Class Topics: 02.11.15

In Common Core Math Six today, students completed a Quick Check dealing with ratio word problems.  Students checked their answers from last night's evening practice with an answer key.

Mr. Giomini challenged class with some unit conversion problems similar to the ones listed below:

Once students were able to work through the challenge problems, they were allowed to begin their evening practice.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. page 5 and 6 in Common Core Math Six Practice.
2. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy.

Class Topics: 02.10.15

In Common Core Math Six today, students completed a Quick Check dealing with graphing inequalities.  Students checked their answers from last night's evening practice with an answer key from last night's practice pages.

Mr. Giomini showed a video on how to divide and multiply fractions which is a review from earlier in the school year.  In small pairs, students worked to complete two practice pages dealing with dividing fractions.  

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy. 
• Converting Units (5th Grade Skill)
• Converting Units - US Customary (5th Grade Skill)

Class Topics: 02.09.15

In Common Core Math Six today, students completed a Quick Check dealing with graphing inequalities.  Students received their "Specialty Pizza" performance based task from last Friday.  An answer key was posted and students were encouraged to make inquiries if they had any regarding the task.

This week's performance based task, "Making Towels," was introduced to the students.  Five to ten minutes of independent work time was allowed to begin the task.   Mr. Giomini then reintroduced rates and ratios to the students.  During class, students were provided time to complete application based problems dealing with ratios.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.  
2. use rate and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy. 
• Understanding Dividing Fractions by Fractions
• Dividing Positive Fractions

Class Topics: 02.06.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini allowed the students an additional five minutes of collaboration followed by five minutes of independent time to complete the Specialty Pizza performance based task.  Once students turned in the task, an answer key was provided which will be emailed to parents over the weekend.

For the remainder of class, students had access to Chromebooks and iPads to complete the two Khan Skills that are due on Monday as well as work on completing their 45 minutes of purposeful practice for the weekend.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. understand solving an equation or inequality as a process or answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true.
2. use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set make an equation or inequality true.
3. find the greatest common factor of two whole numbers less than or equal to 100.
4. find the least common multiple of two numbers less than or equal to 12.  

For Weekend Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 45 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy. 
• Combining Like Terms
• Ratio Word Problems

Class Topics: 02.05.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini started class with a Quick Check dealing with GCF and LCM.  Students were allowed fifteen minutes of class time to work on their Specialty Pizza performance based task.

In small groups of three, students continued work with inequalities that incorporated integers, decimals, and fractions.  Towards the end of class, Mr. Giomini provided an answer key for students to check their answers.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. understand solving an equation or inequality as a process or answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true.
2. use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set make an equation or inequality true.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy. 
• Writing Numerical Inequalities
• Testing Solutions of Equations and Inequalities
2. parts of the Pizza Topping performance based task.

Class Topics: 02.04.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini started class with a Quick Check dealing with GCF and LCM.  Students today were introduced to inequalities.  Inequalities, as well as equations, were practiced with substitution to prove the inequality or equation true or false.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1.  understand solving an equation or inequality as a process or answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true.
2. use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set make an equation or inequality true.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy. 
• Inequalities on a Number Line
• Distributive Property
2. parts of the Pizza Topping performance based task. 

Class Topics: 02.03.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini introduced the newest performance based task for the week: Pizza Toppings.  Students will have the entire week to complete the task and turn it in by Friday.  The topics of Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiple were reviewed in class. View the video below to help refresh the concept.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. find the greatest common factor of two whole numbers less than or equal to 100.
2. find the least common multiple of two whole numbers less than or equal to 12.  

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy. 
• Greatest Common Factor
• Least Common Multiple
2. parts of the Pizza Topping performance based task. 

Day of Improvement: 02.02.15

Students,

Due to a large amount of snow that has accumulated over the past 24 hours, there is no school today. The expectation for today is that you get some rest from staying up late and watching the Patriots beat the Seahawks.  Today is a good day to work on some Khan skills for 15 minutes with some purposeful practice.  My seventh period class is doing an excellent job of moving their overall progress to the right on the graph that I have shared in class demonstrating that they are mastering sixth grade content.  Which class period, as a whole, can catch them?

In relentless pursuit of excellence,

Mr. Giomini

Class Topics: 01.30.15

In Common Core Math Six today, students had five to ten minutes to dialogue with a peer about the "Stadium Seat" performance based task before Mr. Giomini collected it for a grade.  An answer key was posted to the board for students to receive an immediate understanding of how to complete the task.  Once all were collected, Mr. Giomini distributed a magazine that was used as the basis for discussion and a Socrative.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100.
2. solve problems involving finding the whole, given a part and the percent.
3. solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations.

For Weekend Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. 15 minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for a total of 45 minutes prior to Monday. 

Class Topics: 01.29.15

In Common Core Math Six today, students began class by completing a Kahoot that dealt with the four concepts from earlier in the week: solving equations with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Mr. Giomini paired students together to complete tasks dealing with negative numbers.  Once time elapsed, students matched their pairing with another pairing to compare answers and dialogue about Mathematics.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations.
2. use variables to represent two quantities in a real-world problem that change in relationship to one another.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. Stadium Seats task that was assigned on Monday.
2. fifteen minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy using 6th grade content.  

Multi-Step Unit Conversions

Class Topics: 01.28.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini modeled how to solve GCF and LCM word problems from Khan Academy which is a component of the evening practice.  Students reviewed how to solve one and two-step equations that incorporated multiplication and division.

