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Narayanswamy - Consumer Math (Section Mon 6)

Instructor
Mrs. Usha Narayanswamy
Department
Mathematics
Terms
2019-2020 School Year


Assignment Calendar

Course Description

 

Class Title:

Consumer Math

Code:

MMA170

Text:

Various Resources

Rating:

1

Prerequisite:

Completion of 5th-grade math or higher

Grade:

6­-8

Fees:

None

Max:

15

Can be repeated? Yes

Description: This course will provide students with the essential financial knowledge they need to manage their money. Students will learn basic money counting skills, percentages, saving, money sense (how far your money will go) and work as a class to run a school store. Through running the school store, students will learn to manage inventory, set marketable prices, and provide great customer service. Profits from the school store are given to a charity chosen by the students in the class.

Posts

Week 6 of Classes: Monday, Sept 30

Dear APEX students and parents,
 
Happy Fall! Hope you are enjoying these beautiful warm days with just a touch of coolness to remind us that summer is ending!
 
Here's a summary of today's classes and the homework assigned for the week:
 
We had a fire drill today. Everything went smoothly! 
 
Algebra 1: Students learned to use order of operations in reverse to solve algebraic equations with two operations (also known as two-step equations).
 
Reminder: An in-class quiz on Wednesday!
Homework to be assigned on Wednesday
 
 
Precalculus/Trigonometry: We reviewed the factor theorem, the reminder theorem and the rational zeros theorem and tried a few problems to reinforce these concepts. We started talking about polynomial functions that have zeros of multiplicity. More about them on Wednesday!
 
Homework  to be assigned on Wednesday
 
 
Pre-algebra: Students took the 10s multiplication facts quiz. We reviewed mixed numbers and how to convert improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa. Students learned to multiply and divide fractions as well as fractions and whole numbers. We started a new chapter on decimals and learned that fractions such as 1/2, 1/5, 1/4, and 1/8 can be converted to tens, hundredths and thousandths so they can fit in the place value system.
 
Homework assigned (see the homework post)
 
 
Consumer Math: Students worked on the shopping spree activity. If you still have a few items to buy, please complete the activity at home. We will wrap up the activity with a final discussion next week.
 
Homework: None other than what's mentioned above
 
 
Puzzle of the week #45: The 5th puzzle of the week is posted. The answer to the fourth puzzle of the week will be posted on Friday.
 
Any questions or concerns? Please email me or see me in person.
 
Thanks
Mrs. Narayanswamy

Solution to Puzzle of the week #3

Wow! That was one challenging problem!!
 
Kudos to all the students (and family members!) who tried this one!!
 
Check out the solution. The one student who got the answer right was Jerry Sittler. Congratulations Jerry! Please stop by next week to get your prize.
 
I decided we all need a little break from challenging puzzles. So have fun trying the KenKens. The instructions are given with the puzzles. You need to get both KenKens to enter for the raffle!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. N

Week 5 of Classes: Monday, Sept 23

Dear APEX students and parents,
 
Here's a summary of today's classes and the homework assigned for the week:
 
Algebra 1: Integers were introduced in one-step algebraic equations.
Homework will be posted on Wed.
 
Pre-calculus/Trig: We continued our discussion of polynomial functions. We explored monomials and the two specific types of graphs we get for them. We also started discussing more complex polynomials of higher degrees.
Homework will be posted on Wed.
 
Pre-algebra: Students took the 5s multiplication facts quiz. We discussed factoring and canceling of fractions as a means to reduce them. Students learned to add and subtract fractions. The concept of lowest common denominators (or least common multiples) was introduced. We briefly talked about changing improper fractions to mixed numbers. More about mixed numbers next week! 
Homework assigned (see the homework post)
 
Consumer Math: We reviewed the concept of unit pricing. Students learned how to use percents in basic ways to compute discount prices. They started a fun online shopping spree activity to test their ability to calculate discounts and spend judicially. 
Homework: assigned (see the homework post)
 
Puzzle of the week #4: The 4th puzzle of the week is posted. The answer to the third puzzle of the week will be shared online on Friday. 
 
Parents, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send me an email. Encourage your students who are taking a high school math class or studying for a standardized test such as SAT or ACT to stop by during math lab for any help they may need.
 
Thanks
Mrs. Narayanswamy

Soluton to 2nd Puzzle of the Week

Solution to last week's puzzle is posted. 
 
It's wonderful to see students trying these challenging puzzles. Several students attempted the 2nd puzzle and three students got the solution right. Great job everybody! The winner of this week's raffle for the correct solution is Andrew Cunningham! Congrats Andrew!
 
If parents or siblings are working with students on solving these puzzles, that is awesome! To make sure that the students are understanding how these problems are getting solved, I want the students submitting the solutions to these puzzles to be able to explain the process to me. Show your work and when you stop by to pick a treat, tell me how you solved it!
 
Enjoy this week's puzzle! See if you can find my ID!!
 
