What's Going On? December 15th through December 19th

Surface Area and Volume

This week we will continue our study on Surface Area and Volume. Last week we talked about how to calculate the surface area of a variety of solids including prisms, pyramids, cylinders and cones.  This week we will focus on finding the volume of the solids.  We will also take a closer look at the relationship between surface area and volume.

Students should be prepared to wrap up this unit with a summative assessment by the end of the week.  Students should make sure they are caught up with all homework assignments by the test day to be best prepared for the assessment.  Additionally, students who complete all homework assignments for the unit are eligible for a test retake.  If students have questions, they can see me before school or after school for extra help.  I ask that students let me know when to expect them so I can avoid any schedule conflicts.

Have a great break!

What's Going On? September 29th through October 3rd

Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
This week we'll be finishing up our unit on Parallel and Perpendicular Lines.  We'll spend our class period on Monday reviewing for our Summative and take our chapter 3 Summative during the first part of class on Tuesday.  Students who are interested in earning a test retake need to have all of their formative work completed by the beginning of class on Tuesday.  Please check out Infinite Campus to make sure that you are up to date with all of your assignments.

Triangle Congruence
On Tuesday we'll start our fourth unit on Triangle Congruence.  We'll learn about some shortcuts that will show us that two triangles are congruent.  We'll then be able to apply our knowledge of triangle congruence shortcuts to write formal two column proofs.

What's Going On? September 22nd through September 26th

Parallel and Perpendicular Lines

Last week we ended our second chapter of the year on logic statements and our introduction to proof.  Students received their chapter 2 summative assessment results during class on Monday.  Students who have earned the privilege of a test retake have until Monday of next week to make corrections on the original assessment, complete the extra practice and complete the test retake.

This week in our Geometry-Honors Algebra 2 Block course we will be starting our study of parallel and perpendicular lines.  We will define terms related to parallel lines such as

• Corresponding Angles
• Alternate Interior Angles
• Alternate Exterior Angles
• Same-Side Interior Angles

On Tuesday the freshmen enrolled in the course will complete the first of three math MAP tests for the year.  The math MAP test is designed to chart a student's growth in math knowledge throughout the year.  

On Wednesday, students will take a formal formative assessment on angle relationships related to parallel lines. This will help students prepare and get feedback for next week's summative assessment which is scheduled for Tuesday.

If students have questions, they can come see me for extra help.  I am currently available starting at 7am each morning until I go on maternity leave.  Once I am on maternity leave, students can make arrangements with our long-term substitute, Mrs. Rahn, for extra help.

What's Going On? September 15th-19th

Summative Assessment Retake Policy

We just finished up our first unit on basic Geometric terms.  Students received their results from their summative assessments during class on Friday and the grades have been entered into Infinite Campus.  If a student had completed all of their formative work for the unit by the beginning of class on Thursday and is not satisfied with his or her grade on the Unit 1 Summative the student is eligible for a test retake.  In order to take a retake, the following procedure must be followed:

• Students must make an appointment with Mrs. Kamenar to make corrections on the original assessment.
• Students will receive personalized extra practice to reinforce the skills previously not mastered.
• Students must complete the test retake by Friday, September 19th.  A student can choose to retake one learning target or both learning targets.
• Please note that the grade earned on the retake will be entered into Infinite Campus, even if the retake grade is lower than the original assessment.

Chapter 2: Reasoning and Proofs

We have already moved into our second chapter on reasoning and proofs.  This will be a very quick unit ending with a summative assessment on Friday, September 19th.  This unit is designed to get students thinking about logical arguments.  This will form the basis of the work we will do with Geometric proof throughout the year.  

We'll start by relating proofs to something students already know how to do: solving Algebraic equations.  Then we'll start to apply our knowledge to proofs that involve the different types of angle relationships we've discovered so far in class.

What's Going On? September 7 - September 11

Basics of Geometry

This week in class we'll be continuing our study of the Basics of Geometry.  We'll start off the week talking about midpoints, bisectors, and angle pairs.  We'll also talk about how to classify different types of polygons.

On Thursday of this week we will have our first summative assessment.  This summative will cover the two learning targets that we've focused on for the first two weeks of school:

• 1a: I can precisely define Geometric terms. (Congruence) 
• 3a: I can apply the segment and angle addition postulate. (Measurement)

Please remember that 100% of a student's grade is composed of summative assessments.  If a student would like to be eligible for a test retake, all formative work (homework and quizzes) must be completed BEFORE we take our test on Thursday.

If you have any questions, please come see me!  I am available each day before school.  Have a great week!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school!  My name is Mrs. Kamenar and I will be working with you this year in your Geometry-Honors Algebra 2 block class.  In this class we will study Geometry concepts from the beginning of the year until winter break and Honors Algebra 2 concepts from winter break until the end of the school year.  This year I will begin my tenth year at Waukesha North.  In my time here I have taught a variety of math and computer science classes.  In addition to being a teacher, I am also an assistant women's cross country coach and the school's yearbook advisor.  

I hope that everyone had a fun and relaxing summer vacation!  This summer seemed to go by too fast, but I guess it always seems that way.  I really enjoyed spending my summer with my three year old son, Jack.  We got to spend a lot of time together going to the zoo, swimming, camping in the back yard, reading, and doing other fun things.  My husband and I are expecting our second child at the end of September so I also spent a lot of time preparing for our new arrival.  This means that I intend to take a leave of absence starting at the end of September and I plan to return in mid-November.  Students will be working with another teacher while I am out of the building on maternity leave.  So, we will have about four weeks to get to know each other before I take a leave of absence.

Since I am already talking about taking a leave of absence, we better start learning!  This week we will begin our study of some basic geometric terms.  We will ease into the year by talking about inductive reasoning and patterns.  We will also talk about some of the basic building blocks of Geometry and their naming and labeling conventions.  We will finish up the week by going over measurement and learning the properties of segment and angle addition.

I am really excited to get to work with you this year.  I hope we are all able to learn a lot and have some fun along the way!  If you have any questions as we move through the year, please don't hesitate to contact me.