Humphrey's Hints

Week of May 12th!

Welcome to the final weeks of school! I really can't imagine that you are all about to be 8th graders!!!! WOW! Here are a few reminders:

1. Teachers vs. Students Pinball Game on Tuesday, May 13th at 7:45 in the gym. $1.00 to watch and $5.00 to play!

2. Yearbooks are still on sale...only a few left!

3. Final Exam for math will be Tuesday, May 20th!

This week in Math 7...

Monday - one-step equations practice...NO HW!
Tuesday - Two-step equations practice...NO HW!
Wednesday - Equations Quiz!...NO HW!
Thursday - Begin study guide for final exam
Friday - Complete study guide for final exam

We will check the study guide on Monday and answer any last minute questions!

Math Literacy - We will focus on menu math and retail/shopping this week!

Have a great week!

Week of May 5th!

Can you believe we only have three more weeks of seventh grade left?!?! 15 more school days....WOW!!!! Just a few announcements...

1. If you still want a yearbook, there are a few more on sale...see you homeroom teacher for info.Yearbooks will be distributed on Friday, May 23rd in homeroom!

2. This Friday, May 9th is a full field-day with D.O.G. day combined (dinner on the grounds).  Sign up for team events and track & field events will be during lunch on Monday and Tuesday. Please dress appropriately if warm on Friday.

3. Pay close attention to the testing schedule for the last two weeks of school. Teachers will be scheduling final exams this week...be sure to complete/study any study guide given! Good Luck!!!

This week in math we will focus on integers with multi-steps. It is imperative that each of you leave seventh grade able to "master" integers". This is a concept that will be used each and every unit of 8th grade.

Monday - Adding integers in class...HW: Percentages W.sheet
Tuesday - Subtracting integers in class...HW: Wsheet given in class
Wednesday - Multi/divide integers in class...HW: Integers combination W.sheet
Thursday - Quiz on integers...HW: Probability & Counting Principle W.sheet
Friday - Filed day!

Math literacy - We will focus on pat-time jobs and creating our flyer's to present to the class!

I hope you all have a great week!

Week of April 28th!

As we wrap up these last two days of testing, we will complete a fun, mathematical project in class...Tessellations! Each student will design a random shape from either a square, triangle or hexagon. Then, the student will trace onto a sheet of white drawing paper. The last step is to be creative! Make a design, drawing or random colorful art! The final project will be due end of class on Thursday, May 1st!

We will also discuss the mathematician/artist, M.C. Escher. Students will have their first extra credit assignment of the year: Write a 1-page essay on Escher. How does he relate math to art? This extra credit assignment is due on Monday, May 5th!

In class on Friday, we will complete our 4th nine week writing assignment as well as look at the divisibility rules.

No homework will be given this week!

Have a great week!

Week of April 21st!

Welcome to CRCT Week! I feel confident that 7th graders are ready to pass this test!!! We've been practicing some tricky concepts and questions and have two more practice days left...make the best out of them! Please remember all of the very important testing tips....

1. Number 2 pencils only and sharpened! (no mechanical!)
2. Eat a healthy and filling breakfast
3. Get plenty of rest!
4. Be present and on time!
5. DON"T STRESS!!! :-)

Since we will be testing for such a long period, students may bring snacks to eat after the testing has ending. Out lunch is at approx. 12:45 for the 5 days of testing.

During testing days, we will be working on a fun art/math project focusing on MC Escher and tessellations. No homework will be given...relax and rest after school!!

Monday - Algebraic Expressions/Direct and Indirect Variation HW
Tuesday - Complete integer practice in class and constructions quick practice after...NO HW!

Good luck to everyone...you are ready! We've completed all math 7 curriculum as well as a solid review! I know you can do it!!!!!!!!!!

Week of April 14th!

I hope you all had a fun and restful Spring Break! I think we all needed that little time away. Now, we can focus 100% on prepping for the CRCT! We have a week and a half before we start (April 23rd is the first day of testing). Math class will be 100% review for the next two weeks and then, we will move into previewing for math 8. We will wrap up May with a math 7 study guide and a final exam the last week of school. Can you believe it's close enough to think of the end of the school year already?!?!?

