+

Accelerated vs. Honors

Created by Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Letourneau
On behalf of the Newton North High School
Mathematics Department

+ Habits of Mind
501

511

Minimal Teacher-Lead Examples

Several Teacher-Lead Examples

Class Time Brief HW Review, Explore new ideas

Class Time Review HW, Practice, some

Exploration & group work

Homework 5 10 Problems in 45 minutes

Homework 12 15 Problems in 40 minutes

Assessments Apply skills to NEW situations

Assessments Models Example Problems, some

applications to new situations

Pacing- There is no review. New material from Day

1

Pacing- 6+ units, some review concepts from 8th

grade.

Mastery of Prior Knowledge (8th grade) expected

and required for success

Mastery of Prior Knowledge (8th grade) helpful - you

might see some review.

+ Is Honors for Me?

YES

NO

I enjoy math and I am curious about how and why it

works

I like math and I am good at it, but I like my teachers to

tell me how it works.

I dont need a lot of help, but I go and get it when I

need it.

My parents and my teachers usually have to tell me

that its time to get some help in math.

I work on my own and I can come up with solutions to

the really tough problems on the homework and in
class.

I get frustrated with challenging problems and often

need help to complete my work.

I feel really comfortable and will remember all the

details about 8th grade math.

I understand math now, but I will need a refresher

before I learn new stuff next year.

I get it after just seeing one example and can do

different and more challenging problems easily.

I need to see multiple examples before I can do work

on my ownand the problems better not be too
different from the examples.

+ SIMMS
In many traditional math classes, you ask the question,
When will I ever use this stuff?
SIMMS modules ALWAYS have a real-world context so you
know WHY you are learning the math.
What is SIMMS Mathematics?
Promotes a strong classroom community
Advanced college prep course
Exploration-based approach
Modeling approach in a real-world context
Work collaboratively with classmates
Investigate and solve problems
Communicate your results, orally and in writing
Study independently to master concepts

+ IS SIMMS FOR ME?

YES

NO

PROBLEM SOLVERS

PREFER TO WORK ALONE

CREATIVE, COLLABORATIVE MINDS

PREFER LOTS OF EXAMPLES TO

FOLLOW

GOOD AT SHARING IDEAS

DISLIKE/FEAR WORD PROBLEMS

BORED WITH REPETITION (will

independently do work necessary to
understand)

PREFER WHEN ANSWERS ARE

EITHER CORRECT OR
INCORRECT

ANY 8A STUDENT OR ANY 8R STUDENT

EARNING a B- OR BETTER

Interested in Computer Science?

Exploring Computer Science 9-10-11-12
Curriculum 1 4 meetings/week full year
Are you interested in robotics, web design, or computer
programming? Newton Norths new course, Exploring
Computer Science, introduces students to these topics and
more as part of a survey of the central ideas of computer
science. The course takes an active, lively approach to
teaching students how to use computers to solve real-world
problems. No previous programming experience is needed.

Questions about Computer

Science?
Answers to some questions you might have:

The programs taught will be scratch

Robotics unit uses LEGO Mindstorms NXT
The class will meet 4x a week for a full year
The class is open to all grades
The curriculum level is ACP (Advanced College Prep)