I hope everyone had a great weekend!
First off, I will be out of the classroom on Monday, Aug. 31. Mr. Walker will be your substitute teacher. I will leave some work for you all to get done, and I expect you all to be on your best behavior! I know you will make me proud!
Now, what will we be working on this week? Well, for starters, we will continue to learn what we got started on Friday, factorials. We will also learn what permutations and combinations are, and how we use them. We will finish the projects we started to make your own probability problems for your neighbors to solve, and some of them will be posted up on the walls. Then we will take the first test of the year for my class on Thursday, Sept. 3rd. Make sure you are studying your notes! On Friday, Sept. 4th, we will begin our next project, "Mrs. Love's Children". Make sure you are in class and on time to get the full benefit of the instruction.
By the way, while I have you here, let me take a moment to encourage you to do your homework, turn in your homework, and if you should get a grade below 70, go ahead and fix your errors and get the corrected work back to me. DO NOT be willing to accept failure if you don't have to (and trust me, you DON'T HAVE TO!). If you don't turn in your homework, those NTI's (Work that has NOT been TURNED IN) will drag your grades down. You all are way too smart to allow that to happen. Get with me for the help you need, and get this work done! I want to see you all achieve at the highest levels, and this is my goal for the year. Let's get it done together! See ya in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Open House Pt. 2/Week 3 In Review
We have completed our third full week of school! Where does the time go? I apologize for the late post, but I was at the Carver-Spencer game last night! I saw many of my students there, past and present! For those of you who didn't go, Carver won, 34-6. I guess Spencer got a moral victory of sorts, though; they scored a touchdown on offense against the Tigers for the first time in three years! The halftime show was entertaining, as both bands did a tribute to Michael Jackson. The Carver band ended their show with the dance to "Thriller", while the Spencer band capped off theirs with the dance from "Beat It." I think the tradition continues of Carver winning the game and Spencer winning the halftime, but conspiracy theories abound! Who was spying/copycatting on whom? Let the debate begin! At any rate...
I made a slideshow of pictures I took from the Open House this past Thursday (Mr. Shelton took the shots with me in the photos). I hope you enjoy them! The school was PACKED with parents, teachers, and students. I think it was the largest crowd for an Open House that I can remember. Such parental support is truly fantastic, and I cannot thank you parents who came out enough for being there with us that night.
As for my class, this past week we focused on two aspects of the standards we are covering. I noticed that my children were facing a challenge in remembering the differences in finding the number of outcomes related to a given event, and calculating the probabilities of the event happening. They also were still processing the difference between simple events (only one thing is happening) and compound events (more than one thing is happening). When the children see the word "probability", they should remember now that their answer should be in the form of a fraction, decimal or percent (mainly a fraction). If they see the word "outcomes", then their answer should be a whole number, and they should multiply all of the ways to get those outcomes to come up with the solution to the problem. As the week closed, I began to teach them a little about what we will be covering next week, and I challenged them to begin working on their own probability problems, many of which will be on display once they have finished them.
Well, that's all for now! Many thanks to my dear friend and college classmate Lisa Steptoe, for being my inspiration to take all these pictures and make a slideshow out of them!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Open House! (Part 1)
Tonight is the first of our school's PTSA Meetings and Open House! I'm very excited to meet the parents of my children! I'm looking forward to working closely with all of them!
Earlier, I made a post about the fact that this year we are doing much more journaling than we have before. My kids have really begun to get into it (and they are asking for even more feedback than I was giving them before, believe it or not!), and so for tonight, I have included some pictures of the children completing their journals before the end of the period today. You will see some examples of their work on the walls outside my door when you visit!
Look for the recap of tonight's Open House by Saturday!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
On Tap for Next Week...
Hi guys! I hope you have had a great weekend! Mine was just fine. I finally got that lawn mowed! LOL!
