Advanced Math 8Instructor: Heather Lamb

Advanced Math 8Instructor: Heather Lamb

2016-2017School YearCarson Valley Middle School

Room A8Email:

What Will We Do In Class? This course will include lecture, discussion, mathematical activities, group and partner work, board work, and a couple of projects. The vast majority of your time and attention in this course, however, will be spent doing problems, problems and more problems. It is through doing – not hearing or seeing someone else do it – that you will ultimately learn and remember it.To be successful, students will need to devote focused attention to their class work and homework, and they will need to be proactive about overcoming confusion.

Student Expectations: In this course you are expected to:

• Interact with the teacher and your classmates as a mature, safe, responsible, and respectful student.
• Show your best effort in every task associated with this course.
• Bring all materials to class and be in your seat working on the whiteboard activity when the bell rings.
• Participate daily whether it be taking notes, working in a group or pair, going to the board, asking questions, etc.
• Follow all policies set forth in the CVMS Student Handbook. (appropriate dress, no hats, grooming, cell phones, pagers, gum, drinks, food in the classroom)

Failure to meet these expectations or other expectations itemized in the CVMS student handbook will result in disturbing your teacher. Disturbing the teacher is not a good thing and will result in some kind of consequence. This consequence could range from a verbal reprimand to an email to your parent as warranted by my opinion of how much disturbance was caused.

Extra Help: Get a study group going with your friends, participate in Tuesday/Thursday after school tutoring, or make an appointment with me. ()

Teacher Expectations: I will be at school typically from around 7:30 am to 3:00 pm each day. I am happy to help students at lunch if necessary. I will come to class prepared, organized and ready to provide a quality curriculum consistent with the learning outcomes set by DCSD for Advanced Math 8. I will also be diligent about grading your assignments. I will provide you with grading updates through Infinite Campus in a timely manner. I will respond to student and parent emails promptly.

About Me: I am the youngest of eight children and most of my family still lives in the New England area. I am a big New England sports fan. (Don’t hold it against me…it’s in my blood) I received my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Boston College. I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to play volleyball there and also had the opportunity to play basketball during my junior and senior year. After graduating college, I worked for a software development company and traveled around the country assisting customers for nearly ten years. After meeting my husband, I decided it was time for a change and I pursued my passion for teaching. I have been teaching for nearly fourteen years and coaching for over twenty-five. We have two sons, James and Kyle. When I am not teaching, I am usually coaching, but outside of those two things I am with my family hiking, swimming, or hanging with my boys.

Materials: Students need to come to class prepared every day with the following materials:

• Working pencil(s) and eraser(s)
• 1” binder with 5 sections and loose-leaf paperfor note taking and assignments (2-3 packs for year, not all needed at once)
• Graph paper and index cards
• Calculator - TI-30X IIS is a great option
• Colored pencils or thin markers
• Two or more thin dry erase markers

How Will You Be Graded in Advanced Math 8?

Your overall course grade will be based on the following percentages:

Weighting

75% Assessments

15% Projects, Labs, Assignments

10% Final Exam

You will be assigned practice problems daily. Although these practice problems are not graded they are a BIG key to your overall success in the class. All of your assessments will be based upon previously communicated learning targets. In this class you can expect the following knowledge to grade correlation:

A – you have masteredall of the learning targets
B – you are proficient in all of the learning targets
C – you have a strong understanding but are not yet proficient / D – you have a basic understanding
F – you have a weak or no conceptual understanding

In order to be an expert or have advanced knowledge (mastery) you will have to demonstrate the ability to do something beyond what you have been shown. (You must apply the math!) You should look at the learning targets as the floor, and I would hope you are shooting for the ceiling!!!

Reassessments – Students who follow guidelines and get extra help when needed will have the opportunity to retake formative assessments to prove they are proficient in the concept. Students will not be offered this opportunity on summative assessments such as projects, tests, or the final. The general guidelines to reassessare:

• Students must have completed all related homework to the standard in order to reassess
• Students must wait at least one day before reassessment
• Only one reassessment attempt per student per day
• A student may not reassess the same day he/she has received extra help from Mrs. Lamb
• All reassessments must be completed prior to the unit test unless there are extenuating circumstances

A student must print and turn in a copy of the reassessment page found on my webpage.

Academic Integrity: Solving any math problem takes two steps; figuring out how to do it, and doing it. When you are figuring out how to do something it is permissible, acceptable and actively encouraged to use whatever resources you have available: friends, parents, books, tutors, study guides, me, other teachers, prayer, or Ouija boards. Everyone learns in different ways, and what works for someone else may not work for you. You need to find what works for you! Collaboration is good for you, as long as it occurs in the first part of the learning process. Once you have learned how to do the problem you have progressed to doing it, which you must do on your own. That is the performance part that I will be grading. If you copy someone else's homework then you are cheating and defeating the whole learning system by proceeding to step 2 without ever having confronted step 1. I want very much to encourage you to work together to understand the material, but you will never understand it unless you do the mathematics independently when it comes time. Similarly, you are avoiding step 1 if you simply copy an answer from the back of the book or a website. Checking those answers is a good idea, but only insofar as it helps you learn how to do the problem. Of course, when you take a quiz or a test you will be required to perform both steps by yourself. If you cheat on a test or a quiz you will fail that assessment and be treated according to the cheating policy as noted in the CVMS student handbook. It's not worth it to cheat – keep your integrity – it's worth more than a grade.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful year!

Mrs. Lamb

Please cut below and return it as soon as possible.

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I have read the policies and expectations for the Advanced Math 8 class and I understand the expectations. If I choose not to meet these expectations, I am willing to accept the consequences.

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Student Printed NameParent Printed Name

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Student SignatureParent Signature

Parent/Guardian: If you have an email address(es) you would like me to use for communication purposes please provide it below.

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