Welcome to Summer Learning Algebra Style

If you have questions, please contact me at and I will be happy to help with clarification of directions or understanding of the activity.

In this learning opportunity, you will complete two sets of activities for two major grades to be given in the first six weeks grading period. Each set will consist of three activities to make up one major grade from the chosen topics. We hope you enjoy this work and come refreshed from your summer break ready to explore Algebra I at PHS. Your work can be presented to your teacher by hand on your first day of August 16, 2017.

Major Grade Number #1

Activity 1 – Create an 8 scene cartoon either on paper or on an app of your choice. The cartoon must depict your understanding of what independent and dependent means in algebra. For example, you can create story characters that tell the definitions through a story line. Your imagination is the limit.

Activity 2 – Alphabet Integers. Find the value of your name using the integer value of the alphabet below. Also, create a sentence containing ten words with a mathematical value of exactly 53. Prove that you do have a value of 53.

A – (-5)B – (2)C – (3)D – (0)E – (-7) F – (5)

G – (-2)H – (1)I – (-4)J – (-6)K – (9)L – (6)

M – (-3)N – (-1)O – (-2)P – (4)Q – (11)R – (7)

S – (8)T – (4)U – (9)V – (6)W – (3)X – (7)

Y – (9)Z – (8)

Activity 3 – You will research a famous mathematician and write a formal, one page report. Your report will include, year of birth and death, famous contributions, historical importance of mathematical discovery, and any interesting information that you find about your specific mathematician. Choose from the following list; Pythagoras, Thales, Archimedes, Hypatia, George Polya, Rene Descartes, Gauss, Wilhelm Leibniz, Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, and Euclid. The report must be typed with references cited.

Major Grade #2 –

Activity 1 – Go to the link and create an account for Solve Me Puzzles (click on the mobiles link). You will work through the mobile levels and screen shot your certificate of mastery of each level (Explorer and Puzzler). This will practice visually solving and balancing equations.

Activity 2 - Function Collage

You will create a collage of 20 real world pictures of the parent functions of linear, quadratic, and exponential (pictures of the parent functions are below). You can do this in an app or print pictures and paste on a poster. Make sure that all functions are labeled with both the parent function and the real world situation.

Quadratic lt b gt Parent lt b gt lt b gt Function lt b gt The amp quot lt b gt parent lt b gt lt b gt function lt b amp quot for Quadratic Parent Function

Quia lt b gt Parent lt b gt lt b gt Function lt b gt lt b gt Graphs lt b gt Exponential Growth Function y = a * b ^x

Activity 3 – Fraction Pictures. You will create a picture for the given fractions. Find a common denominator and show that you will have a “whole” picture. You can be creative with this, so think legos, paint, candy, you decide but you must show the fractions and their equivalents as well as modeling the picture with the given fractions. The picture must be on a full sheet of paper if you do not use an app. For example, a smiley face, ¾ yellow and ¼ black.

The picture must model; 1/5 + 1/12 + 2/3 + 1/20.

Now create a second picture with 5 fractions that you pick. Hint: Your five fractions must have a sum of one.