"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater." - Albert Einstein

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Welcome to Math Grade 8! I am looking forward to an awesome year with all of you! Part of what will make this year great is your participation in class. Please plan to be an active participant by contributing to discussions, solving problems, and asking questions.

Yes, I mean that: If questions arise at any time - Ask! As you can see from the quote above, even a person famous for their mathematical prowess struggled from time to time. Know that you are never alone in your questions!

Each time you login:

Review the syllabus section below entitled "Schedule of Deliverables". Check the list for the week's activities.
Check to see where you left off in Modules.
Read the Announcements to stay up-to-date with the latest class information.

Objectives

This course meets the Texas State standards for mathematics (grade 8). These standards state that at the end of this course:

Students will be able to:

acquire and demonstrate mathematical understanding.
represent and use real numbers in a variety of forms.
use proportional relationships to describe dilations.
explain proportional and non-proportional relationships involving slope.
use proportional and non-proportional relationships to develop foundational concepts of functions.
develop mathematical relationships and make connections to geometric formulas.
use geometry to solve problems.
use one-variable equations or inequalities in problem situations.
use multiple representations to develop foundational concepts of simultaneous linear equations.
develop transformational geometry concepts.
use statistical procedures to describe data.
develop an economic way of thinking and problem solving useful in one's life as a knowledgeable consumer and investor.

Learning Resources

There will be several learning resources used in this class:

Textbook - The book for this course will be provided in class
The text for this class is Holt McDougal Mathematics Course 3 © 2010. The companion website for this textbook, which provides some pretty nifty homework help, is available here.
Bellwork - Student workbook will be provided, preview available here.
Bellwork is a standards based daily practice program. We will be using some of the practice from Bellwork to help us with knowledge gains and retention!
Kahn Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/welcome
Kahn Academy has a number of fantastic resources available for math and we will be using some of them here in this class. For some activities you may need to be logged in. Please follow the instructions below to be added to the Math 8 class:

Sign up at http://khanacademy.org (or log in if you already have an account).
Visit http://khanacademy.org/coaches (alternatively, this is the “Coaches” tab in your profile).
In the “Add a coach” field, enter the class code D5E9Q8.
You’re set. Now click Home to start learning!

Grading

Rubrics will be provided for each assignment when appropriate.

Grades can be checked via the Grades tab in the top menu Canvas or the Grades tab in this course.

Basic Grading Schema for Math

Assignments (May include Bellwork, Discussions, Worksheets, Essays, etc.) - 50%
Quizzes (May be delivered in class or online) - 25%
Quarterly Review Assignments - 10%
End of Quarterly Exam - 15%

Communication

If you would like to speak with me in person, the best time to find me is just before or after class. We can either speak then or set up an appointment for later in the day. I can also be found periodically during the school day in my office (Math Wing room 202).

We will be using the Canvas course site as our primary means of out of class communication. Be sure to edit your Canvas profile to configure when and how you receive notifications!

Schedule of Deliverables

All due dates are listed in the course Calender as well as on the bottom of the course Syllabus. Please be sure to review this list often to ensure that you are keeping up with all assignments.