California here we come.  Students practice an injured hiker pass at Suttle Lake in January. 

Getting Ready for Travel Study

As students dig in to their independent research projects (involving great science and humanities topics), Jamison wonders:

Will 8th graders miss math on their trip?  Jamison is confident they will be able to find plenty of roots and radicals to study, along with an occasional "perfect square" inhabiting the Humboldt forests & environs...

Round 2, OAKS Testing Update: 

REALMS students beat district average: 10% more 8th graders meeting/exceeding!  12% more than State. 

Best of all: 36% of our 8th graders exceeded, compared to 22% average in the district.  Rock on, REALMS!

Maybe it's because we just finished high school forecasting, or perhaps it's because we finished a significant geometry unit, which helped them answer questions more confidently this time.  Lots of reasons, perhaps.  Clearly, the kids are focused and motivated to show what they know. 

Our 8th graders averaged 236 (up from 232, the first round in December).   Students continue to work hard to learn new material to be as well prepared for high school Algebra 1 and Geometry. 


We'll continue practicing sample questions during daily warm-ups.  If your child would like to try a sample test to help meet their goal:  OAKS On-Line Practice Test or to print out a paper test:
OAKS Sample Test
Formula Page Kids Get During Test

MATH OVERVIEW FOR WINTER & SPRING

We're finishing up our big unit on Linear Equations & Inequalities before diving into Geometry and Data Analysis.  Check out Jamison's Curriculum Overview for 2nd/3rd Trimester.  We have a lot of hands-on, spatial skills development and problem solving activities to keep math "real" and interesting.  3-D nets, what's Pi, optical illusions, compasses & graphing shapes to predict angles/missing lengths, tessellations, etc.  We'll explore concepts involving our friends Pythagoras, Fibonacci, Escher, to name a few!

NEED MATH RESOURCES?

Try MathWeb.com

Webmath is a math-help web site that generates answers to specific math questions and problems.  Use pull-down menu from "Quick Jump to Math Help;" select the topic you (or your parents) want to learn/remember.
Another site for fun family practice:  "Who wants to be a millionaire" (math version) at www.math-play.com (this is the one we played in class, kids).

Don't forget to use your copy of Math on Call reference book as well!  Tons of geometry help in it.















Will, Monae and Carl share reflective symmetry with optical illusions involving the Canadian flag last month.