So you’re coming to high school next year and you’re wondering about math. Here are some helpful hints and suggestions to prepare:
- Know your times tables. It may sound a bit old fashioned, but students who already know their times tables when they come to high school find math much easier and are more confident and successful.
- Know how to work with integers. The set of integers contains both positive and negative numbers. The sooner students understand how to perform math operations with integers the more successful they tend to be.
- Bring your own scientific calculator. A scientific calculator is an absolute necessity for high school mathematics (NOTE: The calculator on your smart phone is not permitted during assessments). While it is only used for about half of the Grade 9 course, it is important to learn its characteristics as you learn math concepts. We continue to rely heavily on a scientific calculator in future grades as well and will introduce several new functions. If you’re looking to purchase a calculator, the JHSS Math Department recommends the CASIO fx-300ES PLUS or the CASIO fx-300MS. We find these are very reliable calculators and will serve any well for all of high school and beyond.
- Grade 9 Math is Destreamed. All students take the same math course in Grade 9 (the exception is the Fast Forward program which requires a recommendation). The Ministry of Education designed this course to be accessible and allow students to not be forced into a particular pathway for high school math. Click on this link for the Parent Guide published by the Ministry.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We know that the majority of students will experience some challenges in math during high school. We’re here to help: We encourage you to ask questions during lessons, ask questions during seatwork time, ask questions in the Math Help Centre, ask to meet with your teacher at lunch or before or after school.
