Rest of Year
For the remainder of the year, we will be working on area and perimeter. We will not have a test on this unit, but it should still be fun for students to learn something that we can incorporate more real-world scenarios easily. We also are practicing our division fluency speed. This will help them know what will be good to keep reviewing over the summer!
We finished up our Fraction Unit today with our Unit 7 Test. We will now be moving on to Symmetry. Students will use mirrors to learn about reflections, properties of reflections, and lines of symmetry. We will also discuss positive and negative numbers. This unit will go by quickly--our test will be May 12.
For the remainder of the year, we will be working on area and perimeter. We will not have a test on this unit, but it should still be fun for students to learn something that we can incorporate more real-world scenarios easily. We also are practicing our division fluency speed. This will help them know what will be good to keep reviewing over the summer!
We finished up our Fraction Unit today with our Unit 7 Test. We will now be moving on to Symmetry. Students will use mirrors to learn about reflections, properties of reflections, and lines of symmetry. We will also discuss positive and negative numbers. This unit will go by quickly--our test will be May 12.
Math
We are wrapping up Unit 7-Fractions and Probability. Study Guides will be sent home today. We have one more lesson on multiplying fractions to finish this unit.
Unit 7 Test will be Thursday, April 28th.
Next week we will be working on the Whole and changing the Whole for fractions using pattern blocks. We will also revisit probability using fractions and spinners.
We will practice these and past skills by playing Fraction Top-It and Chances Are which can be found on the students' Everyday Math Unit 7 home page.
Homework will be due Wednesday (4-20) and Friday (4-22) next week.
Math
This week we have worked on equivalent fractions and different names for fractions. We discussed how the fractions represent the same amount of the whole, but are represented using a different number of parts in the whole.
Next week we will begin discussing the relationship between fractions and decimals as well as how to compare fractions. Comparing fractions especially can be tricky so we will be reinforcing the idea of asking what the whole is and using reasoning to help us decide which fraction is larger. We will compare numbers with like numerators, like denominators, and fractions with different numerators and denominators. Benchmark fractions like 1/2 can be helpful when comparing fractions and we will use this as another strategy next week.
April 4-8
We have begun working with Fractions in Unit 7. We have learned about fractions as parts of a whole and taking a fraction of a set (1/2 of 16). On VIP Day we took a brief look at how fractions are used in Probability and now are working with adding and subtracting fractions. Next week, we will begin equivalent fractions which many students have already begun to see during our math classes.
I know you tire of me saying it, but keep working on facts--especially basic division factions.
We have taking a break from partial quotients for a few lessons. We will be working on angles and geometry. We have finished up learning about full circle protractors and will now be working with half circle protractors. Then we will explore the coordinate grid system.
We are finishing up Unit 5 with big numbers and rounding. We learned a rhyme to help us round:
Find the place, look next door
Five or higher, add one more
All before stays the same, all behind, zero's their name
We will be reviewing Monday and Tuesday and our test will be Wednesday, February 3.
January 4-8
Math tests are coming home today. We went over them in class and I answered questions about specific problems on the test. If you have further questions, please let me know.
This week we will be working on extended multiplication facts (i.e. 40 x 3=120). We will also learn how to play multiplication wrestling--a new Everyday Math game for the year. By the end of the week, we will once again use estimation to help us with addition and multiplication.
I encourage students to keep practicing basic facts--these will be helpful as we begin to explore 2 digit multiplication.
December 14-18
Students have doing a great job with adding and subtracting decimals this week. I have appreciated their hard work!
Next week, we will be wrapping up our unit with the thousandths place and measuring using millimeters.
Our Unit 4 Test will be December 22nd. Study guides will be sent home next week.
December 7-11
Next week, will extend our understanding of decimals. We will practice estimating decimals and begin to add and subtract decimals. To end our week, we will explore decimals in money and learn more about the thousandths. I have been proud of the way students are working hard on decimals. At home, I would encourage students to practice reading decimals as this is where most still struggle (i.e. 0.59 is fifty nine hundredths instead of zero point five nine). If you are noticing your son or daughter struggling or that they are frustrated, please let me know. I would like to make sure everyone is comfortable with decimals before we begin adding and subtracting. We discussed how we are laying the foundation for new ideas and I continue to encourage questions in both whole group and small group settings.
November 2-13
Lately in math we have been discussing number sentences. We have discussed that they require numbers and an equality symbol (=, >, <) and may have an operation symbol (+, -, x, /). We also are learning to determine if the number sentence is true or false. We will then see how parentheses affect a number sentence.
We have a test coming up next week! A study guide will be coming home in the next few days so students can begin studying.
October 26-30
In math this week we are working on multiplication facts. We introduced the 50 Facts Test which gives students 3 minutes to complete 50 basic multiplication fact problems. We also have been discussing functions and their rules. We will be continuing to learn new games. Please ask your student about these games as many can be adapted for a standard deck of cards and played at home.
Recently in math we have been working with data. In particular, we have been finding the minimum, maximum, range, mode, and median. The mean was introduced, but not discussed at length. This week also included reviewing addition and subtraction strategies. Although I will not require a specific method to be used on RSA's or on the test, I have asked students to try the method discussed that day both in class and on their homework. Our strategies discussed include: column addition (standard algorithm), partial sums, trade-first (standard algorithm), and partial differences.
Tuesday, October 20th will be the Unit 2 math test. Study guides will be sent home today. These will not be turned in or graded. They are provided as a tool to use to prepare for the test.
This week, Math has been a review of geometry concepts. We took a quadrilateral quiz yesterday which asked students to identify specific quadrangles including: squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombi, and kites. We also began the Unit 1 Math test today and will finish tomorrow. Next week we will begin Unit 2, which discusses data.
Lately in math we have been working on geometry. We started with angles, lines, line segments, and rays and now we have moved on to polygons. This includes quadrangles, parallelograms, rhombuses, trapezoids, squares, and rectangles. We are looking towards a test the week after next so it might be a good time to start reviewing vocabulary and new ideas. Some great study tools are their Student Resource Book, Math Journal, and class notes. Tomorrow we will be creating a reference sheet for quadrilaterals/quadrangles so this would be a great resource as well. Encourage students to ask questions in class and/or set up a time to meet with me, especially if they are absent. Normally, it takes no time at all to clear up confusion and make math more manageable.
August 25-28
This week in Math we began with expectations in Math. We also began familiarizing ourselves with all of our math materials. We looked through our Student Reference Book so we can effectively use it as a resource throughout the year.
August 31-September 4
This week we are beginning our first unit "Naming and Constructing Geometric Figures." We will begin with points, lines, and rays before moving on to angles, triangles, and quadrangles.