Math 7 - This is a breakdown of our week...

Monday - In class review of box-and-whisker plots & measures of central tendencies.
HW - order of operations WS

Tuesday - In class review of measures of variations and graphs.
HW - Algebraic Expressions WS

Wednesday - Play Risky Business by reviewing numbers and operations
HW - Multiplying & Dividing Rational Numbers WS

Thursday - Play Race to the Top Game by reviewing Transformations and Similar/Congruent Figures
HW - 3-d Figures WS

Friday - In class review of one/two step equations
HW - Absolute Value WS

***Please remember that if you did not turn in your Cool Cross Sections Project on Friday, 4/4 it is due Monday, 4/12*** I will not take any projects late!

Math literacy -
We will continue our study on budgeting and looking at how much money certain careers earn today.

I hope you all have a great week!

Week of March 31st!

Welcome to the end of March! Five more days until a much needed Spring Break! The students (and teachers) have been working very hard getting prepared for the CRCT when we return. I am VERY pleased at how many students showed up for the CRCT Prep Saturday School yesterday! It shows the commitment that students have to success! WAY TO GO!!!

Math 7 -
We will review unit 7 on Monday and take the unit test on Tuesday, April 1st! There will be a study session at 8:30 AM on Tuesday. The students have a corrected study guide (we did this on Friday) to use over the weekend (and Monday). The students will end the week with a major culminating project called "Cool Cross Sections". They will either use their own home or design a dream home and basically create its cross sectional views such as a blueprint! We will work on this Wednesday - Friday in class...due at the end of class on Friday. For those on the Disney trip for chorus, your due date will be the Monday you return from Spring Break.

Homework this week: Tuesday, 1st - CRCT practice worksheet given after test (most may finish in class).

Math Literacy -
We will discuss budgets and  needs vs. wants this week!

Have a great week!

Week of March 24th!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! It certainly was beautiful! (Lukas had a fabulous first birthday...I have pictures to share Monday :-)

Reminders: All students must have a signed report card by Tuesday, 3/25! I still need the white 8th grade registration forms from most of my homeroom as well as the neon pink foreign language forms. Both of these are crucial for 8th grade preparation. Thank you!

On Saturday, March 29th from 9 AM to Noon, we will host a CRCT Math Prep Session. Students will gain great test-taking tips and take a 60 question math practice CRCT and get instant feedback! These sessions will be held by grade-level. Get a permission slip from your math teacher and return by Wednesday, 3/26th! This is a great opportunity...don't miss out!!!!

We are still working with 3-d shapes and will discover the world of conic sections (or cross sections) this week. We will do some fun labs on Wednesday and Thursday, so participation is expected! The homework this week will be mostly CRCT review sheets given in class. Here's a cheat sheet for the quiz...Download 3d_trans.doc Here's the week's plan:

Monday - Review vocab; Quiz; HW - Coordinate Geometry CRCT review
Tuesday - Computation Challenge # 18; Introduce Cross Sections;Matching Cross Sections WS
Wednesday - Power Solids Lab (using water and power solids to visualize cross sections);HW - Constructions CRCT review.
Thursday - Cube and Cylinder Lab (using cheese and marshmallows); summary of cross sections. No HW!
Friday - Study guide in class and check answers before leaving! STUDY FOR UNIT 7 TEST!!!

We will play a review game on Monday and take the unit 7 test on Tuesday, 4/1! Beginning on Wednesday, 4/2, we will complete an in-class project called :"Cool Cross Sections". This project is a Georgia State Performance Task. It will be due Friday, April 4th! If you know that you will be absent on this Friday, then your project will be due before you leave on Thursday!

Math Literacy -
We will be learning about the stock market this week. Students will pick a stock to follow for the next 8 weeks of math literacy.

Have a great week!

Week of March 17th!

Welcome to St. Patrick's Day Week! Don't forget to wear green on Monday.

We've wrapped up the 3rd nine weeks and jumping into the last nine weeks of seventh grade! WOW! In math, we will take the 3rd nine weeks benchmark test on Monday. Then, we will begin the last unit of math 7! This unit covers 2-d to 3-d shapes by translations and rotations and conic sections (what shape would you see if you slice a cone, cylinder, cube, prism or pyramid. In other words, what happens to a square when you drag it across the sand? It becomes a cube or prism! We will be "playing" and discovering in math for the next two weeks rather than solving equations and word problems! It should be fun and thought-provoking!!! The down-side to this unit is that it is NOT in the textbook, so HW will be more CRCT review rather than unit practice.

