Middle School math at St. Peter's
The Program
Middle school math courses are taught combining hands-on exploration, critical thinking, project-based learning and the grade-level specific content and skills using a variety of different texts and resources including Glencoe "CCSS MATH" and Prentice Hall. The math curriculum in middle school begins with an overview of the fundamentals of number sense for integers, decimals, and fractions. Students explore probability, statistics and geometrical relationships in real-world scenarios. As students venture into algebra, they learn how to solve equations and inequalities, representing them on graphs.
Students work individually as well as in their problem-solving discussion groups on a weekly basis. Common to all St. Peter's middle school mathematics courses is a hands-on, realistic, and comprehensive view of exploring math in the world around us.
Teacher
Ms. Karla DeCastro
Karla DeCastro is a highly qualified teacher with a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, majoring in Math. She has also completed her Master's degree in Mathematics Education and is currently enrolled in the Master's program in Educational Management. Karla has gained valuable experience teaching in both public and private schools. She taught for two years in Waukegan, IL, at a middle school, and for four years in the Philippines, at a middle school. In addition to teaching, Karla enjoys several hobbies, including acting, biking, dancing, and traveling. She has acted as Mother Mary for Christmas, Mary Magdalene for six years during the Lenten Season - Resurrection, and Angel for Resurrection. Karla's passion for education and dedication to her students make her an exceptional teacher. Teaching is not just a profession for her - she calls it a PASSION.
SIXth grade
Sixth grade covers the foundation of mathematical learning with the inclusion of the fundamental skills such as integers, decimals, fractions, probability, statistics, and geometrical relationships. Students work individually as well as in their problem-solving discussion groups on a weekly basis. As fractions are an integral part of sixth-grade math, what better way to to practice than a festival? The students explore, discover, and present how fractions are used in every aspect of life and then present their findings in a "festival" like manner, with games, projects, food, song, dance and fun—all fraction related. They share their discoveries and new knowledge with our St. Peter's community.
SEVENth grade
The seventh grade studies pre-algebra, linking their foundational knowledge, using all operations, to learn the big four pre-algebraic skills: number sense and rational numbers, expressions and equations; ratios, proportions and percents; measurement; and geometrical relationships. Seventh graders have three main projects throughout the course of the year. They choose their careers; learn about personal finance and financial reasoning, including how to determine the cost of living in different cities; and then finish of the year designing a scale drawing and 3-D model of their dream house.
EIGHth grade
The eighth-grade math course is a tiered and structured exploration of algebra skills that focuses on linear equations, slopes, graphing, and polynomials with factoring. The eighth graders get to choose a product to sell and open a hypothetical small business to sell their product using equations and rational numbers. They then "pitch" their proposals to a board to convince them that their business is viable. In the second semester, they get to design and construct their own racing ramp for the mousetrap cars they construct in science class.
