What's Going On? October 19th-23rd

Practice ACT

Last week we took a shortened version of a math ACT practice test.  This test was made up of 36 questions related to Algebra and Geometry and will serve as our baseline data for the year.  Some of the concepts have been learned already, and others will be taught in the future.  I have analyzed the results from this practice test and found that the class average score was about 22 out of 36.  I have picked out the 14 most commonly missed questions.  The plan is to use ACT-style questions as a warm up question during the week so that we can brush up on our Algebra skills and also prepare for a high-stakes standardized assessment.  By practicing these skills on a weekly basis, we should see some growth on the benchmark assessments that we will take in January and again in April.  Ultimately, this should help us prepare for the ACT test that students take during their Junior year.

Parallel Lines

We have been working hard on crafting our two-column proofs and I think we're starting to get the hang of it.  We have also made the connection between coordinate geometry and parallel lines by writing equations of parallel and perpendicular lines.  This week we will finish up our unit on parallel lines.  Typically we explore Euclidean geometry in this class, but this week we will explore a little bit of spherical geometry.  Students will learn about "lines" in spherical geometry which look more like circles.  We will then review for our summative assessment which will occur on Wednesday for 1st and 2nd period and on Thursday for 4th period.

If you have any questions, PLEASE ASK!  I am here to help!

What's Going On? October 12-16th

Reasoning and Proof

Last week we finished our second unit on "Reasoning and Proof".  This unit introduced students to the art of creating a proof.  We will continue to build on this concept throughout the semester.  If you have questions, please get them answered ASAP!  We need to build a good foundation for proof because we will be expanding on it all semester.

Just a reminder, if you are interested in a test retake for our second unit you must complete it by Wednesday.  In order to be eligible for a retake, you must following complete the following:

• Complete all formative work before the day of the summative assessment
• Make corrections on your original assessment
• Let Mrs. Kamenar know which section(s) you would like to retake. 
• Complete the extra practice
• Retake the test by the due date

Please note that the score of the retake will be entered into Infinite Campus even if the score is lower than the original assessment.  If you have questions, PLEASE ASK! I am here to help.

Parallel Lines

At the end of last week we started our third unit on parallel lines.  We talked about angle relationships that exist when we know we're dealing with parallel lines.  We also talked about how we can prove that two lines are parallel.  This week we will start the week with a practice ACT.  We will take a shortened version of the math portion of the ACT: 36 questions in 36 minutes.  We will use this baseline assessment to determine what we need to focus on in order to prepare you for your ACT during your junior year.  I know it seems like a long way off, but junior year will be here before you know it!

On Tuesday we will take a formative assessment that covers our new knowledge of angle relationships.  We will spend the first half of class reviewing and then take the formative during the second half of class.

Later in the week we will review some important Algebra concepts: including slope and writing equations for lines.  We will then connect this to Geometry by discussing equations for parallel and perpendicular lines.

What's Going On? October 5th-9th

Reasoning and Proof

It looks like we weren't quite ready for our second unit summative assessment on "Reasoning and Proof" so I decided to push it back a bit.  We will continue to review geometric proof on Monday and then students should be prepared for our summative assessment on Tuesday (1st and 2nd period classes) or Wednesday (4th period class).  Students must have all of their formative assignments completed before the test in order to be considered retake eligible.  Please check Infinite Campus to make sure that you are up to date with all of your assignments.

As you prepare for your summative assessment, please check out the video library created by students in first and second period.  They created videos to go along with a lot of the content and some sample problems for the unit.  You can check out the shared document on our BlackBoard class site.

Once we complete the second unit summative assessment we will move onto our third unit: "Parallel Lines".  Students will continue to study two-column proof and learn how to craft a logical argument.  Students will also learn more about special angle relationships that exist when two parallel lines are cut by a transversal.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  If you would like some extra assistance in the morning I am available most days.  Please let me know when I can expect you.

Have a great week!

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.