March 11, 2022.
Today was the last day before March Break. The kids were a little wired and not really interested in doing much work. I still wanted to move the needle forward, but with students absent, because they started their holiday early, I wanted a lesson that would be mostly grade 8 review so they could catch up when they returned.
We started with some ratio and proportion questions. Some students worked through their examples using fractions, others set up proportions, and others ratios. There were a lot of different strategies to solve, which was great for discussion.
Next, we looked at two sets of fractions. I asked the class to organize the fractions into categories. Were the fractions closer to 0, 1/2, or 1?
Next, we revisited linear equations word problems and organized our information into a table, then we graphed it, and finally, we determined the equation of the line. We then progressed to determining the equation of a line from a table of values.
We switched gears and looked at writing a fraction as the sum of unit fractions. Because we are spiraling the curriculum, I am able to constantly review old material in hopes that student retention will be improved.
Next, we review some basic skills from grades 6, 7, and 8. We looked at rounding rules, place value, and the Pythagorean Theorem.
The Pythagorean theorem examples we looked at used an area model so students could visualize where the formula was derived.
I wished I would have had a Pythagorean theorem Boom Cards deck here for the kiddos to practice, but there wasn’t enough time during the school year to do ALL.THE.THINGS. So this summer, that was on my to-do list. Here is the deck that I will be able to use in future classes to review this concept.
We ended class with some consolidation questions. I did not assign these for homework, because we all just needed a break.
Most students were able to do the Pythagorean theorem questions, but there weren’t many attempts at the more challenging compound shapes questions. We will revisit these after the break.
That’s all folks!
I hope something here was able to help you on your teaching journey.
Have a great day!