At any rate, here's what's on tap for next week: as you know, we ended this past week by getting into calculating the probabilities of compound events (that is, more than one event happening). As we enter this week, we will pick up where we left off, and study not only compound independent events but also compound dependent events (by the way, did you know we did a compound dependent event on the very first day of school? Can you think of what it was? Hopefully, by the end of the week, you'll recall what I'm talking about and why it fits this classification, and you'll be able to tell me about it in your journals!)
Also coming up this week, we will get a visit from home! By that I mean our OPEN HOUSE will be this Thursday, August 27th, 2009 from 6 to 7:30 PM. I am very much looking forward to meeting or reconnecting with your parents this Thursday night! I plan to show them my room, my SmartBoard, and my blog. YOU should plan on showing them some of your work, and entries from your journal. One other thing we will do to get ready for their arrival (and to begin something we will do for the rest of the year) is the first of our class projects. Remember when I told you all how you REALLY have learned something? You know you REALLY know something when you can explain it. Another way you know you know something is if you can CREATE something new from that which you know. Well, in that vein, we are going to work to create new simple and compound probability problems for our guests. We will display them on the walls inside and outside my room, and challenge our guests to figure out their solutions. Then, when they are good and stumped, we will explain to them not only the answer, but how to come up with the solution. (Yoda voice) "Easy it will be, my younglings, for know the secret we do..."
"If you remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can never get a math problem wrong!" (Bwaannnng)
See ya in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!!!
At any rate, here's what's on tap for next week: as you know, we ended this past week by getting into calculating the probabilities of compound events (that is, more than one event happening). As we enter this week, we will pick up where we left off, and study not only compound independent events but also compound dependent events (by the way, did you know we did a compound dependent event on the very first day of school? Can you think of what it was? Hopefully, by the end of the week, you'll recall what I'm talking about and why it fits this classification, and you'll be able to tell me about it in your journals!)
Also coming up this week, we will get a visit from home! By that I mean our OPEN HOUSE will be this Thursday, August 27th, 2009 from 6 to 7:30 PM. I am very much looking forward to meeting or reconnecting with your parents this Thursday night! I plan to show them my room, my SmartBoard, and my blog. YOU should plan on showing them some of your work, and entries from your journal. One other thing we will do to get ready for their arrival (and to begin something we will do for the rest of the year) is the first of our class projects. Remember when I told you all how you REALLY have learned something? You know you REALLY know something when you can explain it. Another way you know you know something is if you can CREATE something new from that which you know. Well, in that vein, we are going to work to create new simple and compound probability problems for our guests. We will display them on the walls inside and outside my room, and challenge our guests to figure out their solutions. Then, when they are good and stumped, we will explain to them not only the answer, but how to come up with the solution. (Yoda voice) "Easy it will be, my younglings, for know the secret we do..."
"If you remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can never get a math problem wrong!" (Bwaannnng)
See ya in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
All's Well that Ends Well!
Check out these lovely pictures! Some of you students know that I told you that I had lost my camera, but as you can see, I have these great pictures up here. Wait until you hear THIS story...
As you know, I posted my blog for the week, but I did so with a bit of melancholy, because...
Last night, I went to the 5th Annual Lonnie Jackson Benefit. I'm also serving as the Chair of the Executive Board of CCSC, Inc., a community service organization that was founded by the late Lonnie Jackson. I had been working on getting this benefit together for some time now, and now that the big moment had arrived, I was very excited! I grabbed my digital camera and my lovely wife, and off we went to the big ceremony! It was a great evening, and I grabbed a few pictures to commemorate the event. Then we began to head home. I got my wife into the car, took off my suit coat so I could drive comfortably, put the car in gear and proceeded safely home...
...and forgot that I had left my digital camera sitting on the top of my car! (AGGH!!!)
Needless to say, I was very upset! I had been taking pictures of the kids since the beginning of the year! I had been taking pictures just this week to include in my blog! I had a lot of great images that I was going to save for my end-of-the-year video yearbook! Now the camera was gone! What was I to do?
