Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions
of students and parents.
- How are grades determined in Mr. Hansen's math classes?
- Why are graphing spiral notebooks used in Mr. Hansen's math classes?
- What is Mr. Hansen's philosophy about teaching mathematics?
- Will using a calculator in mathematics class hinder my child's ability to do math?
- What are Mr. Hansen's goals for students?
- How can I help my child be a better math student?
- What should my child do if they are absent or need to check about an assignment?
- What if my child is having troubles with math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)?
- What is the math curriculum for 2010-2011?
How are grades determined in Mr. Hansen's math classes?
Homework checks, homework quizzes, and materials checks will
account for 50% of your child’s grade.
Homework checks are designed to insure that students have
organized and completed homework. When I make homework checks,
I’m looking for correct assignment headings and completed work.
Organization and completion are critical skills for middle
school students to begin to master. Every assignment must be
completed in a spiral math notebook. The completed work is not
graded on how many the students get right or wrong. I want
students to understand that we learn from making errors and
correcting them. Every assignment must be fully corrected in
class by your child. After all, they did the work and know the
thinking they put in to every answer. I just want students to
make the best effort they can in completing and correcting every
problem that’s assigned.
If a student is absent, it is the responsibility of the student
to discover what they missed, complete the work, and correct
it. Being absent is not an excuse for not keeping up with what
is being learned. I am always around before and after school to
help students with any work they have missed.
Homework quizzes are given to insure that students have
completed, corrected, and organized math assignments. These
quizzes are simple and usually given one or two times during
every unit. On every homework quiz, I will give each student 10
problems to look up in their math notebook. All they have to do
is find the indicated problems and copy their work on the quiz.
This system requires that every assignment is in the math
notebook, correctly headed, completed, and fully corrected.
This is just one more way to motivate the development of
critical study skills in math.
Materials checks are made to insure that students can be
successful in class everyday. I require that the math textbook,
math notebook, calculator, pencil, agenda, and SSR book are
always present in class.
Tests and problem solving will account for the other 50% of your
child’s grade.
Tests will happen at the end of every unit of study. We will
thoroughly review before every test. We will then thoroughly
review the results of every test. I don’t believe that tests
are an end in themselves. I believe that students should be
able to use a test as another learning experience. In general,
to accommodate that, I provide the opportunity for students to
retake tests before and after school on days specified by me.
The final test grade is based on the requirements of the current
trimester and varies a little with each math level that I
teach. This will be fully explained to each class.
I understand how busy students can be with outside activities.
If there is a personal reason to schedule a different time for a
retake test, I’m more than happy to do that.
Problem solving is required by the state of Oregon to
demonstrate that your child posses the skills to solve and
communicate answers to complex math problems. We will take time
in class to review the process of problem solving and scoring
before any problems are assigned.
It has been my experience that every child that makes a full
effort in every graded area of my math classes will learn and
progress. I am very fair with grades. When students complete
trimesters in my classes, they know that I have not given them
their grades. They know that they have earned them.
Why are graphing spiral notebooks used in Mr. Hansen's math classes?
This year, in math, I am requiring every student to use a spiral
graph notebook. My experience has shown that these notebooks
work the best for an integrated approach to math by providing
the kind of paper that will work for every math concept and by
providing a means for organization that is very simple.
I have a full team supply of these spirals and I will sell them
to students at my cost of $2.50 (my cost). Often these spiral
notebooks become hard to find later in the year. I will keep a
supply for my students to purchase when they need a new one. I
thought this would be easier than having you make multiple trips
to the store.
What is Mr. Hansen's philosophy about teaching mathematics?
We are all involved in a program called “No Child Left
Behind.” The goal of this program is for all students to learn
and achieve at set standards. This achievement is determined
through testing. I feel this is a limited way of assessing
student achievement. Testing, by itself, is not an adequate
means of assessing student achievement in math. There are so
many more ways to assess and motivate students than through
testing.
My goal is to teach students to think mathematically.
This will take many forms of instruction from the concrete to
the abstract, from pencil and paper to pure mental mathematics,
and from simple arithmetic to complex problem solving. Within
each of these methods of instruction I will assess students,
responding to their needs to become better mathematical
thinkers.
The mind of an adolescent is full of imagination and
curiosity. The world of mathematics is full of logic and
reason. The beauty and delight of teaching middle school
mathematics is allowing students to learn that mathematics is
also filled with imagination and curiosity that requires logical
thinking. To reason logically requires organization,
application, completion, and reflection. My students will use
these skills every day with everything they do in class.
