What's Going On? September 28-October 2

Great Northstar Spirit!

During Homecoming week it was great to see students show so much school spirit!  Students really got into the different themes for the week. Hopefully we can see this enthusiasm for North will continue well beyond Homecoming week!

Unit 1 Test Retakes

This is just a reminder that if a student in eligible and interested in a test retake, the retake must be completed by Monday.  To be eligible for a test retake, students must complete the following:

• All homework for unit 1 must have been completed before the test
• Corrections were made on the original assessment
• Completed the extra practice for the section(s) the student would like to retake
• Retake the test by Monday (1 week of receiving the original results)

Please note that the retake grade will be entered into Infinite Campus even if the score is lower than the original assessment.

Reasoning and Proof

This week we will be finishing up our second unit on Reasoning and Proof.  In this unit we have talked about the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning.  We have worked with conditional statements, indirect proof, Algebraic proof, and started working with Geometric proof.  On Monday we will continue to practice two column Geometry proofs.  We will then review and take our second unit assessment.  Students in first and second period classes will have their test on Wednesday.  Students in the fourth period class will have their test on Thursday.

What's Going On? September 21st-25th

This week in Honors Geometry we will begin our second unit on "Reasoning and Proof". Students will be introduced to logic statements and learn the basis for forming a logical argument. In this unit, students will also be introduced to two-column proofs.  We will connect this new topic to something students learned in Algebra: solving equations.  Students will learn about two column proof by justifying each of their steps in solving a basic Algebra equation.  Once students have a firm grasp on this, we will then apply our knowledge of two-column proof to Geometry.

Last week, students completed our first summative assessment on the Basics of Geometry.  If a student is not happy with their grade, he or she may choose to retake one or both learning targets on the assessment provided that all of their homework assignments were completed prior to the start of our test.  If a student is interested in a test retake, they must following the following procedure:

1. Make an appointment with Mrs. Kamenar before school, during lunch, or during class work time to correct the mistakes made on the original assessment.
2. Let Mrs. Kamenar know which learning targets you would like to retake. Mrs. Kamenar will then send personalized extra practice to help reinforce the concepts missed.
3. Students must complete their retake within one week of receiving the results of the original assessment. Please note that the score of the second assessment will be recorded in Infinite Campus, even if the retake score is lower than the first.

Please see me if you have any questions!

What's Going On? September 14th-18th

Welcome to the first full week of school!  This week we'll be finishing up our first unit that introduces students to the Basics of Geometry.  We will start the week by discussing how the coordinate plane connects to Geometry.  We'll investigate the concepts of "midpoint" and "distance" and talk about how they connect to Geometry and the coordinate plane.  We will also talk about the properties of polygons that will serve as a foundation for a lot of work that we will do throughout the course.

We will spend a day of class reviewing and preparing for our first summative assessment which will occur on the last class period of the week this week.  I would like to take this time to remind students about the retake policy for this course.

Students must have all of their homework for the unit completed by the day of our summative assessment.  You can view the homework schedule here.  If all work is completed before the summative, students can be eligible for a test retake.  

If a student takes the test and is not happy with the outcome, here are the steps that must be taken:  

1. The student will make an appointment with Mrs. Kamenar before school or during lunch to make corrections on the original assessment.  
2. Students will let Mrs. Kamenar which section or sections they would like to retake.  Mrs. Kamenar will email the student with personalized extra practice to help prepare for the retake.
3. Retakes must be completed within one week of receiving the results of the initial assessment.

Please note that the score of the retake assessment will be entered into Infinite Campus, even if the retake score is a lower score.

What's Going On? September 8th - 11th

The Basics of Geometry

This week in Honors Geometry we'll continue our study on the basics of geometry.  We'll continue to talk about consistent naming conventions. Last week we talked about the way to correctly name and label points, lines, and planes.  This week we'll take a look at how to indicate relationships between geometric objects, such as how to label M as the midpoint of AB.

We will have our first "formal" formative this week in order to make sure that everyone is starting the semester on the right foot.  Our formative will cover the following learning targets:

• 1a: I can precisely define geometric terms
• 3a: I can apply the segment and angle addition postulates

In order to help students prepare for this assessment, a review and answer key have been posted to our BlackBoard class website.

This week we will also take a look at Geometric construction.  Students will need to bring a compass and ruler in order to participate in class.  We'll take a hands-on approach to precisely constructing angles, perpendicular bisectors, and a few more.