Well, I first called down to the Convention & Trade Center, to see if anyone there had found my camera. They called me back a few minutes later to tell me that no one HAD found it (Bummer!). So I resolved to leave as soon as I could after school today to try and retrace my steps and see if I could find it. It was still in my camera case, so I was confident that it may not have been badly damaged, but if it fell off in the street, and some car ran over it, not even my case could have protected it. I bet you can imagine the images that thought generated in my mind! (UGH!) At any rate, I said a quick prayer, asking for the grace to find the camera, and went back to teaching my great and wonderful children. I was REALLY bummed, though, because the thought of having to start all over really disturbed me.
So the school day ends, we get all the kids off campus, and it's after 4 PM, so I'm free to go. I gathered all my paperwork together for the weekend, packed my bag into the car, and got ready to pull out of the parking lot. All of a sudden, my cell phone rang. On the other end was a nice lady who had also attended the benefit yesterday evening. She told me that she had tried to call the other members of our organization's leadership, and was also trying to get to me, because she had found a camera in the parking lot, and wondered if someone was out there trying to find it!
(HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY HAPPY HAPPY JOY!!!) Whoo Hoo! You talk about a HAPPY Mr. Armstrong! IwasampedIwasstokedIwasgeekedIwaspumped! O Boy O boy O boy O boy!!! (Can you tell I was happy? LOL)
So the lady tells me where to meet her, and I drive to that location. When she arrived, she gave me my camera (and I gave her a big thankful hug!). And guess what? The camera was undamaged! All the pictures were safely on the memory card! I got my camera back!!!
So, I am now able to do what I wanted to do with my earlier entry this evening. As you know, this week, we studied tree diagrams. As the children learned how to do the diagrams and how they work, I gave them the opportunity to come to the SmartBoard and show me what they were learning. Please enjoy the attached pictures of my children working at the SmartBoard! All is truly well that ends well! See you Sunday night!
Week In Review, Week 2
What a week! This week was full of action and exploration. I began teaching the kids how to do tree diagrams and what they are used for. Tree diagrams are used to list all the possible outcomes of an event. They are very similar to sample spaces (which do the same thing), but the tree diagram shows how the outcomes came to be, whereas the sample space is just the list or number of the outcomes. Furthermore (and this is the key point here), the difference between tree diagrams and sample space is while the tree diagram does show all of the possible outcomes, you don't need the tree diagram to calculate probabilities. On the other hand, you can't calculate a probability without knowing the sample space.
By the way, this week we also studied the Fundamental Counting Principle, which is a faster way to determine outcomes without having to draw a tree diagram. As the week came to a close, we began to study compound independent events, and inclusive events. I like the enthusiasm that I see in my kids! They seem to like being in my class, and I must say, I like having them here! They are a great bunch of children, and I love the fact that so many of them have a real desire to learn. They have taken to the lessons and with the journals in a surprising way!
I'll have the preview of next week's lessons on this blog on Sunday Afternoon! See you then!
By the way, this week we also studied the Fundamental Counting Principle, which is a faster way to determine outcomes without having to draw a tree diagram. As the week came to a close, we began to study compound independent events, and inclusive events. I like the enthusiasm that I see in my kids! They seem to like being in my class, and I must say, I like having them here! They are a great bunch of children, and I love the fact that so many of them have a real desire to learn. They have taken to the lessons and with the journals in a surprising way!
I'll have the preview of next week's lessons on this blog on Sunday Afternoon! See you then!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Coming Up Next Week...
I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. You already KNOW I did. My birthday was so nice, I had to celebrate twice. It was a lot of fun, but I sure was tired by Saturday night! But all good things must come to an end, so it's time to look ahead to the NEXT good thing coming up: another week in my class!
Have you ever been in a restaurant and had so many choices available to you that it made it hard for YOU to choose? Have you ever awakened in the morning and had difficulty deciding what to wear, because of all the options available to you? (Thanks, Mom!) Believe it or not, there is a way to examine this dilemma mathematically: you can do it by the use of tree diagrams.