Mr. Giomini provided guided practice for the initial part of the lesson.  Afterwards, students were given a choice of two tasks to complete to further develop their understanding of solving equations with multiplication and division.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations.
2. use variables to represent two quantities in a real-world problem that change in relationship to one another.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. two Khan Skills:
• Writing Expressions
• GCF and LCM Word Problems
2. fifteen minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy using 6th grade content.  

GCF and LCM Word Problems

Class Topics: 01.27.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini posted a table with data and asked that the students create an equation using the information presented.  During class, students reviewed how to solve equations when addition and subtraction were incorporated.  Problems incorporated the distributive property to increase the complexity of the skill.   Class was given both independent and peer time to complete class tasks.

Write an equation using x and y 
for the table above.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. reason about and solve one-variable equations.
2. solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations.
3. use variables to represent two quantities in a real-world problem that change in relationship to one another.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. two Khan Skills:
• Comparing Positive and Negative Numbers on a Number Line
• Finding Percents
2. fifteen minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy using 6th grade content.  

Class Topics: 01.26.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini passed out graded Part Six - Percents posttests.  He discussed commonly missed questions with the class.

This week's performance based task was distributed and passed out to students.  In class, students had an opportunity to work independently on the task, Stadium Seats, for ten minutes.  Once that time came to an end, students worked with a colleague to discuss each other's progress and dialogue about the task.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. fluently multiply and divide multidigit numbers.
2. solve problems involving finding the whole, given the part and percent.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. two Khan Skills:
• Ordering Rational Numbers
• Ordering Negative Numbers
2. fifteen minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy using 6th grade content.  

Class Topics: 01.23.15

In Common Core Math Six today, students completed the Part Six - Percents posttest.  Comments and a grade should post prior to Monday morning.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. fluently multiply and divide multidigit numbers.
2. solve problems involving finding the whole, given the part and percent.
3. use a formula to calculate the percent change when comparing two numbers.
4. write an equation to model a specific situation.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. fifteen minutes of purposeful practice on Khan Academy using 6th grade content.  (Optional this weekend.)

Class Topics: 01.22.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini displayed the correct answers to the evening practice from last night for students to check their answers against.  Class spent today alternating between independent work and peer collaboration in an attempt to polish up skills in preparation for tomorrow's Part Six - Percents assessment.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. fluently multiply and divide multidigit numbers.
2. solve problems involving finding the whole, given the part and percent.
3. use a formula to calculate the percent change when comparing two numbers.

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. review class notes in your notebook.
2. view the videos below from Part Six-Percents.

Class Topics: 01.21.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini displayed the correct answers to the evening practice from last night.  More simple interest problems for modeled for the students.  Class began work on the problems listed below.  Once answers were checked by Mr. Giomini, students began their evening practice.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. fluently multiply and divide multidigit numbers.
2. solve problems involving simple interest. 

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. page 19 odd numbered questions from Part Six-Percents.
2. fifteen minutes of focused practice on Khan Academy.  

Class Topics: 01.20.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini showed the class's progress on Khan Academy for sixth grade content.  Students were introduced to simple interest today and how to use the equation shown below.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. fluently multiply and divide multidigit numbers.
2. solve problems involving simple interest. 

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. page 19 even numbered questions from Part Six-Percents.

Introduction to interest: What interest is. Simple versus compound interest.

Day of Improvement: 01.19.15

Students,

You were asked to complete 15 minutes of purposeful practice everyday on Khan Academy over the weekend, including today.  Today, you can continue your work on Khan.  My goal was to have mastered 95% of the sixth grade content by Tuesday morning.  Currently I sit at 96% with the hopes of earning another 2% today.  I hope to see all of you tomorrow.

In relentless pursuit of excellence,

Mr. Giomini

Day of Improvement: 01.16.15

Students,

Hopefully you enjoy your day off.  Take some time today to improve your math skills by spending 15 minutes or more on Khan Academy.  Your focus should be 6th Grade: Ratios, Rates, and Percentages. Once you are able to turn those all into the Practice classification, knock out some Mastery Challenges and attempt to improve your overall level of mastery for sixth grade content somewhere between 5 and 10 percentage points higher than where it currently sits.

In relentless pursuit of excellence,

Mr. Giomini

I have improved by four percentage points from yesterday.
Looking to get to 95% Mastery by Tuesday morning.  

Additional Percent Practice Word Problems

Murphy's meal cost $15.70.  He paid the server $18.76.  Approximately what percent tip did Murphy give the server.  (19.5%)

You have a coupon for 25% off the price of a mystery novel that regularly sells for $7.00.  The sales tax is 7.25%.  If you give the cashier $10.00, how much change would you expect in return?  ($4.37)

In a survey, 28 students said that pizza is their favorite lunch.  If 28 is 16% of the class, how many students are in the class?  (175 students)

Class Topics:01.15.15

In Common Core Math Six today, Mr. Giomini posted the answers to last night's evening practice. Students were encouraged to ask questions about problems that might have confused them.

The remainder of class was spent reviewing a plethora of percent problems to help prepare for the Part Six - Percent assessment that is on January 23rd.  Students worked with a peer to complete the task.

Today's Learning Target(s): The student will be able to...

1. fluently multiply and divide multidigit numbers.
2. use a formula to find the percent increase or decrease when comparing two numbers.
3. solve problems involving finding the whole, given the part and the percent. 

For Evening Practice, the student is expected to complete...

1. problems posted to the blog on a sheet of paper.