Mathematics

The math curriculum is data driven and instruction centers on three main goals:

Providing opportunities for each student to attain his or her highest level of mathematical understanding
Teaching the Arizona State Standards at each level of math
Making math more enjoyable by using a variety of methods (to increase understanding of mathematical concept

A basic math course is offered at each grade level, as well as advanced courses (placement in the next grade level basic class, pre-algebra, algebra, geometry) for accelerated sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Students struggling with basic concepts receive additional instruction by placement in a math based HWA or Odyssey class. The Compass Odyssey program is a comprehensive way of reaching the struggling learner or supplementing daily lessons; it also includes detailed testing and assessment tools. Introductory or review instruction is provided by the teacher, followed with practice using the Odyssey program; our reluctant learners are demonstrating mastery in computation, problem solving, logic, etc.

Sixth grade students learn to create a budget. Students become consumers and select jobs, pay income tax, buy or rent homes, buy cars, and pay for insurance, etc. An additional sixth grade activity is the “Number Theory” project. Students research and put together a poster about their favorite number with some of the following information: word form, standard form, expanded form, scientific notation, Roman numeral, tally marks, etc.

Seventh graders design survey questions, poll their classmates, and graph the data. The eighth grade scale-drawing project begins with classroom instruction about ratios and applying them to making a scale drawing. Students begin by making a scale drawing of their bedrooms complete with furnishings. The next phase is to measure angles, distances, and areas of the quad’s grass and sidewalk areas. Students then find the percentages of grass and sidewalk areas and write ratios comparing these measurements. A more complex scale drawing of the quad is then created.

Forty students compete in team and individual events in the yearly warm-up math competition with Granite Mountain Middle School prior to the county competition; five or ten students will then compete in the Yavapai County Math Competition. We have won 2nd, 3rd, and 5th place for team events, and last year Daisy Terry won first place in the individual category.

Thirty algebra students also compete yearly in the county competition. We have placed 1st in the individual contest in 2000 and 2002, 2nd in 2003 and 2004 in Level One of those taking algebra. In the College Bowl against high school students, we placed 2nd in 2002.

Algebra students participate in the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Math-a-thon and have raised approximately $400 each year for the last three years. The Math-a-thon consists of a booklet of math problems for each student. They obtain pledges from family and friends for problems completed; prizes are awarded for the amount of money collected and extra credit is given to students completing the booklet.