We have been exploring patterns this week in class. We are starting with simple patterns (ex. "Start at 5 and add 7 each time" or "Start at 44 and divide by 2 each time") and next week we will move on to more complicated patterns (that involve multiple operations - ex. for each term multiply by 2 and add 5). Concepts to discuss and review at home this week: -Addition and subtraction are connected ("inverse operations" - each addition pattern can also be a subtraction pattern if you reverse the direction) -Multiplication and division are connected (ex. a "Multiply by 7" pattern rule can also translate into a "Divide by 7" pattern rule in the opposite direction) -Growing patterns involve addition and multiplication -Shrinking patterns involve subtraction and division (so when finding a pattern rule for a given set of numbers, if a subtraction rule isn't working... try a division one!) -Please review multiplication tables, as this will help your child with patterning. See below! Take a look at the photos below. These are large group math talks/discussions that we had in class. Ask your child to explain them to you - this oral review will help your child solidify what we are learning in class! For the discussions above, students generally get a few minutes to "think it out" themselves on their Math Talk page, and then we begin a group discussion on the task where concepts are reinforced orally and visually. We have also been focussing on creating "T-Charts" or "Table of Values" - these will be crucial moving forward (when we begin to find ordered pairs and graph them next week).
0 Comments
We have jumped into "Math Talks" this week, which involve an open-ended question posed to the class, five minutes to work on the question individually, and then a group discussion where we share our thoughts. I love hearing the ideas and insights that stem from these questions - so much learning can actually occur from our peers when we share our ideas. Students really loved our "Robot Angle Activity" this week. The goal: use your creativity to design a robot that has at least two acute angles, two obtuse angles, two right angles, an angle of exactly 45 degrees and another angle of exactly 130 degrees. Students are now masters at measuring and drawing angles with their protractors! Angle Bingo was a hit - and very competitive! I loved hearing the cheers and seeing the smiles as we played this game. Best quote once we were done: "Phew! That was intense! I felt like I was in the Hunger Games!" Ha! Maybe we need to tone our competitive sides down... And finally... our Grade 6s have been working hard on their angle letters... look at all those acute, obtuse, right, opposite, supplementary and complementary angles! #BetterThanAWorksheet Take a look at our final message:
This week, we have been learning all about angles. How do we make measuring angles fun? Ha! We let them draw on their desks... #InstantEngagement The words "What do you notice?" are a very powerful tool. Without an explicit lecture from me, kids began making some interesting discoveries on their own.... The Gr 6 class is also working on a special secret message... what will it say? Can you guess? This week we tried math centers! They sure look different this year with the new covid rules, but hey - they worked and the class loved them. Read below to find out more. First, we learned how to add and subtract with decimal numbers. Key points: line up the decimals and be careful if you are subtracting across zeros - this is tricky! Below are a few examples we did each day this week as a group and as individual practise: Then we rotated through math centers to practise our new skill. Students did a different activity each day: Scoot Math Practise, Decimal More or Less Task Cards, Safari Menu Math and Place Value Yahtzee. Ask your child to explain each center to you! We've also done lots of other place value work. Click on the image to enlarge. Next week, we'll have a little math quiz.
Concepts to review: -Place value (value of a digit, place of a digit, word form, expanded form) *There are task cards in last week's blog post as optional review homework and you can also use THIS as extra review if needed. -Representing decimal place value with base ten blocks -Comparing and ordering decimal numbers (greater than, less than, equal to) -Adding and subtracting decimal numbers (Hint: review subtraction across zeros) This week we continued to learn about place value, with a focus on decimals. I feel that the more I can teach the same concept in different ways, the more I can help students solidify their mathematical understanding. So as a result we've watched videos, repeated core concepts daily, used manipulatives and applied our understanding to different concepts again... and again... and again! Concepts to review: Place value from hundred thousands to hundredths (Gr 5) and millions to thousandths (Gr 6), word form, expanded form including decimal numbers (ex. 456,061.25 = 400,000 + 50,000 + 6,000 + 60 + 1 + 0.2 + 0.05) and the value of a digit (ex. in the previous example, the 4 is worth four hundred thousand and the 2 is worth two tenths). A highlight this week was watching the Daytona 500 Nascar Race in math class. Yes, you read that correctly! We can find applicable math anywhere! Students made predictions about which car would win, and then analysed the results to determine the finish order. It's harder than you think to arrange the results in order when they convert three hours of racing into seconds, and the winner is determined by only one hundredth of a second! Can YOU determine which car won? Check your answer by asking your child :-) Want extra practise? Download these Task Cards for review. Your child can simply write the answers down on a blank sheet of paper and then check them by either using the camera on your smartphone (for the QR codes) or the answer sheet provided.
Mrs J :-) |
Mrs JorgensenI love math and think math jokes are funny. Not all of them though - just sum. Archives
March 2021
Categories |