MATH 8

Welcome, students and parents!
Each and every student will be challenged with a dynamic year of work and projects that will help prepare them for future classes in mathematics! My goal is to build the confidence they need in order to be successful!

Mission Statement

We believe mathematics is vital to the development of an analytical, questioning mind. All students can discover and appreciate mathematical ideas and can learn to see them as their own. We offer an individualized program challenging students at all levels to develop mathematical curiosity and appropriate communication skills. Our foremost concerns are for young people to stretch to their fullest potential, become independent learners, be adept at using technology, and be confident in mathematical endeavors.

Math 8 Course Description

Topics: The Number System, Expressions and Equations, Functions, Geometry, Statistics and Probability

Descriptor: Building on equations in one variable from Math 7, students will extend the skills and knowledge gained to solve problems with equations in two variables. Linear equations help to model everything from basic economic trends to trends in the stock market. In addition, when multiple trends are observed simultaneously, their intersection gives us valuable information. Understanding concepts of how variables depend on one another will help to extend students’ knowledge of functions—where the value of the input affects the value of the output. The topics of statistics in this course will utilize these concepts to help students understand how to recognize patterns and trends in bivariate data. Lastly, students will explore the transformation of shapes as they rotate, translate, reflect and dilate them on a coordinate plane. Students will also build on their knowledge of triangles and geometric solids from Math 7 by exploring real-world problems with surface area and volume.

Project-Based Learning: The topics in Math 8 can be combined to create several interesting projects that combine math with other subject areas. An Equation of Me (Math and English) - To create an inclusive and diverse community, we must learn about each other and find common grounds from which to stand and work together. This project brings out all that are important to us at the present, but also looks into the future towards who we want to become. MeGrams (Math, Art, and Puzzles) - These picture puzzles where people use shapes to recreate images have been fascinating people for decades. Because my name first name is Tan and these happened to be called Tangrams, students will create their own named -grams. This project draws upon concepts in Geometry such as rotation, reflection, translation, and dilation. Graf(It) Art (Math and Art) – This is by far one of the most liked projects by students. If you’re going to make students graph lines, why not just have those lines connect to form a picture? Students will use linear functions to “graph” a piece of artwork. They will complete this project with a showpiece using embroidery threads on a wooden panel. Business of Me (Math and Economics) – It’s never too early to start learning financial literacy. Students will learn about different types of income, saving money, and donating money/time. We will look at the cost of college and the cost of living. Lastly, we will understand what is debt and the differences between good debt and bad debt. Data, modeling, and estimating outcomes are all part of the planning process for a successful financial future. Four:Four for Four (Math and Music) - This short project is a great way to review fractions and other basic math concepts that students should have mastered in previous years. Students will write their own song and learn to clap rhythms based on rhythms that are written in 4:4. Try Angles (Math and Art) - This project is full of triangles. Students will try to create artwork using concepts they learn about triangles and volumes of different solids. Future Me (Math and Life) - Before students embark towards their next phase in life, high school, there are a few things they should know to help them prepare for that adventure. Math plays an important role in helping us parse through all the statistical data that will help them maneuver over or around the obstacles of higher education.

*Projects are subject to change based on real-time pacing.

Important Resources

Skills Practice Website

Frequently Asked Questions



WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT BEHAVIOR IN CLASS?
Students will be expected to always behave in a respectful manner. This includes having appropriate language inside the classroom; no profanity, vulgarity or offensive subject matters will be tolerated. There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding bullying, weapons, drugs, and violence. Students will be expected to follow all school rules regarding dress code and electronic devices allowed on campus. Cell phones and personal electronics devices will be confiscated and held until the end of the day if students are caught using them in class. A parent or guardian will have to come to class to pick them up.
HOW ARE ASSIGNEMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS WEIGHTED?
Grades are weighted as follows:
  • 55% Tests and Quizzes
  • 30% Projects
  • 10% Homework
  • 5% Participation
It is important to understand that when grades are weighted, the law of normal averaging doesn’t apply. For instance, receiving a few 100% homework assignments will not raise a student’s grade up as one would expect because homework is only worth 10% of an overall grade. However, this is not to say that homework is not important; in fact, it helps students prepare for tests and quizzes, a category that can bring up a student’s grade very quickly. It is also crucial students stay up with work in mathematics since each new lesson often builds on the previous lesson.
WHAT IS THE HOMEWORK POLICY?
There is a strong correlation between students completing all of their homework and succeeding in a class. Homework is usually assigned each class period. On certain days, students will be given time in class to start, and even possibly complete, their homework. It is expected that students will use this time wisely. Homework is due at the end of the school day following the day it was assigned (to give students an opportunity to get help and clarify any doubts).

All assignments turned in must receive at least a 70% to be considered "on time". If an assignment does not meet the minimum requirement, it will be handed back and considered late. Late work will then be held at a higher standard, meeting a minimum requirement of 85% to be accepted.

