St. Mary Catholic School

Life long success depends on self-discipline and hard work.  I have developed a Math program that affords every student the opportunity to manage his/her success while achieving curriculum standards.  Together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

The 10 Commandments of Math – posted in blue in your child’s math notebook

1. Thou shalt not put other textbooks before thee in Math class.
2. Thou shalt not do thy Math homework in ink!
3. Thou shalt commit the facts of arithmetic to memory.
4. Thou shalt not divide by zero.
5. Thou shalt honor the correct order of operations.
6. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy original problems; thou shalt copy the problems accurately and legibly.
7. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s paper, or anything belonging to thy neighbor.
8. Thou shalt show thy work, check thy work and confirm that the results are reasonable.
9. Remember thy test days and prepare for them wholly.
10. Thou shalt do unto one side of an equation what thou doest to the other.

Homework – Students should take their math textbooks & notebooks home as needed to complete homework.  The on-line resources are plentiful; extra examples, self-check quizzes, vocabulary review, chapter and standardized tests and MORE.

Tests – Students are notified of upcoming test dates at least 2 days prior and I try to send a parent e-mail as well.  Students always complete a practice test prior to the test and are also given the vocabulary list to study.  Vocabulary, chapter worksheets and the practice test should be used to prepare.  Retakes will be determined on an individual basis and are not guaranteed.  If a retake is appropriate, there will be a required re-teaching assignment to relearn the material.

Mini-Math – Each day class will begin with 10 review problems, used as bonus points towards a student’s grades.  This provides a great incentive for students to arrive in a timely manner and encourages them to get on task immediately.  It is never credited against a child.

Facts Quizzes – Every other Friday students have a “Facts Quiz” for the numbers 2- 15 and so on.  These are easy to prepare for ahead of time.  The quiz covers multiples of 1 through 12 (2 x 1, 2 x 2, 2 x 3, etc.).  The first quiz is Friday, Sept. 3rd.

Friday Math Packet – Each Friday students will receive a packet that reviews basic math concepts, or current concepts from the text.  Its goal is to improve student computation scores on standardized tests.  Students are allowed and encouraged to work on this packet during any free time in Math class or homeroom study hall.  It is due the following Friday.

Chapter Highlights

6^th Grade:

Chapter 1 Number Patterns & Algebra

Chapter 2 Statistics & Graphs

Chapter 3 Adding & Subtracting Decimals

Chapter 4 Multiplying & Dividing Decimals

Chapter 5 Fractions & Decimals

Chapter 6 Adding & Subtracting Fractions

Chapter 7 Multiplying & Dividing Fractions

Chapter 8 Algebra: Integers

Chapter 9 Algebra: Solving Equations

Chapter 10 Ratio, Proportions, & Percent

Chapter 11 Probability

Chapter 12 Measurement

Chapter 13 Geometry: Angles & Polygons

Chapter 14 Geometry: Measuring Area & Volumes

7^th Grade:

Chapter 1 Decimal Patterns & Algebra

Chapter 2 Statistics: Analyzing Data

Chapter 3 Algebra: Integers

Chapter 4 Algebra: Linear Equations & Functions

Chapter 5 Fractions, Decimals & Percents

Chapter 6 Applying Fractions

Chapter 7 Ratios & Proportions

Chapter 8 Applying Percent

Chapter 9 Probability

Chapter 10 Geometry

Chapter 11 Geometry: Measuring 2 Dimensional Figures

Chapter 12 Algebra: Measuring 3 Dimensional Figures

8^th Grade:

Chapter 1 Algebra: Integers

Chapter 2 Algebra: Rational Numbers

Chapter 3 Real Numbers & the Pythagorean Theorem

Chapter 4 Proportions, Algebra & Geometry

Chapter 5 Percents

Chapter 6 Geometry

Chapter 7 Geometry: Measuring Area & Volume

Chapter 8 Probability

Chapter 9 Statistics & Matrices

Chapter 10 Algebra: More Equations & Inequalities

Chapter 11 Algebra: Linear Functions

Chapter 12 Algebra: Non-linear Functions & Polynomials

Algebra:

Chapter 1 The Language of Algebra

Chapter 2 Real Numbers

Chapter 3 Solving Linear Equations

Chapter 4 Graphing Relations & Functions

Chapter 5 Analyzing Equations

Chapter 6 Solving Linear Inequalities

Chapter 7 Solving Systems of Linear Equations & Inequalities

Chapter 8 Polynomials

Chapter 9 Factoring

Chapter 10 Quadratic & Exponential Functions

Chapter 11 Radical Expressions & Triangles

Chapter 12 Rational Expressions & Equations

Chapter 13 Statistics

Chapter 14 Probability

Welcome to the 6th grade at St. Mary’s School. This will be a year of great challenges and opportunities. As you mature physically, socially and intellectually.  You will be expected to assume more of the responsibilities for your own learning. This will include keeping track of homework assignments, long-range projects, coming to class with proper materials and developing appropriate study skills. I am very excited that you are in my class.

Parents, be assured that I will work toward helping your child to reach his or her potential. In addition, I encourage you to communicate with me throughout the year if there is any way that I can meet the specific needs of your child more effectively. You may reach me via email at dolsen@straphael.org or by phone at 348-5806, ext. 1008. I am looking forward to teaching your child and I encourage you to check your child”s progress frequently.

First Quarter Curriculum

Reading:  We will read the novels, “The Tiger Rising”  and “The Summer of the Swans”. Vocabulary, reading comprehension strategies and skills will be taught all year. The Scholastic Reading Laboratory is also used throughout the year to enhance comprehension and reading skills. Independent reading  is also part of the daily schedule. One book report project is assigned each quarter. The first quarter project is a Character book report. I check and approve the books that you are responsible for choosing. Please make sure that you are independently reading at home.

English:  Grammar review of subjects, predicates, sentences and paragraphs will be studied during the first quarter. We will be writing various types of paragraphs and weekly journals will be assigned. In addition, we will concentrate on organizational skills, communication skills, and presentation skills.

Spelling: Weekly lesson are taken from the ” Scott Foresman”  spelling  book as well as the vocabulary from our novels. Weekly spelling tests are given on Fridays. A vocabulary list will be sent home at the beginning of each week.

Social Studies:  This year, we study the countries of the world. We will begin this quarter with geography skills, landforms,  maps , charts and graphs.  The World Poster Project, The Atlantis Project, U.S.A. Review and The U.S.A. Poster Project will be additionally studied. Current Events will be discussed daily. We begin class with the daily newspaper. A weekly article report is assigned and is due each Friday.

Technology: Type to Learn keyboarding skills are reviewed again. The Accuracy Goal this year is 90% and WPM Goal is 20 wpm. Microsoft Word and various Search Engines will be reviewed and different assignments using these tools will be given along with relevant scavenger hunts.

Religion: The books of the Bible, Creation and the Patriarchs of the Old Testament are some the topics that we will study more in depth this quarter.