From: 	Ronald Brown
Sent: 	Wednesday, January 12, 2005 9:21 AM
Subject: 	Algebra Mid-Year, etc.

Algebra Parents:

Today I am giving back the quiz that the class took on Monday. I
 recommend that you ask your children to see the quiz to see how they
 did. I have been struggling to get them to take notes. The front page
 of the quiz was a for the to simply write the steps of the procedure
 we have learned from their notes (the quiz was open notebook). Most of
 them did well on this indicating that they are taking notes now. The
 back page of the quiz was an application of the procedure to a
 problem. The results on the back page were varied. My only suggestion
 is that if your child does not understand homework problems they
 should come for extra help. I am available after-school for extra help
 on a "drop-in" basis on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Extra help is
 available at other times (e.g., mornings, free periods, etc) on an
 appointment basis. We will be taking another quiz tomorrow (Thursday)
 on the next section (7.3).

Also today I am giving the students a handout on the mid-year exam.
 Here is what it says:

Algebra Mid-Year Exam
=====================
All math mid-year exams, including our Algebra one, are scheduled for
 Monday January 24th from 8 AM to 10 AM. 

The exam consists of:
·	70 multiple choice questions worth 1 point each
·	3 multi-part open-ended questions worth 10 points each.

You may use a calculator and a ruler for the exam. I only have 20
 calculators that I will give out on a first-come first-serve basis the
 morning of the exam. There are 72 students in my 3 algebra classes so
 you should not count on borrowing a calculator from me. You should
 bring your own. However, there is no part of the exam that requires a
 calculator.  I have no rulers to lend out - you must bring your own.
 No notes are allowed. 

Anything that we have covered the first half of the year may be on the
 exam. The topics include (but are not limited to):
·	evaluating arithmetic expressions including order of operations and absolute value
·	identifying types of numbers (integers, rational, etc)
·	rounding decimal numbers
·	evaluating algebraic expressions given values of variables
·	simplifying algebraic expressions using distributive property and combining like terms
·	translating words to arithmetic expressions, algebraic expressions and algebraic equations
·	Solving equations with one variable
·	Solving inequalities with one variable
·	Solving absolute value equations
·	Graphing numbers on the number line and points on a Cartesian grid
·	Graphing linear equations and absolute value equations
·	Identifying slope, y-intercept and x-intercept given a linear equation
·	Find the slope given two points that a line passes through
·	Write the equation of a line given the slope and y-intercept
·	Write the equation of a line given the graph of the line
·	Be able to work with 3 forms of linear equation - standard, slope-intercept and point-slope
·	Be able to apply skills to application (word) problems

My recommendation for studying are the following:
·	review old tests and quizzes
·	review notes
·	sample tests and review problems from Larson


If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Mr. Brown