Intro to Algebra / Grade 8 Math

This section of my teacher website has several parts regarding my Intro to Algebra/Grade 8 Math course.  Those parts include:

• Yearly Overview
• Binder Organization
• Course Syllabus
• Canvas Calendar/Syllabus Page (Public Link)
• Parent/Guardian Access to Student Canvas Account
• Daily Routine (Intro to Algebra/Grade 8 Math)
• Advice from Former Students
• F.A.Q. (Intro to Algebra/Grade 8 Math)

I will update each section as needed once the school year begins in August.

Yearly Overview

This yearly overview is designed to give you a general idea of the flow of topics for the entire school year.  We may move things around or extend certain topics if we feel it meets the needs of our students.  Please encourage your student to check their Canvas calendar daily, as we will continue to update that space regularly.  

Math_8_Yearly_Overview_24_25.pdf Download Math_8_Yearly_Overview_24_25.pdf

 

Binder Organization

New to my routine this year (25/26) is the use of a binder.  The binder and set of 5 dividers should both be on the BMJH student supply list.  This is how I plan to label the dividers:

Syllabus

This is the syllabus I will hand out during class.

*The afternoon tutorials are listed incorrectly on the syllabus.  It should be on TUESDAYS.

Syllabus Grade 8 Math 2425.pdf Download Syllabus Grade 8 Math 2425.pdf

Canvas Calendar / Canvas Syllabus Page

The link below will take you directly to the syllabus section of my classroom Canvas site.  It gives more specific details for students.  If you scroll towards the bottom, you will see all the upcoming dates that I've listed in the calendar.  If you're not able to see the details of a particular date, please have your student log into Canvas so that they may show you.  Parent/Guardians may also set up a parent account to view more details.

Canvas Calendar/Syllabus - Public Link

Parent/Guardian Access to Student Canvas Account

Parents/Guardians are now able to view their student's Canvas account using their (the parent/guardian) log in. 

Daily Routine

Our typical daily routine will look like this.

Tuesday

• Students will work a warm up while I take attendance.  Depending on time and particular skill, we will spend time going over the warm up.  Students will also have time to check their homework and ask questions over what they missed.
• Students will complete a homework quiz to make sure they understood the material from the night before.
• Computers are closed, and the lesson is conducted.  This may include taking notes, working guided practice examples, or completing an interactive activity in class.
• Once the lesson is completed, students will be given time to start their homework in class.  This can be anywhere from 10-20min, depending on lesson length.  Students often complete the work in class or spend at most 30min. completing the assignment at home.  The assignment may/may not be digital.

Wednesday

• (follow same routine)

Students will generally have homework Monday-Thursday, unless something changes with our schedule.  I will communicate that change with both parents (Skyward email) and students (Canvas message).

Advice from Former Students

I plan to ask all my students from now on to pass on some advice to the incoming 8th grade Algebra students.  The following statements below are the actual responses I received from students for the school year 2023-2024.  The only edits or deletions I made were if the responses involved personal information. 

 

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Don't fall behind

always pay attention in class

do your work

Don't procrastinate on your work. Get it done and turned in.

study like fr study but don't stress over it to much

Stay on your grades don’t try to talk to much and that you have freedom in this classroom

Turn in your work on time and pay attention.

have fun

dont waste to much time studying

do your work

nobodies care about you so shut up and pay atition so you can get done quicker

Dont take it

Don't stress about it.

Just stay focused and you'll be alright.

study and do your homework.

Just give up already.

dont fall behind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be yourself now, because after college there is no such thing as popularity

Take advantage of how calm and normal the pace of this class is because your not rush and gives you a good amount to do your work while relaxing.

Do your work and be quiet.

On Deltamath act like your stupid the website will give you easier to answer questions.

That last piece of advice above is not the best to follow.  Teachers are able to edit the settings on those Delta Math assignments to take off points each time you get a question wrong.  😊

 

study for tests and use a calculator

Do your work

good luck

turn in your things on time 😭

Dont skip/ be lazy doing your homework

Do your best don't even not try your best. Even if you're having a hard time, ask Ms. Laird she will help and give you all the answers she can. Ms. Laird is the best math teacher and really helped me in math this year. She has taught me life lessons and has helped me better myslef.

Do all your work

Do your work!

Study...study...and study more

Do the things

Dont stresss to much and to do what you need to get done and have a good time and don't give Mrs. Larid or any of your math teaches to much trouble.

Pay attention

Use the caculator

Always do your best.

idk

Stay on top of ur work!!

dont

Study out of school

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F.A.Q.

 

(This section will be constantly updated as I encounter more questions about the way our Intro to Algebra classes are structured.)

 

Classroom Model

⭐Do you flip your classroom?

• That is only done with our Algebra classes.  We use the traditional model (warm up, lesson, independent work) in our Intro to Algebra classes.

⭐Do you offer any extra practice?

• For every day/topic in the module there is a page titled Extra Practice (or something similar), where we link various websites or post worksheets (including the answer keys).  The students can work through these items as they need to, or we may work with these students using these resources during tutorials.