Students who do not turn in work on time will have their parents notified the day the assignment is due.
HOW OFTEN ARE TESTS AND QUIZZES GIVEN?
Quizzes or tests are given almost every other week. The frequency of tests and quizzes is dependent upon the pacing of the class. If students need more time to comprehend the concepts in a unit, tests will be delayed accordingly. All tests and quizzes must be attempted in order to receive a final grade in class.
WHAT IS THE GRADING SCALE AND POLICY?
The grading scale will follow the traditional conditions of:
  • 90% ≤ A ≤ 100%
  • 80% ≤ B < 90%
  • 70% ≤ C < 80%
  • 0% ≤ F < 70%
A grade of an "I" may be given on a weekly progress report. This indicates that a student has not completed all the assignments leading up to that progress report. When all assignments are completed, a current grade will be calculated. It is crucial students stay up with work in mathematics since each new lesson often builds on the previous lesson.
WHAT IS THE 100% RULE?
Students are expected to complete 100% of their assignments. A grade of “Incomplete” will be given at a progress report when a student has not completed all of his or her assignments. Students may be required to spend time, outside of the normal class time, to complete any missing assignments.

Real-World Rationale: If you ask your kid to take out the trash and they left it right next to the bin, is this acceptable? The trash made it 99% of the way to the bin (this is a "A" in school!). You would probably ask your kid to go put the trash into the bin to complete the task. We are not talking about the quality of the task completed (how well it was placed in the bin). Task completion is an important habit to develop in people at all ages; the younger the better.
WHAT IS YOUR LATE WORK POLICY?
“Late work” is defined as:
  • An assignment that is not turned in before the time that it is due.
  • An assignment that is turned in on time, but received a score below 70%. In which case, the assignment will be returned and asked to be resubmitted.
Late work will be held at a higher standard than work completed on time. All assignments that are turned in late will not be accepted until a student has reached 85% proficiency for that assignment. I don't penalize students for late work such as giving only half credit or no credit, I expect more since they had more time to do the assignment than those who turned it in on time.

Real-World Rationale: If we order a product or service, and it comes to us late, there are usually two things good companies will do:
  1. A company will try to excede our expectations with their product or service. In which case, we could forgive that company for being late if we are satisfied, often saying, "Okay, that was worth the wait".
  2. A company will issue a refund or compensation for being late. We may forgive the company if it's their first time, but we may not return to do further business.
Inconsistent quality of work, late work and tardiness are some of the top reasons most people get fired from work. We want students to develop a habit of high quality work, on time delivery, and consistent attendence as young as possible.
WHAT IS UPGRADING?
Students may upgrade assignments, assessments, or projects as long as they meet the following criteria:
  1. The assignment or project was turned in on time and completed with a score that is at least 70%.
  2. The student has caught up with all missing work.
  3. For assessments: The student has shown that he or she has practiced for the test (by redoing the assessment at least twice).
Why give extra credit assignments when students haven't earned their normal credits. Grades that are not meeting expectations usually means that assignments, assessments, and/or projects were turned in with poor quality. It is important that students relearn and practice skills of which they are not yet proficient.

Real-World Rationale: Companies are always "upgrading" their products to make them better. Often times, they go back to previous models to fix bugs and other errors (often found by customers) to make better quality products. In addition, companies want to make their products and services more efficient. Students should understand that work completed should never be the final product; there is always room for improvement. Improvements can be in the form of accuracy (quality of a product or service) and fluency (efficiency of the product or service).
WHAT IS THE POLICY FOR CHEATING?
Integrity students are capable of reason and self-discipline and therefore will be held accountable for their actions. The school attempts to instil in students a level of individual responsibility equal to the demands that will be placed on them in the future. The development of individual character, honour, and integrity is a fundamental goal of Integrity School. All lessons take place with the understanding that the students will present their own work. Presented assignments, projects, tests and quizzes or homework that is not the work of the individual student will receive a grade of zero, and in accordance with the student handbook and due procedure will be followed. As a result, students will not have the privileges of upgrading their work for better scores. However, students are still held accountable for turning in the assignment, completed with academic integrity.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU COMMUNICATE WITH PARENTS?
Often. When assignments and projects are due, and a student did not complete the work, parents will be notified via email immediately within 24 hours. In addition to the school-issued progress reports, weekly progress reports will be sent via email on Thursdays of each week (parents can also access the Parent Portal to view grades and missing assignments). It is important that students stay current with all assignments in order to keep up with the concepts covered in math. Since math lessons build on each other, falling behind only compounds the problem.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GIVE HOMEWORK AND HOW LONG SHOULD THEY TAKE TO COMPLETE?
Homework is assigned almost daily. Most of the time, students will be given about 15 minutes in class to work on homework; many will complete it. With that being said, how long a student takes to complete homework is dependent upon many factors. If students do not have a solid foundation in basic math (add, subtract, multiply, and divide) even simpler topics in middle school can be challenging. This is why I constantly emphasize the fact that students need to master the foundational skills. In addition, students can spend a lot of time being distracted by technology and social media as they complete homework assignments. On average, a student with a solid elementary school math background who is not distracted should finish homework within the range of 15 to 30 minutes.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOMEWORK AND PROJECT WORK?
Homework usually are assignments to help build the skills to "do" mathematics. Project work is the application of those skills, often times to real-world assignments or products. Project work is more involved and will take longer to complete (sometimes weeks) and may even require the help of parents. While homework is due the day after it is assigned, projects are due days or weeks in advance. It will be important to monitor the progress of projects so that students will not stress out the night before it is due. Again, if projects are late, it will be held at a higher standard.
DO YOU PROVIDE TUTORING?
I understand that different students learn at different speeds. Upon request, students can ask for tutoring before school, lunch, or after school depending on my availability.
HOW MUCH SCREENTIME DO STUDENTS HAVE IN CLASS?
Most of the time, there will be no more than 15 minutes of screentime in class. Students will learn via live instruction, followed by discussions of the material, and guided practice. Homework will mostly be computer based because students need the immediate feedback when they're doing a math problem right or wrong. At the beginning of the year, there may be slightly more screentime since students are practicing to rebuild their foundational math skills that may have been lost during the pandemic.
ARE YOU USING ANY ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAMS?
I personally will not be using any commercially made online learning platforms. My assumption of students attending a school is because the family values live instruction. However, I believe in computer-based practice because students will receive the feedback as to whether an answer is correct or not. Traditional homework requires that a student brings home an assignment, complete it and turn it in the next day, and finally receive it back corrected the day after that. I don't believe students should wait 2 days before they realize they did those problems right or wrong. In addition, a new lesson was taught during the day in between.