Mrs. N
 
 

Week 4 of Classes: Monday Sept 16

Dear APEX students and parents,
 
Here's a summary of today's classes and the homework assigned for the week:
 
Algebra 1: We started a review of negative numbers. We will wrap up the basics of integers and how to manipulate them on Wednesday
Homework will be posted on Wed.
 
Pre-calculus/Trig: We went over a few homework problems. Then started a short unit on quadratic functions. y-intercepts and x-intercepts were reviewed and students revisited different ways to factor quadratic equations to solve for the x-intercepts
Homework will be posted on Wed.
 
Pre-algebra: Students took the 2s multiplication facts quiz. Then they took a vocabulary quiz. Please remember to keep reviewing the vocabulary we learn each week. They are an integral part of math and helps students to understand problems and know how to solve them.
 
We wrapped up the first chapter by discussing different visibility rules for numbers. We started a new unit on fractions. Students learned what they mean, how to find equivalent fractions, compare them and reduce fractions by dividing the numerator and denominator of a fraction by a common factor.
Homework assigned (see the homework post)
 
Consumer Math: Students shared their short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. We discussed the importance of hard work, perseverance, and financial know-how to achieve these goals. One way to use our money effectively is find the better buy when we go shopping. We started on the concept of calculating unit price of items we want to buy in order to compare similar products and figure out the better buys. We will complete this discussion on unit prices next week.
Homework: None (but remember to bring grocery store flyers if you forgot them today!)
 
Puzzle of the week #3: The 3rd puzzle of the week is posted. The answer to the second puzzle of the week will be shared online on Friday. Please note that the puzzles are always optional but a fun way to be exposed to interesting and challenging problems and learn ways to solve them!
 
Parents, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send me an email. Encourage your student who is taking a high school math class to stop by during math lab for any help they may need with what they are learning in class.
 
Thanks
Mrs. Narayanswamy

Puzzle of the Week # 1 Winner!

Hello Folks,
 
Several students attempted the 1st Puzzle of the Week! Four of them found the right solution to the main question. Of the four students, Mr. Barry Young pulled the name of Owen Weekley as the winner of this POW!!
 
Kudos to all students who attempted POW#1!! And Congratulations to all who got the main problem right!! You are all winner for trying this challenging problem. Students who participated, please stop by my desk next week during your lunch break to get a treat and Owen, come by to pick a prize!!
 
Hope to see many more students participating in POW#2 :-)
 
Happy Weekend!
Mrs. Narayanswamy

Week 3 of Classes

Dear APEX students and parents,
 
Here's a summary of today's classes and the homework assigned for the week:
 
Pre-algebra: Students took a pre-assessment of 1-12 multiplication facts. Then we reviewed addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers. Students should read lesson 5 on divisibility rules for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. We will go over these rules in class next week. Several vocabulary words were introduced (check homework file for details). Homework assigned (see the homework post)
 
Consumer Math: We played the game "How to really be a millionaire" and learned several interesting facts about millionaires.
Homework: Bring a grocery store flyer from the grocery store where your family shops.
 
Algebra-1 : Homework to be assigned on Wednesday
 
Pre-calculus/Trigonometry: Homework to be assigned on Wednesday
 
Puzzle of the week: Every week, I will be posting a puzzle both on my classroom wall and online. Any student who loves solving puzzles is welcome to try solving the puzzle of the week. Students should work on their own or seek their siblings' or parents' help but not search for answers online! Bring your answer the following week for submission. I will randomly draw out the name of one student each week from among all the students who get the correct answer. The lucky draw will win a prize!
 
Have a great rest of your week. See you next week (this Wed for Algebra 1 and Precalc/Trig students)!
 
Thanks
Mrs. Narayanswamy

1st Week of Classes: Aug 26

Hello APEX Students and families,
 
Welcome to a new academic year at APEX! Hope our year together will be fun and filled with learning!!
 
As we go through the year, learning different things, please know that I am here to help you with any concepts that you are not clear about. Parents, if there are ever any questions or concerns you may have through the year, please do not hesitate to send me an email.
 
If your student was absent during last week's orientation day, please note that my welcome letters, with all the class details, are loaded on my website. 
 
If you haven't already done so, do subscribe to the class(es) you (if you are a student)  or your children (if you are a parent) are taking with me. Homework for all my classes will be posted on my website.
 
Most of our classes today did a welcome "get-to-know each other" activity. Pre-algebra and Pre-calculus/Trig class started on some of the basic content for the class.
 
The consumer math class started a game of "How to really be a millionaire". We will finish the game in 2 weeks when we meet again. No classes next Monday for Labor Day!
 
Algebra 1 and Precalculus/Trig students, we will jump right into our lessons on Wednesday. As I mentioned in class today, homework will be assigned every Wednesday and will be due the following Wednesday.
 
That's it for now. Thank you!
 
Mrs. Narayanswamy