Mathematics
Middle school mathematics establishes foundational skills in algebra and analysis that lead to success in the years to come. It is in middle school that students learn the language of mathematics and use it as a tool for understanding the surrounding world. Farragut Middle School follows the NYS adopted Next Generation Mathematics Standards in all of its courses.
Please note that students in grade 8 may be in one of two different classes. Approximately 1/3 of the students are following a traditional sequence in mathematics and are enrolled in the Math 8 class described below. Accelerated students are enrolled instead in a high school Algebra course. The Grades 5 through 8 classes carry middle school course credit; the high school course also carries high school credit).
Please reach out to the individual teachers for information specific to each class.
In Grade 5, instructional time should focus on three areas: (1) developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, and developing understanding of the multiplication of fractions and of division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions); (2) extending division to 2-digit divisors, integrating decimals into the place value system and developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, and developing fluency with whole number and decimal operations; and (3) developing understanding of volume.
In Grade 6, instructional time should focus on five areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; (4) deepening understanding of area, surface area and volume; and (5) developing understanding of simple probabilities and statistical thinking.
In Grade 7, instructional time should focus on three areas: (1) developing understanding of and applying proportional relationships; (2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and working with expressions and linear equations; and (3) drawing inferences about populations based on samples.
In Grade 8, instructional time should focus on three areas: (1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.
High School Algebra (one HS credit)
Algebra I is the first mathematics course in high school and the focal point is functions; specifically linear, quadratic, and exponential functions. Students, through reasoning, develop fluency writing, interpreting, and translating between various forms of linear equations and inequalities and make conjectures about the form that a linear equation might take in a solution to a problem. They reason abstractly and quantitatively by choosing and interpreting units in the context of creating equations in two variables to represent relationships between quantities. They master the solution of linear equations and apply related solution techniques and the properties of exponents to the creation and solution of simple exponential equations.
Contacts
Greg Stephens, Chairperson
stephensg@hohschools.org
Gina Bartolini
bartolinig@hohschools.org
Joan Felipe
felipej@hohschools.org
Chris Lembo
lemboc@hohschools.org
Christine Smith, Math Interventionist
smithcfms@hohschools.org
Kim Smith
smithk@hohschools.org
Stephen Yurek
yureks@hohschools.org