Therefore, I believe in computer-based homework assignments. Over the last 10 years, I have been developing my own practice website for students. Students will receive feedback immediately following the completion of each problem. This is similar to having a tutor (whom only some can afford). The program I have created for students will require that they must complete 20 correct problems before submitting an assignment (students may have to do 25 problems to get 20 correct). In addition, a certain percentage threshold will be required depending on the assignment. The success I've had with students is due in part to holding them to these standards. At the end of the day, I want my students to do correct work, not just work.
WHY ARE YOU REQUIRING MY CHILD TO MEMORIZE THE TIMES TABLE?
The answer to this question requires an entire page to explain. Please click this link.


Accountability Contract

Student success requires everyone to play their part.

Teacher

What is the teacher accountable for?
  • Prepare high quality teaching materials and lessons for all classes.
  • Ensure a productive environment for students during class.
  • Help students with learning of material during class, providing multiple modes of explanations and engagements.
  • Communicate with parents/guardians when students fall below 80%.
  • Grade all work within 48 hours of students' submission.
  • Update the online grading and classroom platforms so that parents and students are informed of progress.
  • Send out weekly progress reports to parents.
  • Motivate and encourage students to perform at the highest level.

Parents

What are parents accountable for?
  • Provide a quiet place each day at home for your child to complete homework.
  • Ensure your child is coming to school prepared with proper materials for learning (books, pencils, etc.).
  • Ensure your child is completing daily homework assignments to at least 85% accuracy.
  • Check online to monitor your child’s missing assignments and grades.
  • Motivate and encourage your child to perform at the highest level.
  • Communicate with the teacher if you have questions or concerns about classwork.
  • Communicate with the teacher if you expect your child to be missing from school (planned trips, vacations, etc.).

Students

What are students accountable for?
  • Come to class each day prepared with proper materials for learning (books, pencils, etc.).
  • Engage in classwork and homework each day.
  • Complete and turn in daily homework assignments with at least 85% accuracy.
  • Check online to monitor missing assignments and grades.
  • Communicate with the teacher to get extra help to complete challenging assignments.
  • Communicate with the teacher to get extra time (for illnesses, vacations, etc.).
  • Find what will motivate you to do well in school so that you can perform at your highest level.

5-4-3-2-1

Mr. Huynh's recipe for success and a happy life!

5 books I believe every student (and adults) should read:
  1. The Magic of Thinking BIG by David Schwartz
  2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
  3. Grit by Angela Duckworth
  4. Limitless by Jim Kwik
  5. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
4 "Selves" to constantly develop and improve:
  1. Self-Improvement
  2. Self-Compassion
  3. Self-Confidence
  4. Self-Reliance
3 Important areas of learning:
  1. Hone Memory Skills
  2. Read and Comprehend Well
  3. Learn About Yourself
2 Things to remember about other people:
  1. Seek Mentorship
  2. Be Altruistic
1 Important quality to always uphold:
  1. Integrity


About Me

Profile Pic
Over 20 years later, I am excited to teach as when I taught my first class! Education is my passion and I don't plan to quit any time soon!

Interestingly, I didn't originally wanted to become a teacher. I started off wanting to become a cardiologist (but didn't want to see people dying), to an artist (didn't want to starve), to management science (didn't want the environment of Wall Street 8+ hours a day), and finally to teaching math. This long and twisted journey paved the way for me to become the math teacher I am today. It has led me to design math projects around science, art, economics, and even English.

I'm not one to be found idle. When I'm not teaching, my days are either filled with working on projects in education, shooting pool, hiking, stipling, traveling , or swing dancing. Recently, I have become an avid reader completed my first 100 books in a year.

Life is short and there's so much to discover and learn!