Certified Tutors From College of the Canyons

Today the student worked on unit 8 lesson 4 in the online course, which was a midterm checkpoint part 1 consisting of 34 questions. The student completed the first 20 questions and will continue the assessment tomorrow. An algebra problem caused the student to reconsider the order that numbers must be in to subtract. He answered a logic question by drawing a chart of the information. He fully understood the situation in the math story (word problem) in order to choose the correct 2-step calculation. An absolute value problem asked for the correct notation. The student knows perimeter is the outside of the shape and is found by adding all the sides. He readily calculates the perimeter of a complex shape given this support. He recalled the formula for the area of a triangle. He understands that the parallelogram is treated like a rectangle (with a piece that moved). The student gained deeper understanding of "rhombus" as it includes squares. He understands the meaning of reciprocal (flip the fraction). With guidance the student set up and solved proportions with cross multiplication and mentally. He is showing excellent skill in solving algebraic equations and remembered how to isolate the variable by division. He is beginning to recognize when addition or subtraction is needed instead and understands that the inverse operations "undo" each other. Finally, a mnemonic for remembering decimal and percent conversions was presented. The strategies used included: draw diagrams and label them, refer to the formulas and show work before using the calculator, use mental math, write and refer to graphic notes, find the numbers and math words in the problems. The student continues to enjoy working on the math curriculum and is making very good progress.

We covered finding the determinant of matrices and solving equations with matrices. The student just needs to be really aware of what rows and columns need to be "blocked out" when finding the determinant. She has a firm grasp on all concepts.

In this session, the student and I covered a review on quadratic formulas in preparation for an upcoming exam. The student understood bits and pieces before coming into the meeting, but needed help with comprehensive understanding of the material. The session was productive because the student had no issues with staying focused and enthusiastic. He's naturally good with instruction, which makes my job easier. As far as testing strategies are concerned, I demonstrated how one can use a graphing calculator to check all quadratic factoring problems. This ensures that he is confident in each of his answers on the test. For extra practice, I recommended practicing the three fundamental ways of factoring a quadratic polynomial. The student mentioned to me that his algebra grade has improved since earlier in the semester, so he is making progress.

We spent the first hour finishing up the systems of equations topic that we had reviewed last time. We began by reviewing when and how to solve a system of equations by graphing before moving on to solving a system of equations using the substitution method and finishing off by solving via the elimination method. We also talked about the different types of solutions to a system of equations (exactly one solution, no solution, and infinite solutions), looked at how those would appear on a graph as well as how we could tell from an equation which scenario we were dealing with. We finished by solving two problems using all three methods to show how all are equivalent. For the last half hour, we finished off the last worksheet that the student had been assigned on two-step equations. He finished all 21 questions accurately within 30 minutes.

The student and I covered AP multiple choice questions and essay questions . We also studied general solubility rules and neutralization problems.

We did 3 quizzes today. The quizzes were about graphing and applying trig functions. The student worked hard. She struggled with finding the asymptotes of the function. We did many practices together. She felt more comfortable with the topic at the end of the session.