Hudson Middle School
77 North Oviatt Street - Hudson, Ohio 44236
Kim Cockley - Building Principal
Karen Weber – Assistant Principal
Michael Sedlak – Assistant Principal
Local: 330-653-1316
Cleveland: 330-656-2590
Fax: 330-653-1368
Dear Parents,
Tomorrow we will begin Chapter 1: Ratios and Rates. In this chapter, your child will learn
how to express ratios and rates; determine unit rates; use and graph data in a ratio table; and
use equivalent ratios to solve problems. Included on the back of this letter are the key
vocabulary words found in Chapter 1 as well as activities you can do at home with your
child to support the mathematics instruction that is happening in class.
We will spend approximately three weeks on each chapter in the textbook. Since the
Glencoe program is new to Hudson Middle School this year, we will be following the order
of concepts in the textbook closely. Your child can expect a quiz mid-way through the
chapter that will count for 30% of his/her grade and a test to culminate the chapter worth
50% of the grade. Classwork and homework will also be a part of his/her grade; however, I
believe homework is as much a part of the learning process as classroom instruction so
homework assignments from the textbook are weighted more heavily on completion and
correction of errors than perfect solutions. This encourages students to do their own work,
clearly demonstrates what concept a student may need additional practice with and
emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes.
The best way to help your child at home is to reference the accompanying website:
www.connected.mcgraw-hill.com. There is also a link to this site on my district webpage.
User name: (information to come)
Password: (information to come)
There is a wealth of information and support materials on this website including an e-book,
tutorials demonstrating how to do the math learned in class which I highly recommend for
students who are absent, as well as extra practice sheets you can print to use at home.
Additionally, at the beginning of the year your child received a reference book called Math
On Call. This is another great resource your child should keep wherever homework is done
at your house. This book will be collected at the end of the school year.
If you have any questions or concerns about this chapter or your child’s progress, please
feel free to email or call me. I am interested in your child and want to be sure that this
year’s mathematics experiences is enjoyable and promotes a firm understanding of
mathematics. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Pam Saucier
Math Teacher
‘
Chapter 1: Ratios and Rates Vocabulary
Coordinate plane –
a plane in which a horizontal number line and vertical number line
intersect at their zero points
Equivalent ratios -
ratios that express the same relationship between two quantities
Greatest common
factor -
the largest number that is a factor of two or more numbers
Least common
multiple -
the smallest number that is a multiple of two or more whole numbers
Ordered pair -
a pair of numbers used to locate a point on the coordinate plane,
written with the x-coordinate first and the y-coordinate second (x, y)
Origin -
the location on a coordinate plane where the x-axis and y-axis
intersect, referred to as the point (0,0)
Prime factorization -
factoring a number into prime factors
Rate -
a ratio that compares two quantities with different kinds of units
ex: miles per hour
Ratio -
a comparison of two quantities by division
Ratio table -
a table with columns that are filled with parts of numbers that have
the same ratio
Scaling -
multiplying or dividing two related quantities by the same number
Unit price -
the cost per unit
Unit rate -
a rate that has been simplified so that is has a denominator of 1
x-axis –
the horizontal number line on a coordinate plane
x-coordinate -
the first number in an ordered pair
y-axis –
the perpendicular number line on a coordinate plane
y-coordinate -
the second number in an ordered pair
Real-World Activity
Make a grocery list with your family.
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At the store, compare the prices for different sizes of items.
Find unit rates for the items to determine which is a better buy.
Discuss reasons when purchasing the more expensive items is more appropriate for your situation.
Online Activity
Make a list of middle schools in nearby areas.
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Find the ratio of the number of students to the number of teachers in each of the schools.
Compare the ratio of students to teachers at Hudson Middle School to other schools.
Discuss how these ratios might affect learning.