Money, Money, Money!

Today we began a unit on MONEY. We will focus, first, on how to count bills/coins. Here are some tips:

- Start by counting the coins or bills with the greatest amount FIRST, then count coins of smaller values.

BILLS - HALF DOLLARS - QUARTERS - DIMES - NICKELS - PENNIES

- Help your child count change using real money. When you empty pockets or receive change from making a purchase, ask your child to count what you found or received. Practical, real-life practice is key!

- Help your child by modeling how to count change by "adding on." For example, if you had two quarters, three dimes and two pennies, start with .50 then add on the two dimes by counting by tens (.60 then .70 then .80) and then add on by counting by ones (.81 then .82).

- One of the most important skills - at this point in the unit - is for your child to recognize amounts of money without having to physically count or even think. Help your child with the following:

2 quarters = 50 cents

3 quarters = 75 cents

4 quarters = $1.00

10 dimes = $1.00

20 nickels = $1.00

Mountain Math

Check out a sample bulletin board for Mountain Math (this is essentially what ours looks like in the classroom). Each week, using the numbers, symbols or problems posted, students respond to questions and review 24 key concepts. The same concepts are reviewed each week - the numbers, shapes, problems, etc. change. Students did a GREAT job this week and I'm very excited about the great progress they will make with this supplemental spiral program. I am very confident that my students are going to master their content at higher levels and will be able to retain math skills instead of memorizing a skill during the unit and forgetting weeks later. Look for your child's Mountain Math answer sheet to see all the skills that were reviewed each week.

Subtraction and Regrouping

The following site gives a great illustrated and animated explanation for regrouping when subtracting.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/subtraction-regrouping.html

Another topic we have been working on is subtracting across zero. Most students have surprisingly done very well with this skill - it is usually pretty challenging!

Click on the link below and scroll down to find a tutorial, sample games and a quiz to check your child's understanding or mastery.
http://www.macmillanmh.com/math/2009/ca/student/grade3/chapter_03.html

Virtual Base Ten Pieces

This site might be helpful if your child is struggling with the concept of "regrouping" in addition.

VIRTUAL BASE TEN PIECES
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/math1-3/baseten-1.html

Addition

Most students are doing a great job with addition, but some tips for helping your child are included below:

Multi-digit addition can be a challenging concept for some. In order to help students, remind them that they need to -

1) LINE UP DIGITS. Many students are forgetting to line up their digits so that the ones place is directly over the ones place in the addend

368
+219
_____

The 8 and the 9 are directly over each other, helping the child to clearly see what needs to be added together (and to make sure they are adding the correct digits).

2) ADD THE ONES COLUMN FIRST. After adding the ones column, proceed by adding the tens, then the hundreds, etc. Multi-digit addition should always be done RIGHT to LEFT.

3) If, when adding a column together, the sum is larger than 9, students will have to REGROUP. See example below:

278
+159
_____

8+9 is larger than 9, so 17 has to be regrouped as 1 ten and 7 ones. Students should write down the 7 in the ones place and "carry" the one over to the tens. We have practiced using base-ten pieces in class, so students should be able to visualize, or draw out a visual representation of "17" using base ten pieces.

4) ADD ALL DIGITS in a column - even the "carried" digits.

5) CHECK WORK....does it make sense? Often, students will record a sum that is SMALLER than the addends they began with. This is just a careless error and can be easily fixed if students check, or proof their work.

Rounding demonstration

Rounding is challenging....if your child is struggling, hang in there....it will get better as the week progresses!

ROUNDING

Rounding is a math concept that is sometimes tricky for students. Some students will master the concept with ease, while others are often stumped by its more abstract nature. I encourage my students to think about rounding in conjunction with a roller coaster or a hill with a car. Numbers either roll over the hill (rounding up) or fall back down the hill (rounding down). The trick is to teach students to look, like a detective, at the CLUE the number leaves for you. This clue is the digit to the RIGHT of whatever place you are rounding to. For example:

Round 62 to the nearest TEN.

