Math 7 Course Expectations

8/8/2019 Math 7 Course Expectations

1/6

Math 7

Course Outline and Expectations

2010-2011 School Year

Teacher: Phil Macoun

Email: [email protected]

Class Blog: www.aspengroveschool.ca/blog/macoun

Welcome to Math 7. This document has been written to help every student

be successful in our class. Please take the time to review it and come to

class with questions and comments.

Philosophy

I believe that all students can learn math, but not all students learn math at

the same pace. As much as possible I will try to differentiate my instruction

this year so that I am meeting each students individual needs. This meansthat while we will all be studying the same material, some students might be

working on basic skill building while others will be working on extension

material. It is important in this context that each student doesnt measure

their success by comparing themselves to their peers, instead they each

need to identify how they learn math best and what is the best approach for

their learning needs.

Technology will be used in this class to help differentiate instruction, keep

track of what we have learned and communicate with home. In particular

the Math 7 class blog will be our communications hub. As a result it is

important that all families are able to access the schools Intranet easily. To

find our blog you will need to log into the Intranet and click on Mr Macouns

blog; a link to the Math 7 blog can be found in the side bar. Some of the

ways the blog will be used could include the posting of class notes, the

uploading of teacher PowerPoint slides, the embedding of instructional

videos to be viewed for homework, and the sharing of links to good games

and resources for reviewing and extending what we learn in class.

I believe that Math is learned best when students are having fun and can seethe relevance of what they are learning. To this end we will sometimes use

games as a vehicle for review and exploration of certain concepts. During

our IB Projects (see below) we will also be applying our learning to real world

situations.

Supplies (the following are the essential items you MUST have every class)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/6

A 3-ringed binder; extra lined paper; pencil, eraser and a ruler


3/6

Course Goals (organised by IB assessment criteria)

Criterion A: Knowledge and Understanding

Learn required content in the following areas,

number sense;

patterns and algebra;

geometry

measurement

probability and data management

Criterion B: Investigating Patterns

Become better problem solvers by looking for patterns, getting good at

asking questions, and thinking and reasoning mathematically.

Criterion C: Communication

Become confident documenting work in a logical and organised fashion and

explaining the thinking behind how an answer is calculated.

Criterion D: Reflection

Be able to reflect on the effectiveness of strategies and techniques used to

solve a problem.

IB Projects

We will undertake one IB Project each term. These will be a chance for each

student to apply their knowledge in a real world context where assumptionshave to be made and answers have to be justified. All the IB Projects will be

assessed using the IB Assessment Criteria.

Homework

As much as possible we will try to get our work done in class, but there will

be times when work will need to be finished at home. As every student has

different learning needs, homework may not always be the same for

everyone, not will it always take the same amount of time. Homework could

include activities such as finishing a worksheet designed to review the work

covered in class, reflecting on a math concept or learning in writing, working

on a project, watching short instructional videos, and other activities

designed to complement our in class activities.

GradesI believe that there is a difference between assessment and grading.Assessment is less about assigning a grade and more about getting better at


4/6

what we can do. Not all student work will be graded, but all their work willbe used to give them constructive feedback on their learning.


5/6

Each students grade will be calculated based on the following three types ofwork:

Portfolio About every 2 weeks we will put aside some time for each student to

collect evidence of their learning and reflect on what they havelearned. This work will be collected in a portfolio and assessed usingthe learning outcomes and the following scale:

o 5 = Demonstrates thorough understandingo 4 = High level of understanding, but with small errors

o 3 = Demonstrates understanding, but with significant gaps

o 2 = Shows some understanding, but insufficient to be successful

o 1 = Attempts the problem

Because Math is a skills based course it is very important that every

student achieves proficiency (4 or 5) in all skills. Students will havemultiple opportunities to get help from various sources and then re-assess any skill they need to, and their improved score will replacetheir previous score in my gradebook.

Projects and Problem Solving These projects and problems will give the students a chance to wrestle

with situations in which there is not a clear way to proceed or in whichthere is more than one possible answer.

Quizzes

Most weeks we will have a short quiz on the material being covered.This functions as a quick check on each students understanding andmakes sure that they get practice in a more formal testingenvironment.

EffortEffort grades will be assigned based on the following criteria:

Work ethic in class

Consistent completion of all work and assignments on time

Evidence that the student is trying to keep their work and binder neatand organised

As these criteria dont reflect on each students understanding of thematerial being taught they will not impact the grade given for the course.

Classroom PoliciesThere are not a lot of hard and firm rules in my classroom. My guidingprinciple is that each students behaviour should not be disrespectful to meor others and should not impact on the ability of any other student to learn.We will develop a more structured list of expectations together in class.


6/6

If possible, it's very important to attend class every day. Theres a highpositive correlation between attendance and success in school. If you areabsent, you are expected to check online to see what youve missed beforecoming back to school (and to begin working on it). This will provide you the

best opportunity to be successful.

Also, please make every effort to be in class on time. Being late undernormal circumstances is disrespectful to your classmates, your teacher, andyourself, and it makes it more difficult for you to be successful in our class.

Questions?If you have any questions, please contact me. Once you feel like youcompletely understand these expectations, please sign below to indicateyour understanding. Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully considerthese expectations, and Im looking forward to our time together in Math 7.

Phil MacounAugust 2010

Documents

Math 7 Course Expectations