Math Fundamentals Notebook

Math Fundamentals Offline THIS MUST BE COMPLETED WHILE YOU ARE DOING THE ONLINE!

Vocabulary DiaryEquation Diary or Example Collection

We believe that learning math is the same as learning to think logically. It is something we train our brains to do. When learning something new, you should try to get the information into your brain as many ways as possible: read it, say it, write it, do it.When you are doing the online work we know you are reading math. We encourage you to talk about math with your parents - things like saying your multiplication tables out loud is a good start. Many students like to "do math in their head." There are certainly math operations that you can do in your head; however, when you are learning new math operations YOU NEED TO GET THAT PENCIL MOVING!There are three powerful reasons to do math on paper:1. It gives your brain another chance to process the information you are reading. You will learn it faster. 2. You will be creating notes that you can use as you take the tests. You can refer back to your Pre-Algebra notes when you need to remember something for the Algebra class. I took my high school math notes to college with me and they made my first math class in college SO EASY because I could look back to my own notes to remind myself how I learned things. 3. To have a parent, friend or your Mentor help you with math, they will need to SEE how you are thinking about a problem. The only way for them to see that is to show them something you have written out. You will get more effective help, and get it quicker, if you have math on paper when you have a question. These offline assignments were designed so you could do them easily as you work on the online AND to give you a reason to do math on paper, not just in your head.

Vocabulary Diary

This is very similar to the Vocab Diary that you do for your English courses. Some people actually consider math a foreign language since it is expressed in a combination of letters and numbers. Your assignment is to be aware of new words you encounter in math, or words that are used in a new way in math. You need to "collect" these words and what they mean.1. Number your list of vocab words. 2. Write the definition the lesson gives for the word. 3. Include an example for each word/idea.Example: 1. Numerator: the number on top of a fraction, the number of parts of the whole. In the fraction 3/5, 3 is the numerator and it means that you have 3 of 5 things. You should have at least 20 words on your list.* What to do if you pass the pretests/tests in PW without having to do the lessons…You should list the words used in the pretest/test that seem to be being tested. If you pass the test -go back and use your own definition and examples for each word. You need to write these down even though you already know them so you have a complete set of notes to refer back to in the future. If you end up not passing, you will have a great list of things to look for as you do the tutorials and you will learn faster.Grading the Vocabulary Diary:The list of words and number of words will vary depending on which class you are in, but the same grading standards will apply:A This VD is well organized and easy to read. The words included are dealt with accurately and professionally. The examples are explained in a way that makes sense to anyone reading them, not just the author. These notes will prove useful in other times and places. B This VD includes all expected terms and has an example of each. Sometimes the definition or example is too brief to be really useful to someone besides the author. The notes might be useful in another time and place, but parts of them aren't complete enough to make sense later.

Equation Diary

In many cases, this assignment will be part of the vocabulary diary. You only have to make it a separate assignment if it makes sense to you. This will become your reference for all the equations and formulas you learn. It will be very handy as you do the problems, work on the offline and as a "cheat sheet" for later in life.You assignment is to write down EVERY equation you run across and to write at least one example of the equation in use. Be sure to explain any parts of the equation that aren't clear - especially variables. Number them so it is easy to tell how many you have with a simple glance.Example:A2+B2=C2 where C is the side of a triangle opposite the right angle and A and B are the other two sides. If you know the length of 2 sides, you can use this formula to find the length of the third side. A triangle has sides of 3 and 5. 5 is the side opposite the right angle.Take the square root of both parts of the equationB=4 Grading the Equation Diary:The types of equations and number of them will vary depending on which class you are in, but the same grading standards will apply:A This ED is well organized and easy to read. Every part of the equation is explained so someone else could use them. The examples are explained in a way that makes sense to anyone reading them, not just the author. These notes will prove useful in other times and places.B This ED includes all expected equations and has examples. Sometimes the equation or example is too brief to be really useful to someone besides the author. The notes might be useful in another time and place, but parts of them aren't complete enough to make sense later.* What to do if you pass the pretests/tests in PW without having to do the lessons…If you are able to pass the PW tests or the NN pretests without having to go do the lessons, we ask that INSTEAD of the equation diary, you complete the Example Collection instead.