Recently, students in Laurie Fleming’s seventh grade math class completed a unit called “Rational Reasoning”. This unit was designed to teach students about integers. Integers are positive and negative numbers.

Students were asked to complete a poster showing their knowledge of these rational numbers. This poster showed the student’s knowledge of Georgia Performance Standard M7N1 which states: Students will understand the meaning of positive and negative rational numbers and use them in computation, find the absolute value of a number and understand it as the distance from zero on a number line, compare and order rational numbers, including repeating decimals, add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative rational numbers, and solve problems using rational numbers.

Students were asked to select four rational numbers. At least two of the numbers had to be between negative one and one. One of the numbers had to be written as a decimal and the other had to be written as a fraction. Two of the numbers had to be positive and two of the numbers had to be negative. Students were asked to compare the numbers using both a number line and comparison symbols (<, >, a nd =). The y wer e ask ed to define absolute value and show the absolute value for each of their numbers.

The students had to create number problems using all four mathematical operations as well as model how to work some of them. Next, the student created three real-life situations using their integers. They had to describe and illustrate the mathematical properties of integers. Rules for working with integers were to be listed. Finally, students were asked to create a theme for their poster and make it neat and colorful.

Mrs. Fleming stated, “The students really outdid themselves with their themes and displays of mastery of the standard. Some of the real-life situations were creative and truly showed how integers are an integral part of our everyday life.”

The posters are displayed in the hallways so other students and the faculty and staff of JCMS can appreciate and learn from the seventh grade math students’ efforts.