Quiz

Students will be taking a short quiz today covering percentages. The quiz will be very similar to the one they took a couple weeks ago that I did not take a grade on. Many students struggled with finding the percentage of a given number, but hopefully they have a better understanding after the last week of practice. Below are sample questions for the quiz

The word percent means _____ _____ ___________ (3 words)

Answer: FOR EACH HUNDRED

Convert 87% to a decimal

Answer: 0.87

Convert 0.43 to a percent

Answer: 43%

What is 40% of 150?

Answer: 60

Pretend you go shopping and purchase a shirt for $12.99, jeans for 24.49, and a hat for 19.99. What is your total if sales tax is 7%?

ANSWER: $61.49   (Remember to round to nearest hundredth since we are dealing with money)

Monday December 19, 2011

Today will be our final day working on our "Real Life" assignment. Students will be calculating totals on their income and expenses. They will then be writing 2 paragraphs that answer some questions that I have provided them with. Below is the assignment they received in class. Homework for this evening is page 62 in their workbook which deals with finding percents of whole numbers. Tomorrow we will review homework and take a short quiz. I will post sample quiz questions later today

1.) What was the total dollar amount of all deposits into your checking AND savings account (total $ IN)?

2.) What was the total dollar amount of all withdrawals (total $ SPENT)?

3.) What was your final balance in...

 Checking? Savings? Total?

4.) In 2 paragraphs of 4-5 sentences each, summarize what you encountered during the "real life" assignment. Use the following questions to guide your response

            -Did your income influence your decisions on which items you purchased?

            (housing, cell phone, groceries, car, holiday gifts, etc)

            -Did you have to transfer money from savings into checking to pay for any expenses?

            -What other expenses might you encounter that you did not come across during the assignment?

            - If we did this assignment again, would you make any different spending/ saving decisions?

            - Which math concepts did you use during this assignment?

Friday December 16, 2011

Today students are working on the last day of their "Real Life" assignment. Students are looking through shopping ads to decide on gifts that they would like to purchase for friends and family. They are to choose at least 3 gifts, calculate 7% sales tax on each gift, then figure a grand total of what they spent on gifts. They will then deduct that total from their checking account.

Also today, I collected the homework that was assigned on Tuesday. I decided that those that completed and turned in the homework would receive extra points on their quiz next week.

Monday and tuesday next week, students will have an assignment that summarizes what they have done the last 2 weeks with their project. It will likely be in the form of short answer questions about their assignment and what math concepts they used during the project. I will have more information before Monday

Tuesday December 13, 2011

After some review yesterday, I feel like everyone is back on track with their project. There was some confusion with the sub on thursday and friday, but now I feel like we are ready to more forward.
Today students will be looking at 4 different vehicles to buy. They will be given each car payment and insurance premium, but will have to calculate each property tax and cost of gas for the month. They will total these numbers to find the monthly cost of owning each car. They will then decide which car makes the most sense to purchase

Students will be given extra practice for homework tonight. The homework is a worksheet that covers finding a given percent of a given number. There are some step by step instructions on the worksheet  in case students need to review how to multiply a number by a percent. The homework tonight is to complete only the ODD # problems. Below is the worksheet including the answers. Please have your child do the work, but allow them to check their answers and correct any they missed.

Find the percent of a number.

We are already doing this in our budget project.  We did it with finding the payroll tax and the amount we put in savings.

Step 1:  change percent to a decimal

Step 2:  multiply the decimal by the number

17)  50% OF 84                   42                                           18) 65% OF 100                  65

19) 24% OF 148                  35.52                                     20) 15% OF 60                    9

21) 30% OF 250                  75                                           22) 0.9% of 40                    0.36

23) 100% of 56                   56                                           24) 125% of 250 312.50

25) 20% of 66                     13.2

Calculating the sales tax

Find the amount of sales tax for each problem.  Then find the total amount of the bill.

(find the percent of the number)                             (add the purchase plus the tax amount)

26)  You purchase a coat for $75.00 and the sales tax is 6%           

$4.50    in tax, so total =                  $79.50

27) You purchase a laptop for $599.00 and the sales tax is 7%

$41.93     in tax, so total =               $640.93

28) You purchase 2 candy bars for $1.00 each and the sales tax is 7.5%

$0.15        in tax, so total =              $1.15

29)  You purchase school supplies:  3 notebooks at $1.25 each ; 2 packs of pencils for $0.65 each; and notebook paper for $1.79.  Calculate the amount of the purchase. Calculate the 7% sales tax. What is the total you paid?