Look at the TENS place (6, value 60)

Look at the digit to the right of the tens place, in the ones place (2)

If the number to the right of the place being rounded is 5 or GREATER, round the number up. If the number is less than 5, round DOWN.

I ask students to always lay out two possibilities or choices. See the example below:

45 - round to the nearest ten

Choices: 40 or 50 (since rounding to the nearest ten, my choices must end in zeros)

Look at the tens place (4, value 40)

Look at the ones place - the digit is 5, therefore I will round up

The answer is 50

It often helps students to have a visual of a hill and even a paper car to move up and down the hill. The important steps to remember:

1) Think through both choices (rounding up or down)

2) Look at the place you are asked to round to

3) Look at the secret number to the RIGHT of the place you are rounding to

4) Decide if you should round UP or DOWN

I will post a video later in the week.

Alligator song video

Along Came Mr. Alligator (Greater Than and Less Than)

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES..........

I am having issues with my Flip camera, which is why my video posts have been delayed. I apologize for that. It is supposed to be plug-n-play, but apparently isn't cooperating with my Mac computer. I will keep working on it and hopefully post math instructional videos regularly VERY soon!

Here is a description of the video I was GOING to post....

My daughter inspired me with a song for our math lesson on greater than and less than. Using the children's song, "5 Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree," I used the lyrics from this song to engage my students and tap into their interest during an introduction to comparing numbers. Students were given two numbers to show to the class. As the class sang the following lyrics, "5 little monkeys sitting in a tree...teasing Mr. Alligator, can't catch me.....along comes Mr. Alligator quiet as can be.....and SNAPPED that monkey out of that tree!" Using a slapstick musical instrument, the alligator had to "snap" the number that was GREATER than the other. The shape of the slapstick simulated a greater than and less than sign. We had a lot of fun and I hope it will be a memorable lesson.

MATH UPDATE

We have been working hard on place value - all the way to the ten thousands place! I have been so impressed at the number sense my students already have demonstrated. Very refreshing and encouraging! The next logical skill to work on in the world of number sense is comparing and ordering numbers. Today we worked on greater than and less than. We discussed comparing simple, 1-digit numbers, all the way to 4 and 5-digit numbers! We enjoyed some hands-on game activities in small groups, discussed real life applications (comparing items when shopping), enjoyed a fun song/visual representation of comparing numbers (stay tuned for a video clip) and then practiced through written notation using <, >, and =.

TIP: When helping students compare numbers with multiple digits, always compare each place value, one at a time. Also, always start with the LARGEST place.....not the ones place.

For example:

5, 679 ____ 5, 782

Compare the 5's first (thousands place)

Then compare the hundreds (6 vs. 7)

Students should know that 7 is greater than 6, so 5,782 is GREATER than 5,679.

MATH CURSE

Today we read the book, Math Curse, which gave us a wonderful introduction to our math curriculum for the school year. If you have never seen the book, you should definitely check it out! In the book, a female student is told by her teacher that "you can think of everything as a math problem." Sure enough, the next day, she wakes up and experiences math through every facet of her daily life! I used this book as a springboard as we discussed ways we use math in our everyday lives....with the recurring theme being "we cannot escape math!" We solved some of the girl's "math curse problems" together as a class, and then students demonstrated their own mathematical skills by solving problems individually (applying addition, subtraction, counting by 2's, 10's or repeated addition, and fractions).

Open House

Join us for our OPEN HOUSE from 4:00-7:00 on July 29th! This is a drop-in event, so feel free to arrive at any time between the designated hours. Students may bring their supplies so that they have less to bring to school the first day! Come and discover our classroom! Find your desk, locate your cubby, meet new friends and get to know your new teacher!

Welcome New Students and Families!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year! I am so excited about this upcoming school year! We will have so many opportunities to learn, grow, achieve and succeed! Please subscribe to this blog so that you will receive notification each time it is updated. I plan to upload announcements, reminders, newsletters, and even video podcasts to assist with homework, lessons, etc. It is my desire that this blog will serve as a connection between home and school, strengthening the bond we have as partners in your child's education! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions regarding use/navigation of this blog.