Thursday, April 26, 2012

4th Quarter Updates

Financial Algebra
All students should be working diligently on a ABC Book project for their final exam.  We have approximately 5 in class work days but some work will have to be completed at home in order for this project to be completed successfully.  Remember that exams count as 20% of a students final grade and several students have reached 10 absences and MUST pass the exam to earn credit. 

We are working on a fun final unit related to couponing.  It involves several of the skills we studied this year including budgeting, planning, and making choices.  This hopefully will prove to be an excellent useful skill for students to apply as they venture out on their own after graduation. 

Geometry
We have made it past the End of Course Test after some grueling and exhaustive review.  Please remember that this test counts for 30% of students' final grade and if a student has met 10 or more absences, then they must pass that test (on the scaled score) to earn credit. 

For the remainder of the 4th quarter, we will be working IN CLASS on an ABC book.  I will be setting weekly targets for the students to keep them on track.  If they are not meeting the weekly targets in class, then it is their responsibility to catch up at home.  The requirements for the book are listed below and each student received a copy of these requirements today in class.  The final product will count for 3 test grades and each day in class will count for an assignment grade. 


 “My Little Math-a-bet Book” Final: May 30, 2012

Final product counts as 3 test grades with intermittent checks during class time.

You will be creating a children’s style alphabet book using only Geometry related words that we have covered this year in class.  You will create one full-sized, computer page for each letter (excluding up to 6 letters).  These should be one sided only.

Guidelines for alphabet page:  Each page should include ONLY 1 letter/1 topic.  (i.e. A is Angle Bisector, B is for Biconditional Statement ).  Each page should include: 

1.       The word in bold/color/bubble/scrapbook letters (not just written in pen/pencil/marker).

2.       An example that defines/illustrates the word in its true context.

3.       Each page should be done in full color.

4.       You must have at least 5 topics that you can show some sort of calculations in your example.  (Think of an Angle Bisector problem with algebraic expressions and having to solve for x, etc. )

Once you have each page of you Math-a-bet book completed, create a cover for your “book” and either staple the book together or put into a report cover to be submitted for a final grade.  Please do not submit your book in a binder, as these take up a lot of space that I do not have available to me. 

You will start with 100 points.  If you are missing any of the “calculations” pages, you will have 6 points deducted per page missing.  If you are missing a letter (minus the 6 you are allowed to omit), you will lose 4 points per page missing.  If your pages are not complete (missing color, no example, or word not illustrated) you will lose 2-5 points depending on the completeness of the page.   The cover of your book is worth the final 10 points, it will be graded on the same guidelines as each individual page.

You MAY use crafting supplies like scrapbooking letters, cutouts, stickers, “ransom letters” etc to help give your pages the extra “oomph” needed for a perfect 100 if your artistic skills are not up to par. 

The topics you choose should be appropriate levels for the class also.  For example, choosing “S is for Square” is fine as long as your example illustrates a high school level understanding of the properties of a square.  “A is for Angle” would need to at LEAST compare the different types of angles.  You should avoid words that are very closely related such as A for Angle, O for Obtuse Angle, R for Right Angle, etc.  You will submit a topic approval list to me by May 4, 2012 so I can approve your words.

All work will be done in class and there is no need to take this home unless you really are taking extra time to pile on the details.  This is be mostly what we do for the entire month of May around the other tests.

Have fun with your Math-a-bet Book and good luck!  You must have your book submitted to me NO LATER THAN the end of your period on May 30, 2012.  This deadline is set in stone.  If you return the grade sheet with your book, you will receive 5 extra credit points for a total of 105.