$6.84 x 0.07=0.48 (round 0.4788)      in tax, so total =          $7.32

30) You purchase groceries for $53.21 and the sales tax is 8%.

$4.2568 rounds to $4.26              in tax, so total =                   57.47

Calculating the discount

Find out how much you will save on each sale item. Then find the amount you will pay for the item.

(find the percent of a number)                                                  (subtract the original price – discount)

31)  You purchase a $75.00 sweater and it is 10% off.

$7.50       discount, so total =                               $67.50

32)  Sam purchased a video game that was originally $54.00 and it is on sale for 20% off.

$10.80      discount, so total =                              $43.20

33) Allison purchased a $350 television that is on sale for 30% off.

$105         discount, so total =                               $245

34) Nathan, Ben and Taylor went to Jungle Rapids.  Tickets are usually $15.00 but today they are running a  special.  Each entry is 25% off.  How much did each boy pay to enter?

$3.75           discount, so total =                           $11.25

35)  The holiday season is over and everything is 75% off. You pick up items totaling $50.00. 

$37.50           discount, so total =                         $12.50

change in plans for this week

After checking through some of the students "real life" folders, I have decided that we will use today to review their classwork from last thursday and friday when I was out. It looks like there was some confusion on whether or not certain expenses were to be deducted weekly or monthly, as well as how these expenses were to be divided between roommates. I will be going over the instructions with students and we will use today to check that everyone is caught up and where they need to be. Here is my updated plan for the week

Monday - review of day 2 and day 3

Tuesday - car shopping

Wednesday - grocery shopping (computer lab)

Thursday - going out to eat

Friday - Holiday shopping

Monday December 11, 2011

REMINDER - Students brought home progress reports last week. I expect to see them all signed and returned when I arrive at school in the morning. Students were instructed to have them all in by Friday


I am excited to be back home after my long weekend and ready to see how much progress students made on their "real life" assignment while I was away. Students should have chosen roommates, selected a place to rent, calculated rent per person, utilities, phone plan and cable package. They should have subtracted all of these expenses from their checking account. I will be checking students folders to be sure they followed the directions of each day's worksheet.

I will also be grading the quiz from Friday. Quiz questions were very similar to the sample questions I posted last week. Students have had lots of practice converting and multiplying percents and decimals so I have high expectations for quiz grades.

Here is what we are looking at for the week ahead...

Monday - PAY DAY - students will add a paycheck to their account, then go out to eat with their roommates. They will decide on dinner choices, calculate a total, add tax, then add a tip and divide the total by the number of students at dinner.

Tuesday - Car payment - students will choose from a few selected vehicles. They will be responsible for a monthly car payment, taxes, weekly gas expenses, and insurance. They will calculate these values for each available vehicle (there are 4 diffent vehicles to choose from), then decide which vehicle makes the most sense to purchase.  Students will have to subtract these expenses from their checking account.

Wednesday - Grocery shopping - Computer lab - Students will be in the computer lab where they will use harris teeter's online shopping feature to shop for groceries. Students must select enough food to last for 7 days, 3 meals per day. There will be some guidelines to ensure they are making healthy decisions. They will total their shopping bill, add tax, and subtract the total from their checking account.

Thursday - Holiday Shopping - Students will use shopping ads to choose gifts to buy for friends and family. They will calculate a total, add sales tax, and subtract this expense from their checking account.

Friday - To Be Announced...

Wednesday December 7, 2011

Today in class students were introduced to their "Real Life" assignment. Today they were given their first paycheck in which they calculated income tax and health insurance, then deposited the rest into a checking and savings account. 

Tomorrow and Friday I will be out of town. Students each have their own folder (which is to stay in the classroom) and they have instructions for the next two days. They will get with a group of 3-4 and choose a house or apartment to rent. They will have to divide up rent, utilities, phone bills, etc.

On Friday, students will take a quick 10 question exit quiz so I can check their understanding of converting percents to decimals and decimals to percents. Below are some sample questions of what they will see on the quiz

The word percent means _____   _____   ___________ (3 words)

Answer: FOR EACH HUNDRED

Convert 87% to a decimal

Answer:  0.87

Convert 0.43 to a percent

Answer: 43%

What is 40% of 150?

