Fall 2012

I can...

The Number System
1. determine if a number is rational or irrational.
2. approximate irrational numbers to compare the sizes of
irrational numbers.

Expressions and Equations
1. use the properties of integer exponents to generate
equivalent numerical expressions.
2. use square root and cube symbols to solve equations, and I
can evaluate square roots of small perfect squares and
cube roots of small perfect cubes.
3. use scientific notation to compare very large numbers.
4. perform operations with numbers expressed in scientific
notation and choose units of appropriate size for
measurements that are very large or very small.
5. graph and interpret proportional relationships.
6. use similar triangles to explain why the slope is the same
between any two points on a non-vertical line, and I can
interpret the equations for a line, y = mx and y = mx + b.
7. solve linear equations that have one variable. I can give
examples of linear equations that have one solution,
infinitely many solutions, or no solutions.
8. analyze and solve pairs of linear equations. This includes
understanding that the solution to two linear equations is
the point of intersection of two lines graphed on a
coordinate plane and being able to solve a system of two
linear equations algebraically.



Pre-Algebra Essential Skills and Concepts
Fall 2012

Functions
1. understand that a function gives every input (or x-value)
exactly one output (or y-value).
2. compare two functions that are represented in different
ways (i.e. algebraically, graphically, numerically in a table,
or verbally).
3. identify y = mx + b as being a linear function, which is a
straight line. I can also give examples of functions that are
not linear.
4. create a function to model a relationship between two
variables, using the rate of change and initial value from a
description.
5. create a graph, when I am told if the graph is increasing or
decreasing and is linear or nonlinear.

Geometry
1. verify the properties of rotations, reflections, and
translations experimentally.
2. find the congruence of two figures from a sequence of
rotations, reflections, and translations.
3. describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and
reflections.
4. understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to
another if the second figure can be obtained from the first
by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and
dilations.
5. use informal arguments to prove the angle sum and
exterior angle of triangles, the angles created when
parallel lines are cut by another line, and the angle-angle
criteria for similarity of triangles.
6. explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its
converse.
7. use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the sides of
right triangles in real-world and mathematical problems.
Fall 2012

8. apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance
between two points on a graph.
9. know and use the formulas for the volume of a cone,
cylinder, and sphere to solve real-world and mathematical
problems.

Statistics and Probability
1. construct and interpret scatter plots that compare two
measurements of data.
2. informally find a line that best fits a scatter plot and assess
the model depending on how close the data points are to
the line.
3. interpret the slope and intercept of a linear model.
4. determine relationships between two different categorical
samples.
























Wapsie Valley Community Schools