Mrs. Terry's Mathematicians

This first nine weeks has been a whirlwind! I wanted to update you all on what our mathematicians have been doing lately.

Everyday Math:

Second graders are wrapping up Unit 2 in the Grade 3 Everyday Math book. They have been working on multi-digit addition and subtraction. The kids have learned some different strategies, such as the counting-up method, the trade first method, and partial sums. The second grade group has also been working on problem solving strategies. I have been so proud of this group! Coming next will be Unit 3, which focuses on linear measurement and finding area and perimeter.

Third graders are still working on Unit 3 in the Grade 4 Everyday Math book. They have been learning new mathematical vocabulary, such as factor, product, conversion,multiples, dividends, quotient, square numbers, etc. Students have been practicing multiplication concepts, and have been introduced to solving equations in algebra. Formal introduction to algebra in a 4th grade book may surprise you, but an early start in algebra is considered an integral part of the Everyday Math philosophy and is woven in to units beginning in first grade! Third graders were very excited this week because we got onto Google Earth and measured air distances between different locations around the world. If you haven't downloaded Google Earth, I highly recommend it. The kids are absolutely fascinated by it!

Everyday Math Questions:

Have you been wondering why the kids are learning so many different strategies in math? Have you noticed that many of our strategies are ones that we, as adults, never learned in school? Well, don't be afraid of new strategies! When children create and share their own ways of doing operations instead of simply learning one method, they begin to realize that any problem can be solved in more than one way. They are more willing and able to take risks, think logically, and reason analytically. If you are struggling with these new strategies, please remember you have access to an excellent free resource.....just go to http://www.everydaymathonline.com/ and choose "Free Resources." If you go to the section on Algorithms in Everyday Math, you can choose a grade level and find all of our strategies. There is also an animated section that shows great examples of the strategies with an audio that explains each and every step!

You may be wondering where all the math worksheets are?! Well, there aren't any for the most part. Students work out of their Student Math Journal each day and those pages are never torn out. Ocassionally, I will have students bring home those journals so that you can see what they have been working on and their grades. Not all pages are for a grade.....these pages are also used for in class discussions and practice. If your child ever brings this workbook home, it MUST come back the following day! You will see Study Links (Gr. 3) and Home Links (Gr.4) coming home. This is homework that is expected to be completed. However, Home Links are not graded because parents have the answers at home in the Family Letter that comes home before each unit. These Study Links/Home Links are key components to our math program because it helps the kids reinforce what they have learned in class, and helps you to stay connected to their learning.

What if your child already knows all of the concepts in a unit?? Students are pretested before each unit. If they receive a 90% or above on the unit pretest (which rarely occurs), I will put them on an alternative path for that unit that will broaden and enrich the concepts that they have already proven to have mastered on the pretest.

All of the students have personal logins for http://www.everydaymathonline.com/. Your child can login on the website from home to play all of the Everyday Math games that support our learning at school!

It is also very helpful for you to encourage your child to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. You can use flashcards or online resources. Very few of the students have mastered their facts. Mastery is being able to correctly answer 45 out of 50 facts in three minutes.

Math is a highly interactive, busy time in our classroom. I appreciate the help from my math parent volunteers: Mrs. Meller, Mrs. Grant, Mrs. LeBlanc, Mrs. Cougill, and Mrs. Okuhara. Each day students are doing direct lessons with me, independent assignments for practice, and math games.