Variables

Our two 7^th graders and one 5^th grader have taken a journey into pre-algebra this year.  This class has been called Variables all year, but we have explored so much more than just variables.  One thing that is constant is that there is often an “unknown” or “x” in most of our work, so the name “Variables” has stuck!  Even when working on fractions, proportions and ratios, we’ve substituted an “x” for the place where you might originally have seen a box in younger student’s math books.  These three students have added, subtracted, multiplied and divided positive and negative numbers and are currently working on a memory game that practices these skills.  They have explored relations and functions graphically as well as in table form, have examined tables to figure out the function being performed on the x to get the y and been solving for x in equations and inequalities.  We are constantly being tested as we solve these problems to see if order of operations really does make a difference – yes it does!  We’ve also worked on our math vocabulary and worked on honing our math skills all around.  We’ll finish out this year with some statistics and a review of what we’ve worked on this year.