Tax Time
Consumer math discovered the complexities of doing your own taxes. They learned the 1040EZ, 1040A and the 1040 federal tax forms, the vocabulary and the tax table for each form. A few of my students actually helped their parent prepare or review their family’s tax statement!
Miss Stahler
Hair tells a story
This month we studied hair and how our DNA and history of drug use can be found by looking at the strands of hair left behind at a crime scene. We determined what type of hair was found, what part of the body it came from and what original color the hair was.
Miss Stahler
Staying on a budget
Students began writing checks. They filled out deposit slips, check & deposit registries and learned how to balance their checkbook. They soon realized how the need for keeping track of their own expenses was vital to saving money each month. The class also took part in a six-month simulation of having a paycheck, monthly bills and expenses. They budgeted and tracked their income and expenses for six-months.
Miss Stahler
Blood Spatter labs
The students really enjoyed our 3 blood spatter labs. They began to see angle patterns based on the shape of the drop of blood-like substance on their lab sheet. The velocity experiment was also exciting, but very messy! The last experiment we did involved transfer of blood evidence. In this lab the students were able to change their original blood drops by smudging it with their shoe, hand, arm or other object. This lab led to creativity in finding an object hard to trace!
Miss Stahler
Consumer Math
Our class began learning how to apply for their own checking account and what the different pieces of it are. They discovered which items are confidential and could lead to identity theft and what the “fine print” could be hiding.
Miss Stahler
Video Autopsy
Through a video lab we investigated how a man found in ice died. We used the video autopsy to help us determine the cause and manner of death. The class ruled out and drew conclusions based on scientific facts present on the corpse.
Miss Stahler
Balancing the Books
We finished up our semester on Business math by learning how to fill out a general journal & ledger. The students found it particularly difficult to balance the books. They discovered that one wrong placing, misspelling or calculation could lead to an unbalanced mess. We learned to work carefully and proceed slowly to improve our accuracy.
Miss Stahler
Firearms and tool marks
In January, students studies firearms & tool marks. We had a NYC detective come and speak to our class about the education, procedures, and qualifications for their job. She also showed us the different bullets and cartridge casing for our lab where we compared unknown casings and firing pin impressions to known evidence.
Miss Stahler
Review, Review, Review
The Middle School Math Classes were engaged with a cumulative review of the year’s academic studies.
Mrs. Christian
Square Roots
The 7th Grade Math Class was engaged with hands on activities to display the formula for Pythagorean Theorem. Students also studied square root numbers.
Mrs. Christian