6th Grade Mathematics
The curriculum for 6th Grade mathematics focuses on four critical areas:
- Understanding ratio and proportion concepts and using related reasoning to solve problems;
- Extending multiplication and division to fractions, and the understanding of the number system to include rational and negative numbers;
- Writing, interpreting and using expressions and equations to solve problems and develop algebraic understanding; and
- Developing understanding of statistical thinking.
Four supplemental math activities enrich this curriculum:
- Interactive Math Journaling gives students the opportunity to organize, clarify, and reflect on their thinking while developing key mathematical skills and understandings.
- Math Projects offer students a way to develop problem-solving skills while linking math content to real world situations and applications of math skills and concepts.
- A Financial Literacy unit provides students with an understanding of how money works in the United States.
- Scholar Dollar program allows students to become familiar with money management by taking ownership of a classroom checking account.
The textbook for the course is Go Math! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,2015.)Many supplemental materials round out the resources used in this course.
7th Grade Mathematics
The students in 7th Grade mathematics focus on five main areas:
- Rational Numbers—Students build on past experience with operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), applying this knowledge and the properties of operations to solve problems involving rational numbers;
- Ratios and Proportional Systems—Students develop their understanding of proportional relationships to solve real and mathematical problem;
- Expressions and Equations—Students take their understanding of operations to an abstract level, simplifying and factoring expressions, and solving equations, using these skills to solve mathematical and real-world problems;
- Geometry—Students explore lines, angles, and their relationships; the area and perimeter of triangles and quadrilaterals; drawing to scale; extended study of circles and composite figures; and 3-dimensional figures, including the surface areas and volumes of prisms, pyramids, cylinders, and cones; and
- Statistics and Probability—Students explore outcomes and events to develop an understanding of experimental and theoretical probability, basic statistical definitions, and real-world applications.
Students in 7th grade mathematics work in groups, pairs, and independently to first approach introduced concepts through exploration or inductive reasoning, which precedes elaboration via direct instruction.
The textbook for 7th grade mathematics is, Big Ideas MATH Red (National Geographic Learning/Cengage, 2014) as well as a wide variety of supplemental materials to guide our exploration of mathematics.
8th Grade Mathematics
In 8th Grade mathematics, students extend previous knowledge to:
- solve linear equations and systems of linear equations and model relationships between quantities with linear equations;
- understand functions and use functions to describe relationships between quantities; and
- analyze two- and three– dimensional space figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and apply the Pythagorean Theorem.
- solve more complex linear equations and systems of linear equations and inequalities;
- solve exponential, quadratic, and radical equations;
- model relationships between quantities with linear and non-linear functions and inequalities, including exponential, quadratic, and radical relationships; and
- apply algebraic concepts and formulas to calculate distances, slopes, and missing triangle parts.
Students continue to solve real world problems, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Students complete a variety of math activities from the textbook, Big Ideas MATH Blue (National Geographic Learning/Cengage, 2014) and online resources, as well as cooperative learning activities and projects.Students use technology such as Apple® iPads™, SMART Notebook™ software and graphing calculators to solve problems in groups, in pairs, and independently.
Algebra
Algebra is a high school level course for advanced students. In Algebra, students extend previous knowledge to:
- solve more complex linear equations and systems of linear equations and inequalities;
- solve exponential, quadratic, and radical equations;
- model relationships between quantities with linear and non-linear functions and inequalities, including exponential, quadratic, and radical relationships; and
- apply algebraic concepts and formulas to calculate distances, slopes, and missing triangle parts.
Students solve real world problems, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Students complete a variety of math activities from the textbook, Big Ideas MATH Algebra 1-High School edition (National Geographic Learning/Cengage, 2015) and online resources, as well as cooperative learning activities and projects.Students use technology such as Apple® iPads™, SMART Notebook™ software and graphing calculators to solve problems in groups, in pairs, and independently. A systematic spiral review is also completed to establish a regular cycle of content review and practice, which helps students refine and strengthen mental connections between mathematical concepts.
Additional Advanced Mathematics
Each year, students matriculate in mathematics courses beyond high-school algebra. We have successfully arranged for student placement in mathematics courses at a nearby public high school, at a Diocesan Catholic high school, and in online coursework.
