Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Multiplication Flash Cards!!

I want to remind all parents that it is your responsibility to work with your child on their multiplication flash cards every night. They will be taking a timed test every week for the chance to earn an ice cream party. I will be teaching your child the concept of multiplication. I will make sure that they understand why 5 x 6=30. Yesterday they learned how to use repeated addition to solve a multiplication problem and today they learned how to draw a picture to represent each number sentence. Ask your child to show you how they would draw a picture to solve 12 x 2=.

Today we also had our vision checked by the school nurse. Many of our students may need to go to the doctor to have their vision checked further. Please ask your child if they were one of the students that had their orange card kept by the school nurse. If their orange card was kept that means that the nurse saw that they may need further testing done by their doctor.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Multiplication Is Here!!!

We started multiplication today and man are the kids excited. I hope that excitement continues through the next six or seven weeks as we move through all of the multiplication and division facts. All of the students are bringing home a letter today that tells them in which order they need to study the multiplication facts. The first timed test will be next Friday and it has the 0, 1, and 2's facts on them. They must complete 40 problems in 3 minutes. Please remember that I will teach them the why of the facts, you need to help them memorize the facts by using the flash cards each night. Today we learned: Multiplication as Repeated Addition

We discovered today that all multiplication is, is repeated addition. For example: 4 groups of 3 is written as 4 X 3=. The 4 is the number of groups and the 3 is the number of things in each group. The students would add up 3+3+3+3=12, so 4 x 3= 12.

They could not believe that they already knew how to multiply. Please continue helping with this at home. I have enjoyed meeting with all of you at conferences.

Monday, October 18, 2010

What's My Rule?

Today the students learned how to use in/out boxes to discover what a rule is for a given set of numbers. Right now they will only have addition and subtraction as a rule. For example if a rule is -5, the in box may be 15, the out box 10, the in box 20, the out box 15, and they have to figure out that they are subtracting 5.

The second math group will have a test on Thursday and the first math group will have a test on Friday. Please review over the properties of addition, fact families, what's my rule, and finding missing numbers.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Properties of Addition

Today the first math class took their math test and they will be learning the properties of addition tomorrow. The second math class went over the math test in small groups to correct their answers and then had a mini lesson on the properties of addition.

Properties of Addition


Commutative Property: No matter the order of the numbers the answer remains the same
Example: 3+4=7 4+3=7 so, 3+4=4+3

Associative Property: No matter how the numbers are grouped the answer remains the same.
Example: (2+1)+5=8 2+(1+5)=8 so, (2+1)+5=2+(1+5)

Identity (Zero) Property: When a number is added to zero the answer is that same number.
Example: 3+0=3

On Tuesday we went to Ms. Jones and Mrs. Surridge's classrooms to enjoy the SMART boards. The kids all got to touch the SMART board and then we watched some bones videos on the Discovery Education site. We will be trying to get into play with the SMART boards as often as we can.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Review Day!!

Please make sure to review the math concepts that have been taught over the past month with your child. The second math group will have their test on Tuesday and the first math group will have their test on Wednesday. The test will include the following concepts: rounding, estimating sums and difference, two and three digit addition with and without regrouping, two and three digit subtraction with and without regrouping, fact families, and missing numbers. Please review the vocabulary of each concept with your child. The entire test consist of word problems and they will have to figure out whether they add, subtract, round, or regroup. Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at conferences next week.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Midterms and Conference Sign Up

Midterms came home yesterday. Please remember that these grades only reflect a short period of time. These grades also do not include the class participation grade that they will receive at the end of the quarter. If your child has a zero for any assignment, this means that they have not turned in that assignment me. They can still receive partial credit if they turn in the assignment.

The conference sign-up sheet came home yesterday. All parents must sign up for a conference in the first quarter. Please return both the conference sign-up sheet and midterm report on Monday.

Editors Only: Stories Pictures Files Shortcuts Discuss Prefs Admin Bulletins Calendar Logoff Help

Math Topics

Place Value
The students have been learning place value and that each number has a value depending on where it is located in a number. We used the place value chart to show the differences in the ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands places. The students discovered that the number: 4, 568 has different values. Such as the 8 in the ones place is 8, the 6 in the tens place has a value of 60, the 5 in the hundreds place has a value of 500, and the 4 in the thousands place has a value of 4,000. We used place value blocks to show how different numbers can be made and changed.

Forms of Writing Numbers
Standard Form: This is a fancy way of saying a regular number. (4, 568)
Expanded Form: The number is stretched out to show the different place values. (4,000+500+60+8=4,568)
Word Form: The number is written down in words. (Four Thousand Five Hundred Sixty Eight)

Compare Numbers Up to 10,000 Place
Greater Than: >
Less Than: <
Equal To: =
Remind your child that the "alligator" always chomps down on the larger amount.

Order Numbers Up to 10,000 Place
Students will need to order numbers from least to greatest or from greatest to least.

For example: 1, 246; 5, 824; 1, 252
Greatest to Least: 5, 824; 1, 252; 1, 246
Least to Greatest: 1, 246; 1, 252; 5, 824

Another way they may ask a question like this is:

What is the smallest possible number you can make from these digits?

5 4 3 8

3, 458

What is largest possible number you can make from these digits?

5 4 3 8

8, 543


If you are comparing the two numbers 10, 546 and 10, 559, the students will look at the biggest place value first and compare. If the number is the same, then we say the alligator can't make a decision and they need to move to the next place value and so on, until the alligator can choose the biggest number. 10, 546 < 10, 559 Read this number as 10, 546 is less than 10, 559.

