Grade 8 Math

Eighth grade is a year of arrival. In most school districts, the focus is on algebra, and the greatest single obstacle for many students to overcome is fear. Many students imagine that algebra is an overwhelming mountain of unrelated rules that they have to memorize and then apply in nonsensical situations. Teachers must help students understand that algebra is simply a logical system for solving mathematical problems. Students have the prior knowledge to be successful in eighth grade, because algebra builds upon the foundation of what they have already learned. Eighth grade is a year to master the fundamentals, such as order of operations, strategies to identify and evaluate simple algebraic expressions (3n + 3 = 12), and, eventually, the use of scientific notation (3.5 x 10⁵). Grandchildren also learn how to find the slopes of lines and plot them on a graph, and how to compare rational and irrational numbers. (You can find a refresher on these topics here.) It sounds complex to many parents and grandparents, especially those who may have feared algebra themselves. But with your support and encouragement, your grandchildren can have a successful year, and maybe even find that the work is fun.

Portfolio Management. Technology is being integrated into all aspects of your grandchildren’s education. Increasingly, school districts across the country are employing "electronic portfolios" as a way for students to demonstrate their proficiency in a variety of subject areas, including math. Students' portfolios, or "e-portfolios," are collections of their work in an electronic format, such as a CD, DVD, or website. The goal of the portfolios is to help students review and critically evaluate their own progress, but it also gives them the means to share what they've done in school with parents and grandparents.

• The quirky skills collection Math Smart Junior (Princeton Review, 2008) is a different kind of workbook, introducing and reviewing key concepts as it follows the fictional mathematical adventures of three friends out on a hot summer day.

• In Danica McKellar's Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss (Hudson Street, 2008), the mathematician and former child star (she was Winnie on TV's The Wonder Years) encourages girls to achieve at higher levels of mathematics.

Double Up. One subject eighth-graders tackle is proportions; it's a skill that bakers and chefs know very well. In your kitchen, challenge grandchildren to calculate the ingredient measurements for a double (or triple, or half) batch of your favorite treats, then make the recipe together exactly according to their calculations. Did they get it right? The proof will be in the pudding.

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