Lake Olympia Middle School



Baines Middle School

8th grade G/T Pre-AP Algebra

Mrs. Collins Room: 1108 Phone: 281-634-7545

E-mail: Stephanie.Collins@

Website: mrscollinsmath.

Suggested Materials:

o 1½ to 2-inch binder

o dividers: Warm ups, Notes, Homework, Quizzes/tests

o TI graphing calculator (Nspire CX or TI-84 Plus)

o graph paper (4 squares per inch)

o Clorox wipes or paper towels

o (required) paper, pencils with erasers, and pens

Textbook:

Algebra 1, McDougal Littell. All students will be issued an Algebra textbook, practice workbook, and TAKS Practice workbook. Students are responsible for paying for any damages to the textbook or replacement costs for lost textbooks and/or workbooks. The replacement costs are $_____ for the text and $10.00 for the workbooks. By state law, students must keep textbooks covered at all times. If you choose to purchase the stretchy bookcovers, please purchase the jumbo size. Any covers smaller than jumbo will damage the corners and spine of the book resulting in costly fines.

Tutorials:

I am available for math help from 8:00 – 8:45 in Room 1108 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and after school Thursdays until 5:00. Students must have a pass to come to morning tutorials. Each student will been given a hall pass that will be permanently affixed to the first page of their agenda. This pass will allow them access to my room before school. If a student abuses this pass (i.e. uses it to access any part of the school other than my room), the pass will be permanently revoked. To attend future AM tutoring sessions, the student will have to be accompanied by a parent. Occasionally I am not available before school because of meetings. I will inform the students the day before and let the front office know that morning as well.

Course Content

Solving Equations and Inequalities Exploring Functions

Linear Equations and Inequalities Systems of Equations and Inequalities Radicals and Polynomials Quadratic and other Nonlinear Functions

Webpage - You will find my webpage by typing in the address bar of your browser. The daily homework, calendar, algebra blogs, examples of student projects, and various links will be posted there. I am frequently adding and changing the content of the page so keep visiting.

McDougal Littell also has a website that you will definitely want to check out: . Some of the resources available are online textbook, lesson resources for extra practice problems, eWorkbook Plus, @HomeTutor, and Animated Algebra activities and examples. This is the first link in my Links page of my website.

Daily Routines:

• TI Navigator

- Sign in to Navigator immediately

• Agendas

- need to be brought to class everyday

- you are required to write down your homework in your agenda every day as soon as you arrive in the classroom.

• Warm Ups

- There will be a warm up problem on the screen every day. These problems will be review of concepts we have covered in class to keep them fresh in your mind or 8th grade STAAR practice. As soon as you have signed in to Navigator and written the homework in your agenda, begin the warm up.

• Turning in Homework

- homework will be reviewed and/or collected daily

• Signing in and out

- For your safety, you must sign in and out EVERYTIME you leave the room. The sign out sheet is on the table by the door.

• Dismissal from class

- to be dismissed on time, your entire class must be seated and quiet. The floor and desks should be clean. All calculators must be in the correct slot in the charging hubs. The teacher will dismiss you, not the bell. Dismissal on time will be your responsibility.

• Bathrooms - Students will be allowed to go the restroom for an “emergency” during class time with a pass from their agenda. This will be allowed ONLY after the lesson is completed and students are working independently. Students will not be able to use the restroom during instruction. Students have time in between classes and during lunch to use the bathroom.

Make-Up Work Policy – students will have time to do make up work if they are absent. They have the same number of days to do the work as they were absent. For example: if you are absent for 2 days you have 2 days to complete the work. Students are responsible for asking for make-up work when they are absent. IF the assignment is not turned in, you will receive a zero for that assignment. You may also check the homework section of the webpage or send an e-mail to Mrs. Collins instead of waiting until you return to class.

Extra Credit Opportunities:

Students frequently ask me for extra credit opportunities and I feel this is appropriate for student efforts that go above and beyond. The extra credit assignments are usually extensions of the homework, so I will be posting any extra credit assignments on the webpage with the related homework assignment if offered. These extra credit assignments will also be announced in class and posted on my homework assignment board. Occasionally I find an activity that enriches the concepts covered in class. These activities will be posted on my webpage as well.