Monday - CRCT # 6 practice
Tuesday - work on unit 7 vocab...NO HW!
Wednesday - complete vocab and look at 2-d vs. 3-d...NO HW!
Thursday - Rotations in the sand activity...NO HW!
Friday - Performance Task in class...CRCT # 7 for HW!

***There will be a quiz over vocabulary, what defines a shape, translations and rotations of shapes on Monday, March 24th!***

Math Literacy -
Welcome to math literacy. This week we will look at what is literacy, class syllabus and define your literacy's! You must bring a book to read to class EVERY Friday, so go to the library BEFORE Friday morning!

Have a great week!!!

Week of March 10th!

One week left in this grading period!!!!  I can’t believe how fast the year is flying by – 4^th nine weeks begins on Monday, March 17^th.

ACADEMIC NIGHT IS HERE!!  This Thursday, March 13^th is Academic Night.  Please come and see all the great work your student has done throughout the school year.  This is our chance to highlight some of the great work we have seen. The Awtrey Art Show will be in display this evening as well!

SPRING PICTURES!!  This Tuesday is Spring Picture Day.  Forms went home last week – please make sure you have your envelope and money if you plan on taking your picture on Tuesday.

Friday, March 14^th is National Pi Day!!!  You have been given an assignment on Friday that will be due on Friday, 3/14.  You will need to locate 10 circular in your “world” such as a dinner plate, pizza, clock, etc.  You will need to measure the circumference and measure the diameter.  Then, you will have to solve:  Pi = C ÷ d.  You will prove pi!!   

Download Pi Day Activity...Download pi_day_act..doc

We have wrapped up unit 6 of math 7! WOW...time is flying! Here's the outline for the week...

Monday - work on study guide and finish for HW! Download Math7Unit6StudyGuide.doc

Tuesday - check study guide and review in class...study corrected study guide as HW!

Wednesday - writing assessment...study for test!

Thursday - Unit 6 Test! CRCT # 6 as HW!

Friday - Pi Day activity due! Don't forget your "round snacks" to enjoy!

Math Literacy -

We will wrap up our math literacy unit with a last look at our stocks, a course evaluation and one last journal check. This class will move into Ms. Sander's science literacy on Monday, 3/17.

Have a great week!!

Week of March 3rd!

Welcome to March! I hope this month is as beautiful as the weekend has been!

A few announcements:

1. Academic Night/Art Show will be Thursday, March 13th. The art show begins at 6:30 with Academic Night beginning at 7:00. Please come see the beautiful art displayed by our own Awtrey students. Ms. Smyre and her students have done a WONDERFUL job!!!

2. Yearbooks are still on sale for $40.00. Please see the flier passed out this past week.

3. Deficiencies were distributed on Friday. Please return this paper signed to the teacher from which it was given. Report cards will be sent home on Thursday, March 20th. (Three-fourths of the year is over!! WOW!!)

Math 7 -
This week we will focus on indirect/inverse variation/proportion. The equation we will be working with is: y = k/x. In order to solve for the constant of variation (k), you will simply multiply (x)(y)! This concept is actually easier to solve, even though the thought process is more confusing. For example, in an inverse variation as x-increases, the y value decreases and vice versa. Think like this...I have a pizza with eight slices. The more friends that I invite over, the less pizza I get to eat! As my friends increase, the slices I enjoy alone decreases! So, we will take notes and practice problems in class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday will be a group assessment called, "How Fast Can You Go?" We will be in groups of 4 collecting data and compiling it according to inverse variation. This will count as a project grade! Homework this week will be...

Monday - Complete the Spring Break Performance task
Tuesday - No HW...Early Release day!
Wednesday - Practice worksheet in indirect/inverse variation given in class
Thursday - None
Friday - CRCT # 5 practice sheet

Math literacy -
We will focus on taxes, W-2 forms and 1040EZ forms.

Have a great week!