Rounding to the Nearest 10

549

Step 1: Underline the 10's place. This will help you decide which two tens 49 falls between.
Step 2: Draw an arrow underneath the four. Write 40 below the arrow. This tells you it could round down to 40.
Step 3: Draw an arrow above the four. Write 50 above the arrow. This tells you it could round down to 50.
Step 4: Circle the 9. This tells you whether you are going to round up or down.

0, 1, 2, 3, 4 Hit the floor. (Round Down)
5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Raise the vine. (Round Up)

Step 5: The 9 is in the round up category so the number would round up to 550.

Round to the Nearest 100 Place

You will follow the same steps as above, but underline the 100s place to tell you which two 100s it could round to, and circle the tens place to tell you to round up or down.

Estimating Sums
(Rounding) (Add)
When you estimate a sum, you will round the numbers either to the nearest 10s or 100s place. You will then add the two rounded numbers together to get an answer that is an estimate of the sum. Tests will ask this question in many different ways such as "Fred has 245 stickers and Bob has 546, about how many stickers do they have altogether?" '' Estimate the sum of 126+245 to the nearest 100."

Estimating Differences
(Rounding) (Subtract)
When you estimate a difference, you will round the numbers either to the nearest 10s or 100s place. Then subtract the two rounded numbers to get an answer that is an estimate of the difference.

Adding Two-Digit Numbers

Rule 1: Line up the numbers by place value.
Rule 2: ALWAYS start in the ones place.
Rule 3: Work from top to bottom.

Example 1: 25+32= Have your child line up the place values and then add 5+2 and then 2+3.

Example 2: 37+45= When you have to re-group ("carry" to us who went to school more than 10 years ago), I still have my kids start in the ones place and add up 7+5=, but when they get that answer I have them arrow over to the right and write down the answer to the ones place to make it easier for them to put the ones with the ones and the tens with the tens. Then add the tens place, starting from the top with the re-grouped one and working our way down to 3 and then 4.

Adding Three Digit Numbers

** The rules remain the same.**

Example 1: 342+232= Add 2+2, then 4+3, then 3+2.

Example 2: 546+245= Add 6+5, arrow over to the right and write down the 11, put the one in the ones place and the other one above the tens place, add the 1+4+4, then add the hundreds 5+2.

Example 3: 268+379= When you need to re-group twice, have them arrow over to the right for the ones place and over to the left for the tens place. Add 8+9, arrow the 17 to the right of the ones, put the 7 under the ones place and re-group the 1 over the tens place, add from top to bottom in the tens place 1+6+7=14, arrow the 14 to the right of the plus sign, place the four under the tens and the one on top of the hundreds, finally add the hundreds from top to bottom 1+2+3=6.

Subtracting Two and Three Digit Numbers without Regrouping

1. Line up the place values.
2. Start in the ones place.
3. Ask yourself can I subtract these two numbers. If yes, then subtract through the place values. If no, please see subtracting with regrouping.
4. Check your work by adding the answer to the second number. If you get the third number, you are right!!! If you do not get the third number, then go back and check your work.

Example 1: 49 17
-32 +32
_____ ______
17 47

Example 2: 145 13
-132 +132
_____ _____
013 145

Subtracting Two and Three Digit Numbers With Regrouping (Borrow and Carrying for the old school people like me!)

1. Line up the place values.
2. Start in the ones place.
3. Ask yourself can I subtract the bottom number from the top number. If no, then you need to go next door to the tens and borrow one ten. Cross out the number in the tens place and make it one less, add the ten that you borrowed to the number in the ones place and subtract.
5. Check your work with addition.

Fact Families and Missing Numbers

With addition and subtraction fact families there are always 2 addition number sentences and 2 subtraction number sentences.

For example:

3, 5, 8

3+5=8
5+3=8
8-3=5
8-5=3

When looking at fact family problems students may also have to find a missing number.

For Example:

560- * = 235

so, they would need to subtract 560-235= 325.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

HELP! My child doesn't get it. What can I do?

I hear this all the time from parents. My biggest suggestion to you is to check out my website, blog, the FROG binder, and now studyisland.com. This is a wonderful resource for you to use at home with your child. This allows them to practice both reading and math skills that they are learning in class. Most students usernames are: first name.last name Ex. jenna.patrick and their passwords are study. If this username does not work for your child, please have them ask me for their specific username.

The skills we have been learning over the past two days are:

Subtracting Two and Three Digit Numbers without Regrouping

1. Line up the place values.
2. Start in the ones place.
3. Ask yourself can I subtract these two numbers. If yes, then subtract through the place values. If no, please see subtracting with regrouping.
4. Check your work by adding the answer to the second number. If you get the third number, you are right!!! If you do not get the third number, then go back and check your work.

Example 1: 49 17
-32 +32
_____ ______
17 47

Example 2: 145 13
-132 +132
_____ _____
013 145

Subtracting Two and Three Digit Numbers With Regrouping (Borrow and Carrying for the old school people like me!)

1. Line up the place values.
2. Start in the ones place.
3. Ask yourself can I subtract the bottom number from the top number. If no, then you need to go next door to the tens and borrow one ten. Cross out the number in the tens place and make it one less, add the ten that you borrowed to the number in the ones place and subtract.
5. Check your work with addition.

Thank you for checking out my website and blog. I do my best to get to it everyday, but sometimes life gets in the way. Thank you for understanding.

***Please look for conference sign up sheets to come home next week!!!