Middle school math classes delve into expressions and functions

Students in Mrs. Matsko's sixth-grade classes have completed their unit on rational numbers and are now focusing on numerical and algebraic expressions. During this unit, students begin by learning to evaluate exponents, which will help them simplify numerical expressions using the order of operations.

In eighth grade, pre-algebra students have embarked on a unit about relations and functions. They are exploring the characteristics that define a relation as a function. Additionally, they are learning to identify linear and nonlinear functions and understand how graphs of functions behave when increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant. A Desmos activity involving racing turtles' speed is used to study the slope of linear functions.