Webb Bridge Middle School
Common Core Georgia Performance Standards
Math 8 Accelerated
2012 - 2013
Exemplifying Excellence Every Day!
Robert A. Swanson
Textbooks:
Georgia Mathematics Course 3; Pearson Prentice Hall; 2008
Replacement cost: current price
Course Description / Objectives:
Common Core Georgia Performance Standards Math 8 Accelerated consists of seven units.
1. Transformations, Congruence, and Similarity
Students use ideas about distance and angles, how they behave under translations, rotations,
reflections, and dilations, and ideas about congruence and similarity to describe and analyze twodimensional figures and to solve problems.
2. Exponents and Equations
Students build upon their work with whole-number exponents in Grades 5 and 6, by extending the
properties of exponents to include rational and irrational numbers, including numbers in scientific
notation. Students strategically choose and efficiently implement procedures to solve linear
equations in one variable, understanding that when they use the properties of equality and the
concept of logical equivalence, they maintain the solutions of the original equation. Students also use
linear equations to represent, analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
3. Geometric Applications of Exponents
Students understand the statement of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse, and can explain
why the Pythagorean Theorem holds, for example, by decomposing a square in two different ways.
They apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find distances between points on the coordinate plane, to
find lengths, and to analyze polygons. Students complete their work on volume by solving problems
involving cones, cylinders, and spheres. Working with equations such as x2 = 2 and in geometric
contexts such as the Pythagorean theorem, students enlarge their concept of numbers beyond the
system of rational to include irrational numbers. They represent these numbers with radical
expressions and approximate these as rational numbers (i.e non-terminating decimals).
4. Functions
In grade 6, students plotted points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane. They also
represented and analyzed quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables.
In Grade 7, students decided whether two quantities are in a proportional relationship. In Grade 8,
students begin to call relationships functions when each input is assigned to exactly one output. Also,
in Grade 8, students learn that proportional relationships are part of a broader group of linear
functions, and they are able to identify whether a relationship is linear. Nonlinear functions are
included for comparison. Later, in high school, students use function notation and are able to identify
types of nonlinear functions.
5. Linear Functions
In grade 8, students build on their work with unit rates from 6th grade and proportional relationships
in 7th grade to compare graphs, tables and equations of proportional relationships. Students identify
the unit rate (or slope). Students understand the unit rate informally as a measure of the steepness
of the related line (slope) in graphs, tables and equations as they compare two or more proportional
relationships. They distinguish proportional relationships from other relationships. As they move
towards an understanding of the idea of a function, they begin to tie together ideas about expressions
in one variable, equations in two variables, and numerical and graphical representations of solutions
to these equations.
6. Linear Models and Tables
Building on the study of statistics using univariate data in Grades 6 and 7, students are now ready to
study bivariate data. Students will extend their descriptions and understanding of variation to the
graphical displays of bivariate data.
In Grade 8, students focus on linear equations and functions. Nonlinear functions are used for
comparison.
7. Solving Systems of Equations
In Grade 6, students applied the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions, and
identified when two expressions are equivalent. This cluster extends understanding to the process of
solving equations and to their solutions, building on the fact that solutions maintain equality, and that
equations may have only one solution, many solutions, or no solution at all. Equations with many
solutions may be as simple as 3x = 3x, 3x + 5 = x + 2 + x + x + 3, or 6x + 4x = x(6 + 4), where both sides
of the equation are equivalent once each side is simplified.
Course Outline
First Semester
1. Similarity
2. Exponents and equations
3. Geometric applications of exponents
4. Functions
Second Semester
5. Linear functions
6. Linear models and tables
7. Solving systems of equations
Teacher / Parent Communication:
Email - is the most efficient way to contact teachers
Conferences – may be scheduled based on each student’s needs
Interim Report Cards – come home every 4 ½ weeks
Home Access Center – please check frequently for your child’s progress and always
provide us with your current email address
My email is [email protected] and I update my web site daily to inform
students and parents of upcoming work and due dates.
Please ensure you are also registered for the Home Access Center (HAC) so you can
View your child’s grades. Teachers will post grades in TAC within 2 weeks of test dates
or project / assignment due dates
Grading Weights:
Summative: Tests and Projects – 55%
Formative: Quizzes, Class Work, and Home Work – 45%
WBMS Re-Assessment Procedure: Grades reflect what students know and have
learned. If a student is failing, they are not learning. All students will be able to
participate in a re-assessment of summative assignments in an effort to make sure all
students are learning. Students need to participate in a re-teaching activity along with a
re-learning activity to make sure the student understands the material. Teachers will offer
re-teaching during advisement or help sessions. Teachers will document the re-teaching
and re-learning activity along with the new summative grade. General education students
scoring below 73 (Advanced and TAG 79 and below) are required to take a reassessment. General education students scoring 74 and above (Advanced and TAG 80
and above) have the option to take a re-assessment for a better grade. The re-learning
activity and re-teaching activity must take place prior to the summative re-assessment.
Help Sessions:
Extra Assistance is available before school on Thursday morning from 8:00 AM until dismissal
to class with 24 hours advance notice.
Absence Make-Up Procedure:
Upon returning to school following an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the
teacher to request make-up work. Make-up work must be completed by the student within the
time specified by the teacher. At WBMS, students will be given the same amount of time to
make-up the work as the student was absent unless other arrangements are mutually agreed upon.
The student will receive the actual grade on the make-up work if the absence was “excused”.
Academic Dishonesty:
Cheating or plagiarism in any form is not accepted. An office referral will be made for this type
of behavior.
Probation for Gifted Services:
Students failing to meet the Continuation Criteria are automatically placed on probation.
Probation may last as little as one grading period, but nor more than one school year. Parents
must be notified in writing when a student is placed on probation. A written plan explaining how
a student can be removed from probationary status must be included in the notification to the
parent and student. In placing a student on probation, it should be considered that unsatisfactory
performance in a content area of service would be documented with a grade of < 80%.
Classroom Procedures and Expectations:
1. Show respect for himself/herself, others, and property
2. Follow school rules and guidelines
3. Be on time and be prepared for class everyday
4. Keep classroom neat
5. Accept responsibility for his/her actions