Third week of January - Math Task

Below is the math task that we will be completing in class towards the end of the week.  Begin thinking about what is involved with accomplishing this task and be prepared to discuss.  Enjoy!!

                                                                My First Fish Tank

For your birthday, you have decided you want a fish tank.  The pet store offers some starter kits that include a group of fish, a tank, and all the supplies.  You will need to pick from four different groups of fish and then pick the tank that will best suit those fish.  The sales person at the store lets you know that for every inch of fish you need 1 gallon of water.  1 gallon of water is equal to 231 cubic inches.  Below you will find the different groups of fish available at the store as well as their average adult size.  You will also need to determine which fish tank dimensions will best house your new fish.  The fish tank you choose should be as close to the necessary amount of cubic inches as possible, but should not be less than required.

Your Goals:

1)      Choose from fish group #1, #2, #3, or #4.

2)      Determine the adult size for your group of fish

3)      Choose from the dimensions provided and pick the appropriate fish tank

4)      Justify why your tank is the best choice for your fish

Formula to find the volume of a rectangular prism (typical fish tank shape): V = lwh

Fish Group #1:	Fish Group #2:
Seven Goldfish	1 Cory Catfish 2 Buenos Aires Tetras 2 Rainbow Fish
Fish Group #3:	Fish Group #4:
Five Zebra Danios Five Guppies Two Cory Catfish	Two Cory Catfish Two Buenos Aires Tetras Two Rainbow Fish Two Zebra Danios Two Guppies

Close of Term 2

Good day parents and students,

I trust and hope that you are you enjoying your time off and your extended weekend!  As we reflect and consider what skills we have covered during term two, some include graphing on a coordinate plane, graphing rational numbers on number/vertical lines, evaluating/translating expressions, negative and positive numbers, as well as other skills.  Overall you should be very proud with our progress!

As we move forward into term three, we will continue to complete weekly MSA Packets, strengthen our understanding with the sixth grade curriculum, and reinforce integrating math tasks into our weekly discussions in class.  Continue working hard and I know that we will have a fun, exciting, and motivating term three.

See you ready to learn on Thursday!!

~ Mr. Hinson

2nd Week of November - Math Task

TEST SCORES

Below is a report on the most recent math test given to 6th grade students at East County Middle School.

Test Results          Passed Test
Mr. Shultz               5/6 of the students
Mrs. Harper            84% of the students
Mrs. Shoemaker     7/8 of the students
Mr. Toms                0.8 of the students

How can you represent and compare the results for each teacher?

What steps could you take to determine which teacher had the most students pass the test?  Explain your findings and process...

Close of Term 1

Good evening,

After some hard work and dedication, we have completed our first term in sixth grade math.  Some of the skills that we have covered up to this point include:  review of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of decimal operations, application of word problems, and addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions and mixed numbers.  As we transition into term 2, please make sure to review and check pinnacle with your child to remain current with their math grades.  As always, thanks for all that you do to help your child be successful in math!  Enjoy your night and week.

Mr. Hinson

Math Task

Here is the math task we will be completing in class later this week... Enjoy!! 
~ Mr. Hinson

Yesterday, Jasmine bought a bag of pretzels to share with her friends.  However, by the time she got home from the store she had eaten ¼ of the pretzels.  As she was putting the groceries away, she ate ½ of what was left.  There are now 6 pretzels left in the bag. 

How many pretzels were in the bag to begin with?

What steps did you take to solve this problem?

4th Week of October

Parents and students,

Thank you to all the parents and students that came out to the second day of parent/teacher conferences last Thursday.  I enjoyed speaking with you regarding your child and welcome your feedback and support as we move forward over the course of this school year!!  A big thank you also goes out to students that are keeping up with their grades, regularly checking pinnacle, making corrections to their quizzes, and asking to complete missing/late work both before and after-school.  Keep up the great work!!

As students already know, we are working hard through our fractions and mixed numbers unit... currently focusing on division of fractions and mixed numbers.  By the end of the week, we will be adding and subtracting fractions.  Stay focused as we wrap up this unit by the first week of November!!

Enjoy your week and remember about our 6th grade field trip on Friday!!

~ Mr. Hinson

2nd Week of October

Good afternoon parents and students,

A big thank you goes out to the students for working hard during ELT time and tutoring time as students worked diligently understanding their math errors and mistakes from the unit one test.  Almost all the retesting for unit 1 has been completed and these scores have been updated in pinnacle.  Also, term one interims went home with students today... please be on the look out for them.  Finally, the decimals unit test will be tomorrow in class (on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals including word problems).  Make sure your child has reviewed their study guides and they are ready for the test.

Later this week we will begin our new unit on fractions and mixed numbers.  Expect a math task to be posted by the end of the week!!

Thank you for all that you do and enjoy the fall temperatures!
Mr. Hinson

Fourth week of September

Good day parents and students,

Thank you to all parents and students that came out on Friday to parent/teacher conferences.  It was very nice to sit down and speak with you regarding your child.  I look forward to the second day of conferences on October 18th.  In case you do not already know, we have started a new unit on decimal operations (add, subtract, multiply, and divide).  This unit will be completed around October 9th.  To celebrate this unit, please review the math task attached to this post.

Good luck!!
Mr. Hinson

The Road Taken

Your family has decided to go to a Ravens game at M&T Bank Stadium.  You live in Columbia, and you are discussing the best route to take to get to the stadium.  You have researched three possible routes in order to choose the best route to take.

(Provide three maps – each showing one route)

Route #1:

Columbia through Ellicott City – 8.3 miles (10 minutes) + Ellicott City to Catonsville – 7.6 miles (14 minutes) + Catonsville to Lansdowne – 5.8 miles (11 minutes) + Lansdowne to M&T Bank Stadium – 4.5 miles (9 minutes) = _____ miles and _____ minutes

Route #2:

Columbia through Jessup – 10.2 miles (15 minutes) + Jessup to Linthicum – 10.4 miles (15 minutes) + 6.3 miles (10 minutes) =  _____ miles and _____ minutes

Route #3:

Columbia through Linwood – 7.6 miles (10 minutes) + Linwood to Catonsville - 7.6 miles (11 minutes) + Catonsville to Halethorpe – 7.6 miles (10 minutes) + 5.3 miles (9 minutes) = _____ miles and _____ minutes

Determine the total distance and time traveled.  Take into account any and all factors that may influence your decision.