Last Week of First Quarter! Math and Science Test Guides!

Dear Parents,


I cannot believe we are already in the last week of the quarter. Can you? To me, it seems like time has flown by, but of course, the students have managed to pack a lot of learning into this time.

We do have a test in math on Thursday and another one in science on Wednesday. I have included study guides below my signature line. However, I am going to make the rest of this message short and sweet because the study guides do take a lot of time for me to write and (I have heard) for you to read.

The science test is going to be short, more like an extended quiz. I say this to help calm any nerves before the test, especially since the students have multiple tests this week. I still expect students to study for it and do their best work, of course. Students should focus particularly on neutrons and the nucleus because these areas that a large number of the students have been prone forget.

The math test is on substituting numbers in expressions with letters and finding the value of unknown letters in equations. The most common mistake I see here is that students try to solve the equations by a simple law of opposites. Because they must subtract to solve addition equations, they think they must always add to solve equations. This works for unknown minuends, but not for unknown subtrahends, Students that always perform opposite operations to solve for unknown letters will therefore get about 30% of their equations wrong.

The last quiz before test is generally a good predictor of how well your student understand the material for a test in my classes. I am sending the quiz on substituting letters for numbers and solving for unknown letters home in Monday folders this week. I am also sending the science quiz on atoms and charges home. You can use the quizzes to help gauge what your child needs to study.

Students do need to have all their homework turned in by Thursday morning in order for it to be counted into their final grades. This includes absent work, try again assignments, and any other assignments that might be missing.

Don't forget that students have off on Friday. There is no school in order to give teachers more time to write insightful evaluations for your students' report cards. We often have a few students attempting to come to school on days they have off, so this is a friendly reminder.

These are all the notes I have for you this week. Please feel free to send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,


Miss Wycklendt

Study Guide for Atoms and Electric Charges

Students should know:

1.       Parts of the atom: Protons and neutrons are particles that are packed together at the center of the atom. This tightly packed group of protons and neutrons is called the nucleus. Protons and neutrons do not move. Electrons orbit the nucleus. They are the only atomic particles that move. They are not in the nucleus.

2.       Students should be able to draw and label the atom diagram we have been using in class. Their diagram should include electrons, protons, neutrons, and the nucleus.

3.       Atomic charges: Protons have a positive charge symbolized by =. Electrons have a negative charge symbolized by -. Neutrons have a neutral charge which does not require a symbol.

4.       Atomic attractions: Opposite charges attract similar to the way opposite sides of Velcro attract. Same charges repel, that is, push each other away. Electrons attract protons and vice-versa. Electrons repel other electrons. Protons repel other protons. Neutrons do not have a charge. They neither attract nor repel electrons, protons, or other neutrons.

5.       Atomic states: When there are more electrons than protons in an atom, that atom has a negative state. When there are more protons than electrons in an atom, that atom has a positive state. When there are equal numbers of protons and electrons an atom, that atom has a neutral state. Students should be able to give examples of each state and recognize examples of each state.

Study guide for Math Test on Expressions with Letters and Equations

1. Students should understand that a letter can be used to stand for a number in various kinds of math problems. When we have a mathematical expression with one or more letters and no = sign, we can assign the letters any value. However in a given problem. the letter must stand for one and only one value. 

2. Students should be able to substitute given numbers for letters and then evaluate the expressions. They should be familiar with the term "evaluate" in this context. For example, 100 - c when c = 25. 100 - 25 = 75. 

3.Students should be able to evaluate similar expressions with letters when they contain more than one letter. They should also be able to evaluate expressions with letters when those expressions include operations in parenthesis. The rule is that we always do operations in parentheses first, and then we do operations outside the parentheses from left to right. For example, h - (67 + f) when h = 100 and f = 3. Substituting, we get 100 - (67 + 3). 67 + 3 = 70. 100 - 70 = 30. 

4. Students should be able to find what an expression would equal when they are given two different values for it; they should be able to solve the problems in two different ways. For example, 48 + x. Evaluate it when x = 10 and when x - 22. 48 + 10 = 58. 48 + 22 = 70.

5. Students should be able to solve equations with letters standing for unknown numbers when the unknown number is a summand of an addition problem, a minuend of a subtraction problem, and a subtrahend of a subtraction problem. (Please see the math study guide below my signature in the week 7 blog post for definitions of these terms.)

6. To solve an equation with an unknown summand, subtract the other summand from the sum. For example, 475 + R = 508. 508 -475 = 33. R = 33 Check by substituting 33 for R and evaluating the expression 475 + 33 = 508, so 33 is definitely the correct answer.

7. To solve an equation with an unknown minuend, add the subtrahend and the difference. F + 67 = 110. 110 - 67 = 43. Check by substituting 43 for F. 110 - 43 = 67, so 43 is definitely the right answer.

8. To solve an equation with an unknown subtrahend, subtract the difference from the minuend. For example, 57 - L = 14. 57 - 14 = 43. Check by substituting 43 for L in the original expression. 57 - 43 = 14, so 14 is definitely correct. 

9. Students do not need to check every equation by substitution as a formal step, but it is extremely helpful to their accuracy when they do so. 

10. Students should be able to solve equations when the unknown letter is in parentheses. The trick here is to understand that the whole expression in parentheses is an unknown value. You have to solve for the value of the expression in parentheses before solving for the letter itself. For example, (95 + G) - 75 = 40 You don't know what G is, therefore, you don't know what 95 + G is. 95 + G is your first unknown value, and it is a minuend. Following the rule for finding unknown minuends, 75 + 40 = 115. 95 + G is the minuend, so 95 + G = 115. G is now an unknown summand of the addition problem 95 + G = 115. Solve by applying the rule for unknown summands. 115 - 95 =  20. Therefore, G = 20. You can, of course, check this by substituting 20 for G in the original expression and evaluating it.