8th+Grade+Algebra+1A

Quarter ||~ Content / Concepts/Skills ||~ EXPLORE/PLAN/AP ||~ Chapter ||~ Assessment ||~ Resources / Materials ||~ Essential Questions ||~  || Textbook: Glencoe "Algebra--Concepts & Applications." Volume 1. 2008 Edition. This book must be supplemented in order to cover sufficient geometry and statistics topics.
 * ~ Half
 * 1st A || Area & perimeter of 3- & 4-sided polygons; perimeter of regular polygons; circumference & area of circles; volume & surface area of rectangular prisms; degree measure of angles; categories of angles; angles formed by parallel lines & transversal || PPF: 301, 401, 402, 501; MEA: 201, 301, 302, 401, 402, 501, 502 || not in book || 1 test, 2 quizzes, 1 project, daily homework, classwork investigations || supplementary handouts; geometric models; geoboards; dot & graph paper; compasses; protractors; rulers || What do we remember about the area, perimeter, and circumference of polygons & circles? In what ways can we express & compare the size of rectangular prisms? How can we define & measure an angle? What vocabulary do mathematicians use to describe and compare angles? What surprising relations can we find among the angles formed by 2 parallel lines and a line crossing them? ||  ||
 * 1st B || Order of operations, Properties of operations, bar graphs, histograms || BOA: 201, 202, 301, 302; NCP: 302, 401; XEI: 301; MEA: 201, 301, 302, 401; PSD: 202, 303, 304, 402 || 1 || same plus quarter exam || Geoboards, surveys to collect data || Why do we sometimes get the wrong answer when we calculate a series of operations from left to right? What shortcuts that work for addition don't work for other operations? What different information can we get when data is portrayed in different ways? ||  ||
 * 2nd A || Integers & the number line || BOA: 302; NCP: 603 XEI: 302, 401; GRE: 201, 301 || 2 || same || 2 color counters; walkable number line || What is a negative number? Where are larger and smaller negative numbers on a number line? What happens when we +-x/ by a negative number? ||  ||
 * 2nd B || +- signed rational numbers; absolute value; one-step equations; measures of central tendency, range, quartiles, outliers, box & whiskers charts || BOA: 201, 301; NCP: 201, 301, 401, 501, 502, 503; XEI: 202, 302, 402, 404; PSD: 201, 301, 302, 401, 402, 501, 502 || 3 || same plus quarter exam || data, TI-83+, boxes & klinkers, algebra tiles || What other definitions of "fraction" (besides "part of a whole") can help us to work with them? What do we remember about how to add & subtract fractions & decimals? What is meant by the "absolute value" of a number? How do we solve one-step equations? How are mean, median, and mode related and which one is the best to know? What do range, quartiles, & outliers tell about data, and how can this be portrayed? ||  ||
 * 3rd A || x/ signed rational numbers; counting outcomes; multi-step equations || BOA: 201, 203, 301, 302, 401, 501; PSD: 404, 603; NCP: 201, 301, 401, 501, 601; XEI: 201, 403; MEA: 402, 501, 502 || 4 || same || TI-83+, algebra tiles || What do we remember about how to multiply & divide fractions? How do we "simplify" or "reduce" a fraction? Is there a shortcut for finding & counting the outcomes of experiments? How do we solve equations with multiple operations or complex expressions? ||  ||
 * 3rd B || Proportions, scale, percent, pie graphs, simple probability || BOA: 203, 301, 401, 501; PSD: 305, 403, 502, 503; NCP: 201, 501; XEI: 502 || 5 || same plus quarter exam || maps, TI-83+, scale models, tape measures, experiment supplies || What is a proportion and how can it be "solved"? What does solving a proportion have to do with questions of scale, percent, & comparison of units of measure? How can we best portray data that adds up to 100%? How can expressions of chance (such as "one chance in ten") be represented as fractions or percents? ||  ||
 * 4th A || Definition of function, domain & range, graphing points in the coordinate plane, y = x & horizontal & vertical shifts || GRE: 201, 301, 401; XEI: 401, 404; PSD: 602 || 6 || same || function machine, graph paper, TI-83+, straight-edges, patty paper || What is a function and how can it be represented verbally, numerically, symbolically, & graphically? What are the domain & range of a function and how can we find them? What do we remember about graphing points in a coordinate plane? What is meant by the "identity function"? How can we represent horizontal and vertical shifts of a straight line? ||  ||
 * 4th B || Slope, graph of y = mx + b, horizontal & vertical lines, point-slope form, scatterplots, parallel & perpendicular lines || GRE: 403, 502, 503, 601, 604; PSD: 502, 602; XEI: 501 || 7 || same plus quarter exam || TI-83+, graph paper, straight-edges, data collection materials, protractors || What is meant by the "slope" of a line and how can we represent it? What shortcuts & understandings will help us to quickly & accurately graph a particular straight line? How can we write an equation for a particular straight line? How can a scatterplot help us make predictions about future or additional data? What is special about the slopes of horizontal, vertical, parallel, & perpendicular lines? ||  ||

This course is intended for students needing an on-grade-level 8th grade math course. (Gifted students should take Honors Algebra 1.) It will basically cover most of the first half of a traditional Algebra 1 course (computing with signed numbers, use of variables to write symbolic expressions, solving linear equations, graphing on the coordinate plane) plus: ratio & proportion; percent; perimeter, area, surface area, and volume of 2- and 3-dimensional polygons & circles; angles formed by parallel lines & a transversal; degree measure of angles; vertical, complementary, supplementary, acute, obtuse, and right angles; measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), and dispersion (range, quartiles, outliers); use of pie graphs, bar graphs, histograms, and box & whiskers to represent and analyze 1-variable data; use of scatterplots to represent 2-variable data; and simple probability. Note: The following standards for the EXPLORE exam are not addressed: XEI--303, 503