a chocolate chip cookie recipe to yield more and then less than the original. Students are encouraged to continue this with the current Stingray Points opportunity, which requires them to work with a family member to change a recipe for more or less people than the recipe originally yields, to be turned in before Thanksgiving Break. Several students have asked if they could also make the items to share with the class; this is fine as long as they make arrangements with me ahead of time.
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