Expressing Ourselves Mathematically

by Justice Adams

“Hi Pal. Are

you ready for

the new school

year?”

“As ready as

I’m going to

be, I guess. I’m

not very good

in math.”

“What’s the

problem?”

“I heard that I’d

have to learn

about

expressions, and

I never knew that

math could talk.”

“Oh no, Silly.

Math can’t talk,

but it can in

fact be

expressed.”

“Can you

please explain

that?”

“Sure. First of all, the

branch of mathematics

that involves

expressions with

variables is called

algebra. A combination

of numbers, variables,

and at least one

operation is called an

algebraic expression.”

“Swell. I

didn’t know

that!”

“The numerical

factor of a

multiplication

expression that

contains a variable

is called a

coefficient.”

“So 6 is the

coefficient of

6m?”

“Yes! And a variable is

a symbol, usually a

letter, that is used to

represent an unknown

quantity in mathematical

expressions or

sentences.”

“Cool.”

“An example is

7y–3b. We’ll let y

represent 3 and b

represent 5.

7(3)–3(5)

21–15 = 6”

“So

5 + (12-3)a, where

a is 12, would equal

113?”

“Correct!!!”

“All thanks to

you!!! I’m ready

to tackle those

algebraic

expressions!”

Justice Adams

4050 Camelot Lane,

Apt. #3, Box M11

Memphis, TN 38118

May 9, 2013

Upcoming 7th

Grader

American Way Middle School

3805 American Way

Memphis, TN 38118

Re: What you’ll be expected to learn in Mrs. Brown-Jones’s math class next school year, the importance of following all rules and

procedures for this class, how this class is assessed (how you’ll get your grades), and 1 fun thing I did in Math class this school year

Dear Upcoming 7th

Grader,

I’m currently a 7th

grade student in Mrs. Brown-Jones’s Math class at American Way Middle School nearing promotion to the eighth

grade. I would like to share some things with you that you can expect as well as some pointers that will assure that yours is a

successful experience in this class. Mrs. Brown-Jones teaches regular as well as honors math on team 2. I was in her honors math class

the first nine weeks of the school year and opted to take a regular math class. I remained in her class for regular math, and discovered

that there isn’t much difference between these classes. You’ll be expected to come into Mrs. Brown-Jones’s class prepared to learn,

which entails being quiet, listening, following instructions, and completing tasks.

You may be asked to apply concepts that you learn in class to special projects, from creating PowerPoint presentations or pamphlets to

magazines with crossword puzzles (& answer keys), graphs and general computer-generated art, and even comic strips with callouts

or comment/dialogue balloons. If you are not familiar with certain methods of presentation, public libraries are a great place to

familiarize yourself with them and to generally use computers, if Mrs. Brown-Jones is unable to provide assistance or if you are

unable to get assistance in the school library or computer lab, and/or if you do not have a computer or the required software at home.

You may be asked to type all elements of your projects, which is unusual for a math class, and in the event that you are you can

always type mathematical equations in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint by clicking the “Insert” icon, clicking on “Equation” and

selecting the appropriate symbol or operation. If you want to type a proper fraction type what would be the numerator first followed

by a forward slash and the denominator with no spaces and press enter.

Microsoft Excel may be utilized to create coordinate planes and crossword puzzles from scratch. Click Insert and Shapes to insert

arrows into coordinate planes, to insert callouts or comment/dialogue balloons into cartoons, to create general art,1 and to draw (click

the “scribble” icon) in both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. You may color your drawings by clicking on the “Shape Fill” and

“Theme Colors” icons, which appear under “Drawing Tools” during this process.

To create a pamphlet or brochure open a Microsoft Word document and click “File” in the top left hand corner of the page. Click

“New.” Then click on “Brochures” and scroll through to peruse the template choices; select the brochure template that you’d like to

use and down load it. To find additional PowerPoint templates, click “File” and “New” in an opened PowerPoint document. Scroll to

and click on “PowerPoint presentations and/or slides” and select the template that you’d like to use.

You can Google search some resources, like magazine templates, which might require fees for access privileges, or templates for math

crossword puzzles at www.google.com. You may additionally find how-to videos via Google.

You may also be asked to list, define, and exemplify vocabulary words covered during the course of the school year on special

projects, so be sure to make and keep note of those terms as they are presented. This may entail writing down the terms for your own

records in the event that they are collected and not returned.

This class is assessed the way that any other classes are assessed or graded, based upon completed and submitted work, and conduct

grades are based upon conduct.

One fun thing I did in class was participating in a think show project.

I hope that I have been helpful to you, and, again, that yours is a successful experience in this class. Very best of wishes.

Sincerely,

1 Maneuver the different shapes to create distinct objects, animals, and/or people, i.e. select a circle or oval to create the head of a person, straight lines for the

neck and/or body, or shapes, like a triangle for a female and a rectangle for a male torso, straight lines for legs and feet, stars or other objects for hair, a crescent

moon for a hat, etc., rotating each object as necessary to create the desired effects.

Justice Adams (7th

grade student & 8th

grade prospect)

2nd

period

Mrs. Brown-Jones’s Math Class