Pre-Algebra 6 provides a rigorous experience of middle school math content found in the Virginia Standards of Learning for Grade 6 and Grade 7. This course focuses on transitioning from whole number arithmetic to algebraic thinking and emphasizes foundational algebra concepts, including rational numbers, exponents, and scientific notation.
Students will build understanding within each strand:
1. Number and Number Sense
2. Computation and Estimation
3. Measurement and Geometry
4. Probability and Statistics
5. Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
In addition, the content of the standards is intended to support the following process goals for learning mathematics: Problem Solving, Communications, Connections, Representations, and Reasoning.
More specific examples of the content of this course includes:
- Engaging in operations with fractions, mixed numbers, integers, decimals, and percentages.
- Using representational models and solving practical problems.
- Learning about measures of central tendency, including understanding the mean as a balance point.
- Investigating proportional relationships through verbal descriptions, rates, ratio tables, and graphs.
- Simplifying algebraic and numerical expressions, including positive exponents.
- Exploring negative exponents through scientific notation.
- Simplifying expressions using the order of operations and distributive property.
- Comparing and ordering rational numbers.
- Exploring the data cycle by formulating questions, gathering data, and representing data in circles or histograms.
- Using benchmark percentages to solve practical problems.
- Solving multistep practical problems involving rational numbers, proportional reasoning, and similarity using geometric shapes.
- Understanding slope as a rate of change. Identify and describe lines with positive, negative, zero, and undefined slope.
- Identifying and interpreting slope given the values of an ordered pair, a graph, or an equation.
- Making connections among verbal descriptions, tables, equations, and graphs.
- Investigating proportional relationships related to graphing a line and other practical problems.
- Applying properties of quadrilaterals to determine the measure of unknown angles based on angle relationships.
- Solving practical problems involving volume and surface area of various figures.
- Analyzing and describing the effects of changing attributes.
- Applying transformations, such as dilations, to figures in a plane.
- Solving two-step linear equations and inequalities in one variable on one or both sides, focusing on practical problem application.
- Comparing and contrasting experimental and theoretical probability.