Technology - I am excited to have access to a great deal of technology in my classroom to enhance my instruction. A data projector, document camera, SMART Board, wireless slate, and additional student computers are just the beginning. I am very excited to have a TI-Nspire Navigator (thank you to BMS PTO!!) Navigator is a wireless tool that works with the graphing calculators. It can be described as a communication device, but it is truly much more. When students are signed in, I can see what they have on their calculator screen from my computer so that I can monitor students' work to ensure they are on track and on task. I will immediately gauge student comprehension and areas in need of reinforcement with the Quick Poll feature.

I enjoy using technology and I believe students should have the opportunity to express themselves using technology as well. We will have a variety of projects this year and the students will be encouraged to use technology in the presentation of these projects. We will also have homework assignments that will utilize online games, blogs, and online activities with assessments. For those without access to the internet at home, I encourage using the computer lab or computers in my classroom before or after school. If that is not an option, an alternative assignment will be available.

Expectations:

1. Be on Time

• Tardy Policy – a student is considered tardy if not in his/her assigned seat when the tardy bell rings.

• Sign in – As soon as each student arrives, they are expected to sign in to their TI Navigator account.

2. Come prepared to class

• Come ready to learn. Bring your binder, workbook, paper, and writing utensils to class every day. NO EXCEPTIONS!

3. Be Respectful of Others

• Do not prevent another student from learning

4. Follow Directions

• Read or listen to directions carefully and follow them when given, the first time.

5. Respect my property. (I will respect yours as well.)

• If you need to borrow something just ask. You would get upset if I went through your things without asking. My desk is off limits, unless I give permission.

6. If you act like a young adult, I will treat you like a young adult. If you act like a child, I will treat you like a child. It is your choice!

Consequences:

If a student chooses to act improperly, ignore any of the classroom expectations, and/or threaten the safe atmosphere of my classroom, the appropriate action will be taken to redirect behavior. The consequences are outlined in the Baines student handbook.

Any severe disruption of class is an automatic referral (i.e. fighting, disrespecting an adult, inappropriate language, etc…).

Parents:

We will primarily be using the TI Nspire graphing calculators in Algebra this year. Check out education., an informative (and fun) website designed for students, parents, and teachers. Students can enter to win prizes and scholarships as well as find help. This page can help you determine if purchasing a graphing calculator is right for you. I will always make time for the students to come in to use my calculators. A parent asked about graphing calculator APPs for the iPhone, iTouch, iPad, etc. this summer. Yes! And there are graphing calculator APPs on the Android platform as well. While I have not found any APP comparable to the Nspire, there are quite a few that are similar to the TI-84 graphing calculator family. Please let me know if you want more details about this because there are definitely APPs out there that you will want to avoid!

Finally, a homework assignment specifically for parents. I will send weekly e-newsletters to keep you better informed about class events. I need your help with creating my distribution lists correctly.

Please send an email to Stephanie.Collins@ or go to the Email section of my webpage (hover the mouse over Welcome.)

In the subject line, please type your child’s name and Algebra class period. In the body of the email, please type

“My child and I have read and understand Mrs. Collins’ classroom expectations and procedures. I will assist Mrs. Collins in maintaining success in Algebra.”

In response, I will email you a 10-point bonus coupon for you to print in color and sign for your child. This one-time “free” bonus coupon can be used on any daily or major grade assignment, but not on the semester exams. I will then add your address to that class period distribution list. Email addresses will not be seen or used by anyone but me. I will not share email addresses with anyone unless you specifically request me to do so. If you would like the e-newsletter sent to more than one email address, feel free to email me from all addresses you want included in the distribution list. However, the bonus coupon limit is 1 per student.

No email? No problem! If you do not have access to email, please leave me a voice mail message at 281-634-7545 to let me know that you have read and understand this packet. Make sure you include your name, your child’s name, and Algebra class period in the message. I will print the coupon for your child and send it home with them for you to sign.

I am excited to have the opportunity to teach your children this year at Baines. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Stephanie Collins

Algebra Teacher

Baines Middle School

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