If you remember our discussion of sample space from last week, you know that the sample space is the list or the number of all possible outcomes. Well, using a tree diagram will also allow you to examine and list all the possible outcomes from all the choices you have available. It allows you to see the outcomes, to count them, to be aware of all the options you have in any given situation. We will study tree diagrams this week, leading us up to one of the next key terms you must know in the study of Data Analysis and Probability: the Fundamental Counting Principle. I'd tell you what that is, too, but why spoil all the fun? Come to class this week and find out for yourself!
See you all in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!
Have you ever been in a restaurant and had so many choices available to you that it made it hard for YOU to choose? Have you ever awakened in the morning and had difficulty deciding what to wear, because of all the options available to you? (Thanks, Mom!) Believe it or not, there is a way to examine this dilemma mathematically: you can do it by the use of tree diagrams.
If you remember our discussion of sample space from last week, you know that the sample space is the list or the number of all possible outcomes. Well, using a tree diagram will also allow you to examine and list all the possible outcomes from all the choices you have available. It allows you to see the outcomes, to count them, to be aware of all the options you have in any given situation. We will study tree diagrams this week, leading us up to one of the next key terms you must know in the study of Data Analysis and Probability: the Fundamental Counting Principle. I'd tell you what that is, too, but why spoil all the fun? Come to class this week and find out for yourself!
See you all in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Week 1 - Week In Review
Well, we got through the first week! This is now my third time beginning the school year with classes of 8th Graders at East Columbus, and in many ways, it has been the best. There are some challenges, to be sure, but all in all, I can say that if the rest of the year goes like this week went, we are going to have fun and learn like never before!
For one thing, I've got my SmartBoard up and running! The SmartBoard is a piece of interactive technology that allows you to do everything from running the computer from it to writing on it to using interactive software. As we studied simple probability this week (I'll get to that in a minute), I was delighted to watch my students come up to the Board and spin a spinner or roll dice, simply by touching the Board! And they loved it too! I have known of this technology and have desired to have it for ten years now. To finally have it in my room and be using it is literally a dream come true!
As we have begun the year, I started something else that I had been wanting to do for a while now: journaling. I've kept journals myself for years, but I wanted to have the kids start journalling so that they could put their thoughts on paper as they learned new concepts. The results have been significant, to say the least. I would say that my kids fall into three categories: those who are still trying to write as little as possible, those who know WHAT they want to say but don't know HOW to say it, and those who are not only willing but very able to express themselves in writing. With each of the kids in each of these categories, I would have them write down their impressions of the day's lesson, what they learned, how they felt, etc. I intend for it to be not only a reinforcement of the lessons they are learning, but also a long-running conversation between each of my kids and me all year long. My ultimate goal is to have this journal be a resource for them when they go to high school next year. Their high school teachers will not have the time to review what I have had to teach them, so by writing it all down now, the kids will essentially have me as a "tutor" to remind them of what they learned this year, NEXT year. I thought it would be a great idea, but it has come at a cost: I didn't quite realize the amount of time it would take to read and respond to 85 journals! But I'm making the adjustment. Some of the conversations I have begun with these incredible kids have been truly amazing. I can't wait to see the "finished" product at the end of the year!
As I said earlier, this week, we learned about simple probability. Probability is a number between 0 and 1 which gives the likelihood of an event happening. It can be expressed as a fraction, a decimal, or a percent. This number is found by taking the number of outcomes you are looking for and dividing it by the total number of outcomes there are. We studied this concept and the concept of sample space by exploring my "bag full of...stuff." You'd have to ask my kids about that. I'm sure they would love to tell you about it. What I will say here is, expect much more interactive use of manipulatives as we go through the year.