 

Canvas

⭐My student is trying to access his video for tonight and it's blocked.  Why can't he/she access the current material?

• We have our Canvas module set to where the students have to complete requirements in sequential order.  If your student has something blocked, it's because they are behind in the module.  The only times a student gets behind is if they are off-task and not using their given time as instructed.  

⭐How do I know if my student is logging into Canvas when he/she should be working?

• Absolutely everything a student does in Canvas is time-stamped, and any teacher can go in and check the Canvas access of a student for their particular course. It'll tell the teacher the day/time a student accessed the page, how many times they've clicked on the page total, and if they've interacted with the page (submitted work to the page).  I'm happy to send these reports to any parent that asks.

 

Delta Math

⭐My student is getting questions correct but the grade at the top of the screen isn't increasing.  Why is that?

• Once the students get used to the format of Delta Math, we set penalties on the assignments.  For example, if there is a penalty of 1, a student can get 1 wrong but as long as they have 10 total correct (or whatever it is set to), they will get credit.  If they get more incorrect, they have to get more correct (essentially to "cancel" out the incorrect questions) before their score increases.  This prevents students from skipping through the assignment to get "easy" questions to complete.  We go over this process in class as well as post a video in the module to remind students.

 

Homework

⭐How often do you assign homework?

• Students can expect to have homework every night.  Since they are given time to start the work in class, the amount they complete at home should be minimal.

 

Absent Work

⭐My student was absent and not able to complete work when he/she was at home.  How is she supposed to participate in class the day she returns if she's behind in the module?

• All a student has to do is mark "done" for the next page to open up, with the understanding they know they have to go back and complete the missed work.

 

Math Apps

⭐Are there any apps that you recommend to assist with assignments?

• As best you can, please LIMIT the use of ANY app to assist with their math homework.  When used for their intended purpose, they can absolutely be useful.  The problem is that sometimes students will use them for all their problems and copy down the work the app provides, thus not practicing the material (and not being prepared for tests).  With that said, PhotoMath is great.  But again, please encourage your students to use this app appropriately.

 

Tutorials

⭐Do you have tutorials in the morning/afternoon?

• Yes, I provide tutorials in both the morning and afternoon.  This will be updated in August once the staff comes back to work.

⭐Where are your tutorials posted?

• Tutorials will be posted on both my teacher website as well as the home page of our Canvas course.  I will also provide a document that shows the tutorial times of all the math teachers.  This will be posted on my website and the home page of our Canvas course as well.

 

Communication

⭐What is the best way to communicate with you?

• Students - They need to communicate with me via Canvas inbox.  This allows me to keep all my student communication in one place.  I can easily search for their names and quickly pull up any conversations in case the parent guardian asks.
• Parents/Guardians - Email is the best way to reach me.  I will do my best to respond within 24 hours of receipt.  Email is also a great way for me to include documents in my communication that are relevant to a parent/guardian concern.

⭐How often do you check your messages?

• Students - I see those messages pretty quickly (since I keep Canvas open), and I will flag them as a reminder to myself to respond later.  I will respond in the order in which I receive messages, unless there is an extenuating circumstance that warrants immediate feedback.
• Parents - I will check my email during my conference period each day.

 

Updating Grades

⭐Why is it that my student's grade in Canvas doesn't match his/her Skyward grade?

• I often add points to tests (signed reviews) or may take the average of a few assignments and input that as one grade.  Canvas is our district LMS (Learning Management System) and is only intended to "house" assignments and act as a tool to facilitate our learning.  You may see grades there from time to time (mostly on assessments), but it is not considered our gradebook (which is Skyward).

⭐My student completed their late/absent work.  It's been over a week, so why hasn't his/her grade changed?

• The most common reason for this is that the student hasn't notified me of the work completion.  Students are required to notify me that they have completed corrections/late/absent work.  This can be a Canvas message (if the assignment is digital) or by turning the assignment into the class drawer (if it's a correction).  It's important that they communicate this to me since I don't get notified otherwise.

⭐How often do you update Skyward?

• I do my best to update at least twice a week, but with two busy children of my own it might not always happen that way.  If something changes, I always communicate that via a Canvas message to the students.

 

Schedule Changes

⭐Do you ever recommend students in your Intro to Algebra classes to move up to Algebra?

• No.  Algebra is a high school credit course taught at the junior high level, so there are certain expectations we want our students to meet.  If a student does not begin that class within the first week of school, then they will not take that class during the school year.  The ONLY exception is if I have a student transfer from out of district who had taken the class at their previous school.

⭐Is there a class to move into if my student is struggling in Intro to Algebra?

• No.  Your student would stay in Intro to Algebra, as that is the curriculum for on-level 8th grade.  However, there may (depending on enrollment) be an option to additionally enroll them in Power Math (which takes up an elective).  Your student might also be required to attend regular tutorials.  These are all options I would discuss with the parent and counselor to make sure we provide the best fit for the student.