Math & Science

OLPH incorporates an advanced math curriculum. In six grade, students cover all of the sixth-grade and half of the seventh-grade standards. They use the Big Ideas Math Advanced I textbook (which students have access to online as well as the hard copy). Although the material moves quickly, I incorporate activities throughout the units like pennants, hands-on exercises and digital practice.

Topics include the following:

• Factors and Prime Factorization
• Operations on Fractions
• Operations on Decimals
• Operations on Rational Numbers
• Graphing on Coordinate Plane
• Ordering Integers
• Writing Equations
• Solving Equations
• Area of Polygons
• Surface Area and Volume
• Rate, Ratios and Percent
• Statistics

In seventh grade, students cover the second half of the seventh-grade and all the eighth-grade standards. They use the Big Ideas Math Advanced II textbook (which students have access to online as well as the hard copy). Although the material moves quickly, I incorporate activities throughout the units like task cards, FACEing math, pennants, hands-on exercises and digital practice.

Topics include the following:

• Solving Equations
• Graphing Linear Equations
• System of Equations
• Functions
• Exponents and Scientific Notation
• Inequalities
• Data Analysis
• Probability and Statistics
• Transformations
• Angles
• Pythagorean Theorem
• Circles

In eighth grade, students cover the high school algebra standards as a class. This is great because it provides choices to the eighth-graders as they move to high school. The Big Ideas Math textbook is also available online for easy reference. Although the material moves quickly, I incorporate activities throughout the units like matching, riddles, FACEing math, pennants, hands-on exercises and digital practice.

Topics include the following:

• Solving Equations and Inequalities
• System of Equations
• Graphing Linear Equations
• Linear Functions
• Exponential Functions
• Polynomial Equations and Factoring
• Graphing Quadratics
• Solving Quadratics
• Square-Root Functions
• Rational Equations and Functions
• Statistics

The middle school teachers want your child to be successful. One key factor in achieving this is organization. We would like you and your child to discuss what might be the best approach to organizing papers and work. There are four options we recommend because we have seen a significant percentage of students be successful using the following tools.

Pick one of the options below:

1. A spiral-bound notebook that has a pocket for each of the six subjects in middle school
2. A three-ring binder divided into six sections, with pockets for handouts, or a three-hole punch to organize handouts
3. Folders for each class for handouts and lined paper to take notes
4. Accordion file folder with at least six pockets (You will also add lined paper.)

The deciding factor in which of these systems to pick is your child and how well he/she will stick to one of these systems.

We DO NOT recommend large rolling backpacks. It is our experience that sixth-graders have trouble the first month or so remembering what to take to each class, but our students figure it out eventually. When students have rolling backpacks, they tend to put everything in the backpack rather than learning to prepare and differentiate.

Make sure that your child has reliable access to the internet and a device with a camera and microphone to complete work digitally when at home for various assignments.

Please be aware that some of the supplies below will need to be purchased throughout the year, as needed, to be used at home and at school.

Please label the following supplies with your child’s name:

• College-ruled lined paper
• Graphing paper (8½ x 11, any size squares per inch)
• Black or blue pens (Students should always have two available. Student work should always be done in these basic colors, unless directed otherwise by a teacher.)
• Pencils (Students should always have two available. Avoid plastic-coated pencils because they break the sharpeners.)
• Red pens (or other color pens for correcting)
• 1 set markers (thick or thin)
• 1 scientific calculator
• 1 pair scissors
• 1 bottle glue
• 1 glue stick
• Headphone set with a microphone for use with Rosetta Stone (It must have a USB plug to connect to the computer.) – Clearly labeled with child’s name [such as: Logitech-Headset-H390-Noise-Cancelling]
• 2 composition notebooks (9¾ x 7½ or as close to this size as possible)
• New American Bible (one-time purchase in sixth grade but used in seventh and eighth grade)
• Personal small container of hand sanitizer

• Sticky notes
• Index cards to use as flashcards (lined or unlined for vocabulary flashcards)
• Small stapler with staples

• 2 jumbo-size book covers
• 3 boxes tissues
• 1 roll paper towels
• 1 cylinder Clorox wipes
• 1 ream white copy paper (500 sheets or more, for the office, labeled with your child’s name)