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Webpage Contents:
Mathematics 6 and Mathematics 7
MathematicsResources
Life Science
Spanish
Permaculture
PermacultureResources
The Story of the Permaculture Garden at AALC
Mathematics
In our sixth and seventh grade math classes, we use the Connected Math series of textbooks, which focus upon applications and intuitive understanding of mathematical concepts. We also supplement learning with other projects and sources, and place an emphasis on learning mental math techniques.
Middle School Mathematics Curriculum
(Please note that we will soon be converting to the Common Core Standards, and there will be adjustments coming!)
Math 6
Unit 1 – Review of Operations on Whole Numbers
Unit 2 – Decimal Place Value & Comparison
Unit 3 – Decimal Addition & Subtraction
Unit 4 – Decimal Multiplication
Unit 5 – Decimal Division
Unit 6 – Introduction to Number Theory
Unit 7 – Factors and Multiples
Unit 8 – Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factor
Unit 9 – Fraction Identification and Meaning
Unit 10 – Fraction Equivalency & Comparison
Unit 11 – Conversions: Percents, Fractions and Decimals
Unit 12 – Fraction Addition and Subtraction
Unit 13 – Fraction Multiplication
Unit 14 – Fraction Division
Unit 15 – Percents
Unit 16 – Percent Applications
Unit 17 – Integers and Rational Numbers
Unit 18 – Adding and Subtracting Positive and Negative Numbers
Unit 19 – Further Operations on Positive and Negative Numbers
Unit 20 – Variable Terms & Variable Addition & Subtraction
Unit 21 – Solving for a Variable in One Step
Unit 22 – Solving for a Variable in More Than One Step
Unit 23 – Angles & Polygons
Unit 24 – Properties of Parallel Lines
Unit 25 – Probability
Math 7
Unit 1 – Operations on Whole Numbers and Decimals – a Review
Unit 2 – Numbers and Number Theory – a Review
Unit 3 – Fractions and Fraction Operations – a Review
Unit 4 – Operations on Integers and Rational Numbers – a Review
Unit 5 – Variables & Variable Operations – a Review
Unit 6 – Solving for a Variable
Unit 7 – Maintaining Equality Using Algebraic Properties
Unit 8 – Ratio & Proportion
Unit 9 – Applications of Proportions
Unit 10 – Similar Figures
Unit 11 – Applications of Similar Figures
Unit 12 – Coordinate Graphing
Unit 13 – Five Forms of Algebraic Representation
Unit 14 – Writing Equations
Unit 15 – Miscellaneous Topics in Linear Functions
Unit 16 – Distance, Rate, and Time
Unit 17 – Two Equation Systems
Unit 18 – Non-Linear Relations
Unit 19 – Inequalities
Unit 20 – Variation – Direct and Inverse
Unit 21 – Area and Perimeter – a Review
Unit 22 – Introduction to Solid Figures
Unit 23 – Surface Area & Volume of Prisms & Cylinders
Unit 24 – Surface Area & Volume of Pyramids, Cones, and Spheres
Mathematics Resources & Recommended Reading:
Benjamin, Arthur, and Michael Shermer; Secrets of Mental Math: the Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks.
This is a mental math resource that recently came to my attention. I find Flansburg to be somewhat better, but this book has interesting mnemonics and other features. Shermer is the editor of Skeptic magazine, and has written a worthwhile chapter on mathematics and its relation to critical thinking in this book.
Connected Math – Sixth Grade
http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.gotoWebCode&wcprefix=amk&wcsuffix=0099
Connected Math – Seventh Grade
http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.gotoWebCode&wcprefix=ank&wcsuffix=0099
These sites have tutorials and other useful materials.
Flansburg, Scott; Math Magic.
This book is a great resource for improving your mental math skills.
Fraction Web Tutorials:
Visual Fractions. http://www.visualfractions.com/
This site features very good graphic representations of fractions concepts.
Cool Math for Kids. http://www.coolmath4kids.com/fractions/index.html
This site has a good overview tutorial on fractions.
My thanks to Mrs. Andrews for sharing these websites with me.
Fraction Fun. http://www.entertainmentcenterspot.com/fraction-fun
This is a commercial site, but it has numerous wonderful links to great resources. Samantha, a young student all the way in Delaware, noticed my webpage and brought this useful site to my attention. Thanks, Samantha!
Rubenstein, Rheta; Mental Mathematics Beyond the Middle School: Why? What? How?. Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 94, Number 6, September 2001. http://www.people.iup.edu/brzl/Rubenstein.htm
In this article, reprinted from Mathematics Teacher magazine, Dr. Rubenstein, a professor of Math Education at the University of Michigan’s Dearborn campus, discusses the ongoing importance of mental math skills.
Life Science:
In Life Science, we start and end every year with field identification of plants and other organisms. The rest of the curriculum operates on a three-year rotation, so that, in our multi-age classrooms, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders can all study together without repeating material. This year is the “macro- /micro-” year in our curriculum rotation, and we will be focusing on microbiology, ecology, and evolution.
