Algebra Syllabus 2015-2016

Algebra
Mr. Donahue
Tentative Syllabus for 2015-2016
I am proud to say: Welcome fellow Braves for a year like no other
at Illahee!
This course will help you move towards mastery of the skills we call
Algebra. If you master these skills, you will be well prepared for Geometry
and will be able to use these skills through life. At the end of the year, you
will take a state mandated Smarter Balance assessment. We will have a
great time being challenged and learning how to problem solve Algebraic
grade math!
Classroom Website: IllaheeMath.weebly.com

This is our classs website! Here, you can find images of notes we took in
class, Khan Academy exercises connected to our classs tests and its
Common Core standards, and downloads of various classroom documents. I
typically update this website once a week. It is not necessary to have access
to the website in order to excel in this class.
Assessment
There are two basic types of assessment used in class to determine students
grades that have different purposes:
Exit slips: These allow me to see how well students understand a
concept that has been taught that day. These are not always graded.
Tests: These are typically given when after having studied a topic.
INB
Means Interactive NoteBook, an AVID tool used to help students keep
organized and successfully study. Your INB must be a 3-Subject notebook
(a kind of notebook). Your INB is for this class only.
Classwork/Homework
Each week students will be assigned problems to complete in order to attain
mastery of the learning standards. The Engage NY student workbook and
Khan Academy will be two of the most used modes for mastering a learning
standard. All completed and incomplete assignments will be online for
students and guardians to view. These assignments are not for a grade,
however to retake a standard, a student may not have more than three
missing assignments. There is no deadline for when assignments may be
turned in.
Khan Academy
Students will create a Khan Academy account in class where they will be
connected with their fellow peer students to our own Khan Academy
classroom. At this website, students can master every Common Core
standard for any grade level they choose. During the school year, we will
sometimes use the exercises as curriculum in class. Some students are able
to master the content from the exercises through watching the videos,
reading the discussion boards, and looking at the hints of the exercise, but
not all students can and will not be expected to. Every students progress
and mastery of each learning standard may be viewed in their account, by
myself, and by their registered parent or guardian. As a guardian, I
encourage you to link your email account to your students Khan Academy
account by having your student log in to Khan Academy, click at the top
right: their log in name, click Profile, click Coaches, then where it says
Add your parent, insert your email address. If you have any problems,
please contact me.
Absent Students
The number of days a student is absent before a test is the number of days a
student has to make up the test if the student is also absent on the test day.
For example, if a student is absent on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
and there is a test that Thursday, the student has to take the missed test by
Wednesday the next week after school. It is your responsibility to check
online for potential notes from days missed at our class website or to go to
the Brave Learning Lab after school to catch up.
Brave Learning Lab
This will be held Monday through Thursday after school in the library. For our
class, any students who wish to retake a test, make up missing work, or get
free tutoring from a math teacher may go here!
Classroom Materials Needed Every Day
One 3-Subject notebook for the Interactive Notebook (college ruled).
Pencils: mechanical with refills or standard
Colored utensil (for taking notes).
Calculator. To the right is a picture of
the calculator 7th and 8th grade
students will be allowed to use on the
Smarter Balance assessment. I
encourage students to become
familiar with a calculator similar to the
one in the picture.
Electronics
Upon entering the classroom all personal
electronic devices and accessories (i.e.
headphones) should be turned off and put
away unless otherwise directed. For the first offense of a personal electronic
devices being used without permission, I will take it away and return it to the
student at the end of the class period. For the second offense, I will turn the
device in to the office, which then must be picked up by a parent or
guardian.
Student Consequences
For students who choose not to do assigned work, who fall behind, who are
tardy, often absent or become disruptive, I employ the following intervention
steps:
Talk with student and make sure they are aware of their choices
Student/teacher conference (after class)
Detention
Parent contact by phone, email or in writing
Administrative conference/referral
Retakes/Reassessments
It is the responsibility of the student to request a retake for previous
assessment. In order to be eligible to take a retake on any assessment the
student must do the following:
Have set up a username and password so that they may check their
grades online.
Be up to date with all classroom notes in their INB
Have no more than three missing assignments.
Have completed the practice given to prepare them for the retake
assessment.
*All retakes must be taken within two weeks of the original assessment
date.
Communication
I look forward to helping each student learn and achieve the goals of this
course. I will return email and/or phone messages within 24 hours. Please
check grades online at ParentVue to stay updated and informed about your
student. If you have a smart phone, I encourage you to download the
ParentVue app for checking grades and missing assignments.
Parents are the most influential people in a students life. Your support is
incredibly important to your child and their success. I hope we can work as a
team to make this a productive year. If you have any questions or concerns,
please call or email me.
There are many ways that you can support your learner, even if you do not
understand or are rusty with the mathematical concepts that they are
learning. Here are some suggestions:
Log onto our classs website at least once a week.

Log into Khan Academy to check your students progress of past and
current learning standards.
If your student says that they are finished and understand everything,
ask to see their work and ask questions about what they are learning
and why. Ask them how to explain one of the problems they are
working on. It will help cement their understanding if they can explain
the concepts to another person.
If your child does not understand a concept, have them look for
examples in their notes, book, and other homework problems that are
similar. Have them call a friend that is in the class or has already had
the class. Have them go to the Brave Learning Lab after school.
Encourage your child to join or form a regular study group. This is a
highly effective method for learning mathematics that your student
can use in this class and in college.
Check your childs grades and missing assignments regularly at
http://grades.fwps.org Have your child retake tests and quizzes that
are not meeting standard before two weeks of the initial test.
Office Hours: Please contact me at least one day beforehand to schedule an

appointment for any time that works for you from: 7:00 7:20 am or 2:10 5
pm.
Office Phone: 253-945-4613
Classroom: 206 Planning Period: 1:17
2:10
Email: [email protected]
Priority Standards:
These are the first three Common Core standards that we will be learning in
class. This classs objective is to have students master all of the Algebra
standards in order to excel on the Smarter Balance assessment and End of
Course Exam. They represent the essential knowledge, skills, and
dispositions that are identified by 48 states as the most significant standards
for students to meet in order to prepare them for next year in math, as well
as the future jobs market. For more information on what the priority
standards are, go to corestandards.org/math
N-Q.1 Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step
problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and
the origin in graphs and data displays.
N-Q.2 Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.

N-Q.3 Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting
quantities.

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Algebra

Classroom Website: IllaheeMath.weebly.com

Log onto our classs website at least once a week.

Office Hours: Please contact me at least one day beforehand to schedule an

N-Q.2 Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.

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