Answer: 60

Monday December 5, 2011

Today students will be begining their benchmark assessment. This is a 2 day test that covers some material from 5th grade, some from concepts we have practiced this year, and a few questions on material that we have not yet covered. The assessment consists of 30 multiple choice questions. This test does not count toward their math grade.
Here is what the rest of the week is looking like

Monday - Day 1 benchmark
Tuesday - Day 2 benchmark - students should bring their library books in case they finish early
Wednesday - Day 1 "Real life" project - Introduction to vocabulary, paycheck, taxes, checking, savings accounts
Thursday - Day 2 "Real life" project - Find roommates, housing, calculate utilities, bills
Friday - Day 3 "Real life" project" - finish calculating utilities - Possible exit quiz on decimals and percents

I will be out of town visiting family on Thursday and Friday this week. I will leave detailed instructions for the substitute as well as give the students their directions for those days. They will each have a folder that does not leave the classroom for this assignment and instructions are very clear for each day.

Also, progress reports will be out on Tuesday. They must be signed and returned!

Friday December 2, 2011

Today I have planned an activity for students to practice what we have covered the last 2 days in class. Students will work in pairs to solve percent to decimal and multiplication problems. They will use their answers to find corresponding letters which they will then use to fill in the blanks in a quote that I have chosen for them. Below are the problems they will be working on in class.

Also, next week students will be taking a benchmark test. It is similar to an EOG type test to measure where students are at this point in the year. I have looked through the questions and some cover concepts we have not yet studied, so I do not expect perfect scores. It is simply a way to collect data for comparisons in the future. This is not a test that they need to study for and it will all be completed during class.

                                      Answer            Letter

1.)        25% of 120           ________       ________                                               26.4 = L

2.)        12% of 60             ________      ________                                                60% = M

3.)        142% of 14           ________       ________                                               0.4 = V

4.)        7/8 as a percent  ________       ________                                         30 =U             

5.)        6% of 200              ________       ________                                               0.02 = T

6.)        10% of 84             ________      ________                                                10.5 = F

7.)        20% of 132           ________      ________                                                 7.2 = A

8.)        35% of 30             ________      ________                                                 8 = C

9.)        25% of 22.5          ________      ________                                                 0.125 = S

10.)      95% of 250           ________      ________                                                 15 = D

11.)      1% of 2                 ________      ________                                                 39.56 = E

12.)      3/5 as a percent   ________      ________                                                 237.5 = Z

13.)      43% of 92              ________      ________                                                176 = O

14.)      88% of 200            ________      ________                                                6 = H

15.)      15% of 24.95         ________      ________                                                3.7425 = P

16.)      1/8 as a decimal   ________       ________                                               24 = W

17.)      75% of 8                ________       ________                                               87.5% = R

18.)      2/5 as a decimal   ________       ________                                   27.9=N                      

19.)      30% of 93              ________       ________                                               5.625 = I

20.)      6% of 400              ________       ________                                               19.88 = G

21.)      1/4 of 32               ________       ________                                               8.4 = B

22.)      1/8 of 120             ________       ________                                               12 = Y

Thursday December 1, 2011

Today we continued to use percents and decimals to figure different percents of a given number. Students should be comfortable with the following conversions

Decimal to Percent
       Move the decimal point 2 places to the right
       Add a % symbol
      Example:   0.84    move decimal right 2 places to get 84%

Percent to Decimal (opposite of above)
      Move decimal point 2 places to the left
      Drop the % symbol
     Example:    78%    move decimal 2 places to the left to get .78 and drop percent sign

Fraction to Decimal
       Divide the numerator by the denominator (top # divided by bottom #)
      Example:    1/4   = 0.25           (students must be familiar with adding a decimal point and zeros into the dividend in order to perform this operation)

We then practiced finding a percent of a given number. For example

Find 32% of 94

First step is to change 32% to a decimal by moving the decimal two places to the left and getting .32

Second step is to multiply this decimal by 94 to get 30.08

Homework tonight is page 61 in their workbook. Only the odd numbered problems 1-19


On another note, I have noticed that there are a few students that are struggling with long division. I will be making a hand out with step by step instructions that they should study and practice with. This is a skill they should have learned in 4th and 5th grade and we do not have time to spend a lot of time in class reviewing long division. Hopefully the worksheet will catch them up!

Wednesday November 30, 2011

Hopefully all students have turned in their graphing project by today. It was due yesterday, but some elected to take their project home and turn in today for a deduction in their overall score. If they do not turn it in today, they can still turn it in tomorrow but will be deducted another 5 points for a late graph and 5 points for a late paper.