Life Science Resources & Recommended Reading:
Hoagland, Mahlon, and Bert Dodson; The Way Life Works.
This book is a fun overview of biological principles.
Tree of Life Web Project. http://tolweb.org/tree/
This is a great web resource on taxonomy.
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Science Spectrum: A balanced approach. National Academy of Science, 2001.
Jenner, Jan. Science Explorer, Book A: From Bacteria to Plants. Prentice Hall, 2000.
Spanish
This is an introductory course in basic conversational Spanish. I am very pleased to be using a broad range of concepts and techniques for our study of Spanish, from a survey of Spanish historical linguistics to fun, free-form story telling. Vocabulary taught includes greetings, expressions used in the classroom, common objects, telling time and the calendar, foods, house and home, and clothing.
Spanish Resources & Recommended Reading:
Met, Sayers, & Wargin. Paso a Paso 1. 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall, 2000.
Paso a Paso Website. http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?area=view&wcprefix=jtk&wcsuffix=0001.
Permaculture
Permaculture uses a set of principles and practices to design sustainable human settlements. The word [is] a contraction of both “permanent culture” and “permanent agriculture...
[Permaculture founder Bill] Mollison says the original idea for permaculture came to him in 1959 when he was observing marsupials browsing in Tasmanian rain forests. Inspired and awed by the life-giving abundance and rich interconnectedness of this ecosystem, he jotted in his diary, “I believe that we could build systems that would function as well as this one does” … Permaculture began, then, as a set of tools for designing landscapes that are modeled after nature, yet include humans …
-- From Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home Scale Permaculture, by Toby Hemenway
In this hands-on course, students study different aspects of a sustainable human ecosystem, using different models of ecological and organic agriculture. They also explore other elements of viable permaculture systems, such as sustainable power generation. Students also survey systems theory concepts, so as to be able to integrate sustainability elements into a permaculture design. Finally, students employ the scientific method to examine the results of their applications of permaculture principles, making and using equipment to support their laboratory investigations.
Most of the course consists of hands-on work, but there is also some research and desk work. One example of the desk work that we do is the design of permaculture guilds. A permaculture guild is a group of plants, set in the garden in a particular placement, that work together to take care of each other. For example, the Three Sisters are a co-planting of corn, beans, and squash, used by the Anishnaabe native Michiganians. With a Three Sisters planting, corn, which needs lots of nitrogen, is fed this nitrogen by the beans, which pull nitrogen from the atmosphere. The corn give the beans a structure up which they can grow, and the squash, with its broad leaves, suppresses weeds. Since these three plants work together to compliment each other, and fulfill each others’ needs, they exemplify much of the thinking behind a permaculture guild. The only thing that is missing is the inclusion of perennial plants in close proximity to this guild. We include comfrey as a mulch plant.
Grading in Permaculture is based on participation in the operations of the indoor and outdoor gardens at the school, and upon individual permaculture-based achievements.
Permaculture Resources & Recommended Reading:
Hemenway, Toby; Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture.
This book is an excellent, easy-to-use resource for those wishing to understand and practice permaculture principles.
The Land Institute. http://www.landinstitute.org/
This organization was founded by Wes Jackson, who is pioneering the use of a prairie-inspired perennial polyculture as a form of sustainable agriculture.
Permaculture Institute – United States. http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/index/
Permaculture Institute – Australia. http://permaculture.org.au/
These are the websites of the original Permaculture Institute in Australia, and its sister institution in the U.S.
Bartholomew, Mel; Square Foot Gardening. www.squarefootgardening.com
The book is a classic of organic gardening, and the website is also helpful. AALC's raised beds were designed based on Mel Bartholomew’s ideas regarding garden layout.
The Story of the Permaculture Garden at AALC
The Permaculture Garden at AALC began in the spring of 2009, as an area af the lawn that had been set aside for gardening. We added six raised beds filled with compost-enriched soil from the city of Ann Arbor’s composting program. This first year’s harvest was minimal because of the lateness of plantings.
The 2010 gardening season saw an increase to fifteen raised beds filled with good soil, and a substantial amaranth harvest, with a few other crops.
The 2011 gardening season saw all of the beds planted with a mix of annuals and perennials. Seven beds were planted with our AALC student-designed guilds of plants “Colcannon” and “Food for Thought”, and five with our modified Three Sisters guild. The specific varieties we used were Hopi Blue flour corn, Hokkaido squash, Hubbard beans. Two beds were dedicated to various herbs, and one was on-loan to Ms. Marchyok’s class for their “Journey North project.
As of November, 2011, we are still harvesting.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me:
Drake Meadow
Ann Arbor Learning Community
3980 Research Park Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
meadowaalc@yahoo.com
734-477-0340 X 118
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