Again, my ultimate goal is for students to become
mathematical thinkers, not just math test takers. Life is not a
series of multiple-choice tests. Life is an adventure filled
with problems to be solved and opportunities to be fulfilled.
Will using a calculator in mathematics class hinder my child's ability to do math?
You probably would not solve a division or percent problem
without using a calculator. Many areas of mathematics can be
explored using calculators. However, children must learn
several methods of computation such as mental (including
estimation), manual (paper and pencil), calculator, and
computer. They also need to be able to choose the appropriate
method of calculation in solving different problems. Generally,
more complex problems, with greater quantities of data, become
more easily solved using a calculator. Students can them solve
more problems, but, more importantly, problems of a more
realistic nature.
What are Mr. Hansen's goals for students?
Develop mathematical knowledge, understanding, and skills
Develop the capacity to define and solve problems with reason,
insight, and proficiency
Develop connections among mathematical ideas and concepts
Develop connections between mathematics and other disciplines
My instructional practices and the ways in which students engage
in mathematics, supports these goals.
How can I help my child be a better math student?
In helping your child to learn, at school and at home, the goal
should be to assist them in figuring out as much as they can for
themselves. Good questions and good listening will help make
sense of mathematics, build self-confidence, and encourage
mathematical thinking. Here are some questions we can use
together to guide your child’s thinking:
Getting Started
What do you need to find out?
What do you need to know?
What terms do you understand or not understand?
Have you solved similar problems that would help?
Let’s look at your notebook.
Working on a Problem
How can you organize the information?
Do you see any patterns or relationships that will help
solve this?
Can you describe a strategy you can use to solve this?
Can you make a drawing to explain your thinking?
What would happen if …?
Reflecting on a Solution
Has the question been answered?
How do you know that your solution works?
How can you prove to me that your solution works?
Clarifying and Extending Thinking
Help me understand this part …
Can you explain it to me in a different way?
Is there another way to do it?
How does this connect to other ideas you have learned?
Two of the key components to academic success are parent support
and student organization.
Take an interest in the day’s math lesson. Encourage your child
to persist when the work becomes difficult and not to expect
adults to do the work. Reward your child with praise for
attempting difficult work.
Find a quiet study place. This place should have a dedicated
time for study on a regular basis. “Is this a place and time
when my child will be most productive and not easily
disturbed?” And, always have extra math materials available for
use.
Promote the classroom system of writing down assignments by
checking your child’s table of contents and on the assignment
page in his/her math notebook. There should always be an
assignment number, date, and assignment detail in both places in
the math notebook.
Review the in-class work that your child has done in his/her
notebook. Help your child develop a system for writing down
notes and in-class work. This is taught in class, so it may
just be a matter of seeing if your child is properly using
his/her notebook.
Frequently check power school with you child to review current
math progress.
Encourage and expect your child to get work done on time, to
stay caught up, to get help in a timely manner, and to fully
correct assignments. You may want to go over incorrect work or
incomplete work and talk about how the work can be improved.
What should my child do if they are absent or need to check about an assignment?
If a student has been absent, or merely wants to check on any
assignment, they may use my teacher web site, the weekly
assignment board in the classroom, or the assignment notebook.
These three sources are always kept up to date. It is the
responsibility of a student who has been absent to find out what
assignments have been missed, to complete them, and to correct
them.
What if my child is having troubles with math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)?
It is generally expected that middle school students know whole
number addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If
your child is not proficient with these basic skills, please get
involved and have them master them as soon as possible.
What is the math curriculum for 2010-2011?
2010-2011 Math Curriculums
Based on the Oregon Core Math Standards
7th Grade
1. Number and Operations and Algebra:
Develop an understanding of operations on all rational numbers
and solving linear equations.
2. Number and operations, Algebra and Geometry:
Develop and understanding of and apply proportionality,
including similarity.
3. Measurement and Geometry:
Develop an understanding of and use formulas to determine
surface area and volume.
8th Grade
1. Algebra:
Analyze and represent linear functions, and solve linear
equations and systems of linear equations.
2. Data Analysis and Algebra:
Analyze and summarize data sets.
3. Geometry and Measurement:
Analyze two- and three-dimensional spaces and figures by using
distance and angle.