Today we will introduce percentages. Students took a short pre assessment yesterday and it was clear that none of them have experienced dealing with percents yet. This may be the most practical topic they will learn in math class, so it is very important that they stay focused throughout this unit. Students will take notes today and practice converting decimals to percents and percents to decimals. I have prepared a "hundreds chart" that they will shade in and determine what percentage of the chart is colored. They will then convert that percent to a decimal. Homework tonight is page 59 #s 10-15 and page 60 #s 1-9 in their work books.

Tomorrow we will begin applying percents to real life scenarios. Friday will be an activity to practice using percents.

Next week students will be introduced to their upcoming in class project that will continue until Christmas break. Students will be given the opportunity to choose a career, find a place to live, pay bills, balance a checkbook, etc. Everyday they will be given a new task that will involve adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing by decimals and percents. The project is designed to keep students engaged in the skills they have learned over the past month and apply their knowledge to scenarios they will be faced with in their lives. More info to come....

Tuesday Nov 29, 2011

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break!

Monday, students had a sub and their assignment was to complete the writing portion of their graphing project. Students all know that the assignment is due today, but I am going to give them time today in class to complete/ revise their writing and make sure they are hitting all of the required points from the grading rubric (it was given to them last week and posted on my wall, but it seems many have missed some of the requirements from what I have seen turned in so far). We will also be taking about 20 minutes to take a pre assessment for our percentage unit. The pre assessment is below. This unit will focus on comparing and ordering percents and decimals, turning decimals into percents and turning percents into decimals. Students will then have to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to solve word problems like the ones below.

1)      Write 8% as a decimal.

2)     Write   5/8  as a percent.

3)      Write 1.47 as a percent.

4)      Which list shows the numbers in order from greatest to least?

a.      32.5%,   32.55,   32,   32

b.      32.55,   32,   32.5%,   32

c.       32 ,   32.55,   32,   32.5%

d.      32.5%,   32.55,   32 ,   32

5)      You go shopping for groceries and your total comes to $55.00. New Hanover County charges a tax of 8% on all sales. How much money will the tax cost you?

6)      When a brand new video game comes out at GameStop it usually costs about $59.00. One year GameStop decides to have a big Groundhog Day Celebration Sale, and sells everything for 20% off. What will the game cost after the discount?

Tuesday November 22, 2011

Today students will continue working on their graphs in class. I will be putting the questions I posted yesterday on the board and students will analyze their graphs to answer these questions. It is important that they use this time to answer these questions so when they return to class next monday, they will have all the necessary information for their written assignment. The questions will be on the board all class, but students will be required to stop drawing/ coloring their graphs 20 minutes before class ends so they will have time to answer each question.

I will be out of town next monday so students will have a sub all day in my class. The sub will return the graphs to students so they can use their graphs and the answer to their questions to complete their written assignment in class. If they do not complete their writing in class, they will be able to take it home for homework and turn it in on Tuesday.

REMEMBER - this assignment is counted as a test grade. This is a great opportunity for all students to raise their grade. There were quite a few students that were not satisfied with their performance on the last test, so I am encouraging them to put their best effort in to this assignment

Monday November 21, 2011

Today students will begin their 3 day graphing assignment. They will be using data that I have collected to create a graph. They will also have the option to use weather data for any city in the world that they can gather from weatherbase.com and use for their graph. They will have monday and tuesday this week to construct their graph and answer the provided questions. When they return to school on Monday they will complete their writing assignment in class based on their graph and the answers to their questions. Below are instructions and grading scale for the assignment

Analyzing data, graphing, and writing assignment

Assignment will be divided into two parts. Total score will count as a test grade

Students will be given a set of data in which they will create a bar graph. There should be at least 9 pieces of data used in the graph. Each student will be given construction paper, a ruler, colored pencils or markers, and a data set. Graphs should include all necessary labels, units, and a key (if necessary). Students should use different colors to create contrast so that the graph is easily read. Students will be given 2 days in class to analyze their data and create their graph. They will be given 1 day in class to write their paper. When the graph is complete, students should be able to answer the following.

What does this graph demonstrate?

What are the range, median, mean (estimated and actual), and mode of your data?

Are there any outliers in your data set?

Is there any way that your graph could be misleading?

Part 1 - Graph (50 points)

45-50    Graph is presented clearly and accurately and includes all correct labels including a title, vertical and horizontal axis labels, units, and key (if necessary). Graph is organized in a manner that is easily interpreted. Graph includes 9 or more pieces of data.

40-45    Graph has minor flaws including missing labels, inaccurate information, or cannot be easily interpreted. Graph includes 7-8 pieces of data.