The week culminated on yesterday, which also happened to be my birthday! My children made it so special for me! They serenaded me with the traditional rendering of "Happy Birthday To You," and followed it up with Stevie Wonder's version of the same! It was a happy day all day yesterday, and I was REALLY keyed up about it even after the school day had ended! I sent the kids home with their first homework assignment; to write in their journals their own summary of what we learned this past week. I can't wait to read their responses on Monday!
Come back tomorrow night for the preview of next week! See you soon!
For one thing, I've got my SmartBoard up and running! The SmartBoard is a piece of interactive technology that allows you to do everything from running the computer from it to writing on it to using interactive software. As we studied simple probability this week (I'll get to that in a minute), I was delighted to watch my students come up to the Board and spin a spinner or roll dice, simply by touching the Board! And they loved it too! I have known of this technology and have desired to have it for ten years now. To finally have it in my room and be using it is literally a dream come true!
As we have begun the year, I started something else that I had been wanting to do for a while now: journaling. I've kept journals myself for years, but I wanted to have the kids start journalling so that they could put their thoughts on paper as they learned new concepts. The results have been significant, to say the least. I would say that my kids fall into three categories: those who are still trying to write as little as possible, those who know WHAT they want to say but don't know HOW to say it, and those who are not only willing but very able to express themselves in writing. With each of the kids in each of these categories, I would have them write down their impressions of the day's lesson, what they learned, how they felt, etc. I intend for it to be not only a reinforcement of the lessons they are learning, but also a long-running conversation between each of my kids and me all year long. My ultimate goal is to have this journal be a resource for them when they go to high school next year. Their high school teachers will not have the time to review what I have had to teach them, so by writing it all down now, the kids will essentially have me as a "tutor" to remind them of what they learned this year, NEXT year. I thought it would be a great idea, but it has come at a cost: I didn't quite realize the amount of time it would take to read and respond to 85 journals! But I'm making the adjustment. Some of the conversations I have begun with these incredible kids have been truly amazing. I can't wait to see the "finished" product at the end of the year!
As I said earlier, this week, we learned about simple probability. Probability is a number between 0 and 1 which gives the likelihood of an event happening. It can be expressed as a fraction, a decimal, or a percent. This number is found by taking the number of outcomes you are looking for and dividing it by the total number of outcomes there are. We studied this concept and the concept of sample space by exploring my "bag full of...stuff." You'd have to ask my kids about that. I'm sure they would love to tell you about it. What I will say here is, expect much more interactive use of manipulatives as we go through the year.
The week culminated on yesterday, which also happened to be my birthday! My children made it so special for me! They serenaded me with the traditional rendering of "Happy Birthday To You," and followed it up with Stevie Wonder's version of the same! It was a happy day all day yesterday, and I was REALLY keyed up about it even after the school day had ended! I sent the kids home with their first homework assignment; to write in their journals their own summary of what we learned this past week. I can't wait to read their responses on Monday!
Come back tomorrow night for the preview of next week! See you soon!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Now the REAL fun begins...
OK, so we got the first couple of days out of the way, and mostly they were about the classroom rules and procedures. Starting tomorrow, we get to work. The book you were issued on Friday will now be scanned out to you and will be your responsibility for the rest of the year. Look ON MY DOOR before you come to class to see what I want you to have with you when you walk into my room. Be prepared to go to work when you hit the door tomorrow. We will start by getting you acquainted with your textbook. Then, we begin working on our first unit: probability.
I must say, I wish that I had been taught probability back when I learned it (in college) the way you all will learn it here. It would have been much more enjoyable for me. As it is, I hope you will learn how probability helps us plan for the future and anticipate outcomes! The journey of your life begins TOMORROW! Let's go!
P.S. If you don't mind, could you log on and let me know that you are following the blogs? I'd like to know who's out there reading these posts, and while you're at it, if you have a comment or two you'd like to share, by all means, fire away! See ya in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!!!
I must say, I wish that I had been taught probability back when I learned it (in college) the way you all will learn it here. It would have been much more enjoyable for me. As it is, I hope you will learn how probability helps us plan for the future and anticipate outcomes! The journey of your life begins TOMORROW! Let's go!
