Friday, April 26, 2013

Weekly Class Summary: April 22-26

SOLs Covered: 7.2 Sequences
Math Dictionary Sections: (45) Patterns & Sequences
Upcoming Assessments: SOL Mini Quiz #1 (Mon. 4/29); SOL Mini Quiz #2 (Fri. 5/3); SOL Simulation Test (Start Tues. 5/7)

This week (as well as much of the year thus far) seems to have gone by quickly!  After students wrapped up the probability quiz as needed on Monday, we got started on our final "regular" unit of the year, patterns and sequences.  We discussed the different types of patterns, ranging from the first patterns they learned in kindergarten with shapes and/or colors to numerical patterns, which can then be broken down into arithmetic (adding or subtracting, which can be converted into adding a negative; "common difference"), geometric (multiplying or dividing, which can be converted into multiplying by a ratio; "common ratio"), or neither (changing operations and/or numbers or involving exponents).


In the future, I plan to move this unit ahead of my functions unit and I've already contacted one of the county's middle school math curriculum people about the change.  This is because of how I've spent a ton of time reviewing functions throughout the week in relation to how the pattern can help you come up with the equation for any given function.  I've noticed many students seemed to have a few light bulbs turning on with this by the end of the week.

I'm going to cut this week's summary short as I'm busy preparing materials for our SOL review work, which starts next week.  Students will have the first SOL mini-quiz on Monday and if all goes as plan, we'll start an SOL review folder that will house all of their review assessments and materials.  Please encourage students to keep up with the folder and everything that goes into it.  It will count as a test grade that will be given right before the SOL test; a perfect folder organized with all of the proper materials will be an easy 100A+ test grade!


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