0-40    Graph has major flaws in labels, inaccurate information, and cannot be easily interpreted. Graph includes less than 7 pieces of data. Student did not use class time effectively to complete assignment.

Part 2 - Written (50 points)

45-50    Paper is grammatically sound and organized in paragraph form. Paper is at least 1 page long. Student uses at least 4 graphing terms, gives definitions of these terms, and uses these terms to answer the given questions about interpreting their graph. Paper is turned by due date.

40-45    Paper has multiple grammatical flaws and is not organized in paragraphs. Paper does not reach 1 page minimum requirement. Student uses 3 graphing terms and their definitions and uses terms to answer questions about interpreting their graph.

0-40    Paper has major grammatical flaws and is unorganized. Paper is not required length. Student uses less than 3 graphing terms and does not clearly answer the questions about their graph. Paper is not turned in on time.

Friday November 18, 2011

Today students will be given an outline of the important terms and types of graphs that they will be using during our unit on data (Core 3 and 4 have already received the outline). They will use their classtime to research the definitions and give examples of the different styles of graphs.

The last 10-15 minutes of class will be used for students to examine data that I will present to them. They will be given graph paper to create their own graph and answer the following questions...

Which temperature represents the mode?

What is the range?

What is the median temperature?

Just by looking at the graph, can you find a mean temperature?

Thursday November 17, 2011

Today students will receive their graded Unit 3 tests. Students had 2 entire days to complete their test. I checked every test after day 1 and marked every incorrect answer. Students were given the opportunity to correct their answers and received half credit for any answer they changed. Overall the scores were ok, but I still believe that there is little taking place the night before the test. Many students still seem surprised when they receive their test.


After reviewing test grades, we will begin our next unit: data and graphing

Friday- students will be introduced to different types of graphs and different terms associated with data

Monday- Students will begin an in-class project where they will be given data to graph

Tuesday- Students will complete their graphs

Wednesday - No school

Thursday - No school

Friday - No school

Monday - Students will write a paper using the terms they learned to interperate the meanings of their graphs. Their graph and paper will be graded as a test grade

Test results....

I was able to grade half of the Unit 3 tests, and have not been overly happy with the results. Students have known for over a week that we were testing today. I made a study guide for them last week and used an entire class period to work problems that came directly from the test and ask questions if they needed help.
Some students were unable to finish in the class period, so I told them they were welcome to stay in from our recess before lunch to finish up. A few students stayed, finished, and went outside. Many did not take advantage of this time.

I do not want to see students fail. Unfortunately, if I gave them their grades from their test results today, many of them would, again, be digging themselves into a hole early in the quarter.

I am going to give students the class period tomorrow (Wednesday) to look at their test and fix their mistakes. They will see which questions they missed, and hopefully have enough time to realize why they missed it and make a correction. There were some students that performed really well on the test, and they will be rewarded in some form or another.

Tuesday November 15, 2011

UNIT 3 TEST TODAY!

Test includes

-Comparing and Ordering decimals
-Estimating decimals
-Adding and subtracting decimals
-Multiplying and dividing decimals
-Scientific notation
-Word Problems

Monday November 14, 2011

Today we practiced our adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals skills by using a Harris Teeter ad to find products and their prices. I gave students a "shopping list" that included 10 items they were to find, and multiply by the requested quantity. The complete assignment is below...

Item	Quantity	Price/ each	Total
Harris Teeter Premium Turkey	10 pounds	$	$
Chicken Breast	4 pounds	$	$
Gallon Harris Teeter Milk	3	$	$
Sargento String Cheese	3	$	$
Fresh Green Asparagus	2 pounds	$	$
Harris Teeter Self Rising Flour (5lb bag)	2	$	$
Seedless Grapes	4 pounds	$	$
Minute Maid Orange Juice	2	$	$
Harris Teeter Butter (16 oz)	2	$	$
Bridgford Monkey Bread	4	$	$

                                                                                                   Subtotal          $______________

                                                                            Grand Total          $______________

                                                                          Monthly Payment          $______________

                                                                                                                    

Your assignment is to use the Harris Teeter ad to find the following products, their price, and specified quantity. Multiply price x quantity to come up with a total dollar amount spent on each item.

When you have calculated each total, add each total together for a subtotal.

 Then, multiply the subtotal by 1.03 to find the grand total cost including 3% sales tax. Remember, when dealing with money, round to the nearest hundredth.

Finally, pretend you use a credit card that allows you to pay for groceries over eight months, so divide your grand total by eight to find out your monthly payment for this shopping trip