P.S. If you don't mind, could you log on and let me know that you are following the blogs? I'd like to know who's out there reading these posts, and while you're at it, if you have a comment or two you'd like to share, by all means, fire away! See ya in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!!!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Want Some Extra Credit?
Who couldn't use a few extra credit points here and there, right? Would you like to know how you can receive a few of these points in my class? Well, there are two ways to do it...
First, declare your vision. If you intend to go to college years from now, confirm that intention by bringing in a college pennant that I can put up on the wall. That way, you will see that pennant every day when you come into my classroom and be reminded of the promise you made to yourself. Doing so will add some significant points to your grade later in the semester. Can't find a college pennant? Then while you're here online, find a college's web page (I can't think of any college nowadays which does NOT have a website), and capture their logo or crest. Print that out on a sheet of paper with your vision statement, "I am GOING to college!", and sign it. Then bring your statement to me. Instant points! I'll post your vision to the wall in my classroom, and hopefully, it will help you stay focused and determined to reach that goal.
Secondly, look like where you are going. My hopes and dreams for you are BIG. As such, I would like for you to dress for success at least once a week. Here on Team 801, we dress up on Wednesdays. For the boys, that means long sleeved dress shirts, neckties, dress slacks, and dress shoes. For the girls, it means blouses, skirts (within dress code), dress slacks, and dress shoes (low pumps are preferred; if you wear heels, the heel must be within the dress code. See your student handbook for details). Ladies, for more points, wear a nice tea-length dress or business suit.
Doing these two things will add a point or two to your overall grade, and will confirm that you are on your way to high school and future success! I look forward to seeing how well you all are dressed up on Wednesdays! Look for the pics on this blog as we go through the year!
First, declare your vision. If you intend to go to college years from now, confirm that intention by bringing in a college pennant that I can put up on the wall. That way, you will see that pennant every day when you come into my classroom and be reminded of the promise you made to yourself. Doing so will add some significant points to your grade later in the semester. Can't find a college pennant? Then while you're here online, find a college's web page (I can't think of any college nowadays which does NOT have a website), and capture their logo or crest. Print that out on a sheet of paper with your vision statement, "I am GOING to college!", and sign it. Then bring your statement to me. Instant points! I'll post your vision to the wall in my classroom, and hopefully, it will help you stay focused and determined to reach that goal.
Secondly, look like where you are going. My hopes and dreams for you are BIG. As such, I would like for you to dress for success at least once a week. Here on Team 801, we dress up on Wednesdays. For the boys, that means long sleeved dress shirts, neckties, dress slacks, and dress shoes. For the girls, it means blouses, skirts (within dress code), dress slacks, and dress shoes (low pumps are preferred; if you wear heels, the heel must be within the dress code. See your student handbook for details). Ladies, for more points, wear a nice tea-length dress or business suit.
Doing these two things will add a point or two to your overall grade, and will confirm that you are on your way to high school and future success! I look forward to seeing how well you all are dressed up on Wednesdays! Look for the pics on this blog as we go through the year!
The First Day...
The first day of school was a blast today! I have another great group of children! When I think of everything I desire to accomplish this year with them, it boggles the mind! Nonetheless, I want to share with you the secret to successful math that I shared with them.
Math is about pattern recognition. In fact, I would submit that math is simply the analysis of patterns and how they work together. Algebra, which is what we will study this year, takes the student outside the most basic and concrete patterns which they have been studying up to this point, and expands their study to identify patterns in the abstract realms. The other thing I like about math is that there is usually only ONE right answer, which, if you follow the rules, you can always find. So, my philosophy regarding math, and the secret to math success, is fairly simple:
"If you remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can NEVER get a math problem wrong..."
It will be interesting to once again see the kids coming to this realization for themselves this year! Great start today! See you tomorrow!
