Mrs. Young

8th Grade Star Team Mathematics 

Welcome! 

My name is Lisa Young and this will be my ninth year teaching in the district; eighth year at Kennedy Junior High teaching on the Star Team.  For my teaching duration, I have taught math at the 8th grade level.  Throughout the years I have coached and been involved with several school activities and received a Masters in Education; however since 2007 I have been busy expanding my family.  My husband Doug and I were married in November 2004 and our first daughter Ashleigh was born in February 2007.  Fourteen months later we found out we were expecting our second child; Alayna was born in December of 2008.  To add to the mix, we also have a 5-year old Husky mix named Monte. 

Over the last two years I have been an active member of the district's K-12 math committee.  We have been working hard to implement the new curriculum that is rolling out this year in each of the junior highs in the district.  Below I have included a brief summary of each of my math courses that will be taught.  The honors math class is Algebra 1, a ninth grade level math class.  The "regular"  or "on level" math classes are Pre-Algebra and to make it easy this is how each of the books are titled .  Now, because the books are quite hefty, the company has online access to student editions as well as other helpful tools for students and parents.  The links are within each section below; please take some time to check out this helpful resource.  Also, Blackboard will have Course Documents for your help and perusal such as Assignment Sheets, Parents as Partners, handouts, etc.  Under Announcements there will be up-to-date assignments for each day of the week; the assignment sheets are tentative and given as guidelines for parents/students.

Algebra 1 2007 (Period 1)

The Algebra 1 book focuses on three strands of thought that are integrated throughout the book: Mathematics as a Field of Study, Mathematics as a Modeling Language, and Mathematics as Logical Thought.

The content of Algebra 1 is organized around families of functions, with special emphasis on linear and quadratic functions.  As students learn about each family of functions, they will learn to represent them in multiple ways--as verbal descriptions, equations, tables, and graphs.  They will also learn to model real-world situations using functions in order to solve problems arising from those situations.

In addition to its algebra content, Algebra 1, includes lessons on probability and data analysis as well as numerous examples and exercises involving geometry.  These math topics often appear on standardized tests, so maintaining students' familiarity with them is important.  To help students prepare for standardized tests, Algebra 1 provides instruction and practice on standardized test questions in a variety of formats--multiple choice, short response, extended response, and so on.  Technology support for both learning algebra and preparing for standardized tests is available at classzone.com.

http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/algebra_1_2007_na/book_home.htm?state=IL

Pre-Algebra 2010 (Periods 2, 4, 5, 8)

There are five units of study through the course of the 8th grade year in Pre-Algebra.

Unit 1: Rational Numbers and Equations, Chapters 1 - 5

Unit 2: Proportions and Similarity, Chapters 6 - 7

Unit 3: Linear and Nonlinear Functions, Chapters 8 - 9

Unit 4: Two- and Three-Dimensional Space, Chapters 10 - 12

Unit 5: Data Sets, Chapter 13

The key mathematical ideas for this grade include:

Algebra: Analyzing and representing linear functions and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations.

Geometry and Measurement: Analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures by using distance and angle.

Data Analysis and Number and Operations: Analyzing and summarizing data sets.

http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078885299/student_view0/

Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions.  I am looking forward to a great year with everyone!

Contact Mrs. Young

Voice Mail:  630-848-5634

Email:  lyoung@naperville203.org