JUMP Math

A number of parents and students have asked how they can supplement the math curriculum at home. I think at the present moment one of the best individualized math programs going is a program called JUMP math. I had the opportunity of working with its creator, John Mighton, when we piloted the program for the Toronto District School Board at Carleton Village Public School a number of years ago. The manuals are around ten dollars each and can be ordered through the web site: http://jumpmath.org
When choosing a starting point I always start a grade below with my own children as a review of previous material. The great thing about JUMP math is that there are books for grades 1-8, so you can fill in the gaps at any level,you may even choose to get a head start at the grade 8 level. If you have any questions please leave a comment at the bottom of the post.

Math 7: Algebra Test Exemplars

Here are a few responses that were very thorough. Great work!

Math 7: Algebra Success Criteria for Unit Test

Math 7 Unit Test: Wednesday, December 19, 2012!

Okay Grade 7s we've been working on Algebra for the last month and it's time to put it all together to show what you've learned. You have all done a great job on Algebra this term. On The test you will be asked to:

•  model expressions
•  write expressions from word descriptions
• Solve equations by substituting variables
• Solve equations by creating a balance
• Use a table of values to solve equations

Learning Goal
By the end of the term I will be able to model algebraic expressions and solve algebraic equations using variables and constant rates

Success Criteria
To reach my learning goal I can...

• Use tiles and pictures to model algebraic expressions
• Understand that any letter (x,y,z) is a variable that can change
• Understand that a constant number does not change
• Use guess and check to solve an algebraic equation
• Use a table of values to solve an algebraic equation that involves rate of change

Please see the math wall examples and review Pencasts as a review. See Mr. C if you need extra help!

Math 7: Modelling Equations

Here is another way we can model equations. This time we can use pictures to help our minds make sense of algebra.

Mr.C Pencast
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Algebra and Cell Phones

After our discussion yesterday about Verizon. I thought we should actually look at how a data plan works mathematically. This is only a surface level look at the variable cost of using a cell phone, but it will get the discussion going.

A phone plan costs 55 dollars a month for 2GB of data. For every GB you use it is an extra $27.00 a month. Roaming charges and downloading will eat up your data plan quickly. If you plan to leave the country for a vacation your data will go through the roof. How could you figure out how much your monthly bill would be if you used 7GB in one month? What about 4GB in one month? What Algebraic expression would you use to find out how much the monthly bills would be? Let's try to get some thorough responses so we can pencast it!

Pencast: Math 6 Perimeter and Area

Mr. C Pencast
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Math Will Follow You Wherever You Go!

One day you will have a job of your very own. Rest assurred, math will come up, tap you on the shoulder and say, "Remember, me?" This is a phone conversation between Verizon mobile employees and a customer. Pay attention to the numbers that they are talking about. The customer claims that his bill is wrong. Who is right? How do you know?