Math is about pattern recognition. In fact, I would submit that math is simply the analysis of patterns and how they work together. Algebra, which is what we will study this year, takes the student outside the most basic and concrete patterns which they have been studying up to this point, and expands their study to identify patterns in the abstract realms. The other thing I like about math is that there is usually only ONE right answer, which, if you follow the rules, you can always find. So, my philosophy regarding math, and the secret to math success, is fairly simple:
"If you remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can NEVER get a math problem wrong..."
It will be interesting to once again see the kids coming to this realization for themselves this year! Great start today! See you tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Welcome!
Allow me to be among the first to welcome you to Team 801, East Columbus Magnet Academy! This page will be one of many ways I communicate with you, the parents and students as we navigate through your 8th Grade year.
The 8th Grade is one of the more significant grades you will experience during your academic career. It is a time of great transition and growth. If you enter this time with enthusiasm, determination, and focus, you will position yourself to have more positive options available for you in the future. That certainly is my hope and the hope of all of the other teachers on my team, that you will be educated, socially aware and prepared, and equipped with better options for your future.
I teach Math for Team 801. In my class, we will study probability, Data analysis, some number sense, topics related to the Pythagorean Theorem, and number operations. A significant portion of the year will be devoted to teaching algebra, the algebra your parents learned when they were in 9th Grade. Math is not as hard as some of you may feel it is. I have condensed my philosophy about math down to one sentence: "If you can remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can NEVER get a math problem wrong." This year we will have much more collaboration and interaction in class. I will allow everyone the chance to learn from me and from each other, as you will have plenty of time to talk to your teammates about the concepts we are learning as the year progresses. It is important that you hard to master the standards we will be teaching you, for as I am sure you are aware, you must pass the CRCT in reading and math in the 8th Grade to get promoted to 9th Grade. If you work with me and your classmates, I can almost guarantee you that will happen.
For those of you in my homeroom, we will be joined every day by Mrs. Merritt, one of the academic coaches at ECMA. She and I will work together to teach you the standards as the school year goes along. For all of you, make sure you come to class each day prepared with all materials, organized neatly, and a desire to work and learn. I am extremely excited about the opportunity I have to get you all ready for high school. Welcome to ECMA! Welcome to the 8th Grade! And welcome to Team 801, where our motto is "801! SECOND TO NONE!!!"
~ Mr. Armstrong
The 8th Grade is one of the more significant grades you will experience during your academic career. It is a time of great transition and growth. If you enter this time with enthusiasm, determination, and focus, you will position yourself to have more positive options available for you in the future. That certainly is my hope and the hope of all of the other teachers on my team, that you will be educated, socially aware and prepared, and equipped with better options for your future.
I teach Math for Team 801. In my class, we will study probability, Data analysis, some number sense, topics related to the Pythagorean Theorem, and number operations. A significant portion of the year will be devoted to teaching algebra, the algebra your parents learned when they were in 9th Grade. Math is not as hard as some of you may feel it is. I have condensed my philosophy about math down to one sentence: "If you can remember the rules, see the patterns, and take the steps, you can NEVER get a math problem wrong." This year we will have much more collaboration and interaction in class. I will allow everyone the chance to learn from me and from each other, as you will have plenty of time to talk to your teammates about the concepts we are learning as the year progresses. It is important that you hard to master the standards we will be teaching you, for as I am sure you are aware, you must pass the CRCT in reading and math in the 8th Grade to get promoted to 9th Grade. If you work with me and your classmates, I can almost guarantee you that will happen.
For those of you in my homeroom, we will be joined every day by Mrs. Merritt, one of the academic coaches at ECMA. She and I will work together to teach you the standards as the school year goes along. For all of you, make sure you come to class each day prepared with all materials, organized neatly, and a desire to work and learn. I am extremely excited about the opportunity I have to get you all ready for high school. Welcome to ECMA! Welcome to the 8th Grade! And welcome to Team 801, where our motto is "801! SECOND TO NONE!!!"
~ Mr. Armstrong
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