Review problems for the unit 5 summative assessment

Just a quick note that review problems and solutions are available in the folder for 3/21/2012 in the "daily activities" folder.  Students: If you have any questions when you check your solutions, please email me at frederick.peck@bvsd.org

Also, a quick reminder that our final review session before the test will be held on Thursday, March 22.  These review sessions have been very well-attended this week as students prepare for the summative assessment on Friday.

Unit 5 summative assessment and review sessions

Our summative assessment for Unit 5 is scheduled for Friday, March 23.

What's going to be on the test?
The test will cover all of the material on exponential functions and general rules for working with exponents.  In general, this means: (1) Using tables, graphs, and equations to model exponential growth, and (2) doing arithmetic and algebra with exponential expressions, (3) working with scientific notation and square roots.

Students can find many examples of this in their notebooks.  In addition, students have a precise list of objectives taped into the front of their notebooks.  This list can also be found in the "unit objectives" folder in the "daily activities" section of this website.

How to review for the test

• We will review in class on Thursday (March 22).  Part of this review will involve students self-assessing their mastery of each objective, and choosing review material that meets their needs.
• Students should look back at the feedback that they have on two quizzes that we've taken this semester, as well as all of our class activities and homework.  All of this should be in their notebooks.  Students should also check their grades for these assessments.  If they have not passed an assessments, they should plan to attend a review session!
• I will be available for after-school review sessions on every day next week from 3:00 - 4:00.

Homework completion, and a new plan for communication

This year, our homework completion rate is over 90%!  This is great news because homework is an integral part of the learning process in this class.  As discussed in the syllabus (the following was addressed to students):

We’ll use homework for many purposes.  It will be used to practice new concepts and skills.  It will be used to explore previously unseen topics.  And it will give you a chance to apply your knowledge to new situations. 

Each day, we'll check homework in class.  I will provide solutions, and you can ask questions.  This process of getting feedback and asking questions is vital to your learning!

Because HW is so important to the learning process, I've received some feedback from parents that they want to be informed if their son or daughter did not complete the daily homework.  In this spirit, I'm going to start emailing parents each day that their son or daughter did not complete the HW.  

Homework assignments are always available online via the "daily activities, notes, and homework" link in the "class links" box on the right side of the page.  Although it is much better for students to complete the HW on time, it is better to complete it late than to not complete it at all.

Powers of ten

We watched this movie in class on Monday.  It provides a fascinating glimpse of the universe at scales that are difficult to comprehend.  Our question was, "when numbers get so big and so small, how do we represent them?"

You can explore more powers of ten on the following websites:

• http://www.powersof10.com/
• http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/