Re-Take Day

Plan of attack!

First, your priority is to do well on the re-take, above all else your re-take score is what I'm looking for.

Question I'm going to ask you one question when you turn it in to me:

DID YOU DO YOUR BEST?

After that, get a computer and do the following:

1. xtramath.org

2. Make 24

3. After you complete/try these two sites, go to the top right of the blog and select a math game.

Decimals and Fractions Re-Teach

Here's what we're working on today.  It's an in-class assignment, but you can practice more if you wish.    

Also, check the next post to see Mr. Nelson's links, they are great!

Chapter 4, one more time with feeling!

Well, the rollercoaster of WKCE schedules is over and a short week for Thanksgiving.  We took the Chapter 4 test before we left.  It was mostly on factors and GCFs.  As I corrected them I noticed that some areas we did pretty well on, but not as well as I would have liked as a whole. 

Therefore, we are taking this week to review, re-teach, and re-learn the missing pieces from our educational puzzle.  Today I went back over GCF and some various math review that is due tomorrow. 

I noticed that my esteemed teaching counterpart on the blue side, Mr. Nelson, found many, many, cool links to help and I will direct you to his page as well to see them and try them out.  They can be found here:

http://mrnelsonmath624.blogspot.com/

Check out "GCF revisited" 

Sometimes we need to slow down to go faster.  I'd rather take the time to do it right this time than do it over again.  The schedule for this week is:

Tues: GCF
Wed: Fractions to Decimals and vice versa
Thurs: Reducing, Reducing, and more Reducing
Friday: Retake for those who scored a 1 or a 2. 

I will post those grades this weekend, so be sure to check them out.  Also, tests will be back to them on Monday of next week. 

There may be a few minutes of work to do at home as we have more repetition this week, but not a ton, expect 20 minutes or so a night on the top end. 

See you tomorrow!  Any questions about math, please email me. 

LCM

We start Least Common Multiple tomorrow (LCM) you may remember how to find it, if not, we're learning it tomorrow.

Here's a little snowball throwing game I found if you want to practice before tomorrow:

Snowball fight!

I hope all had a great Thanksgiving and awesome job to both Lylen and Connor who passed a level on www.xtramath.org

Two pictures we'll talk about on Monday:

Chapter 4 Test Tuesday

Here's the Interactive Practice Test

We used clickers today, a system that allows each student to use a remote control device to select an answer and then see if they are correct.  At the end we checked out how the class did and went through each example so we have a better understanding of how to do each thing. 

Factoring, Prime Factorization, Greatest Common Factors, Equivalent Fractions, Mixed Numbers, and Improper Fractions. 

Also, keep doing the xtramath.org if you finish all four levels I'll be getting you some kind of reward.  Email me if you forgot/lost your pin number. 

Wednesday is an Early Release day, so we'll be doing some kind of math game or Thanksgiving based math lesson. 

End of the Week

1. Math Test Tuesday about factors and fractions

2. All students have their log-ins for the my.hrw.com

3. All students are encouraged to go to xtramath.org daily and master their basic facts.  They also have log in and password information.

Common Denominators

One of the most frustrating things is trying to order fractions from least or greatest or vice versa.  We use common denominators to make it easier.  I tell the kids it's like comparing apples to apples (then they say "like the game?" then I say no.  :) ) or oranges to oranges.

Let's say we have 3/4 and 2/8.  We can either count (find the LCM) by each number and find out the easiest option is 8.  So, 3/4 = 6/8 and we keep 2/8 the same.

However, it's tough for them to do that sometimes, so another method is to multiply the denominators and find equivalent fractions.  So, 4 x 8 = 32, we then write 3/4 as 24/32 and 2/8 as 8/32.  Doing this we can easily see that 24/32 is greater than 2/8.

Also, one of the math students, Anthony showed me a website that is really neat and I will be turning it into a "page" on the top menu soon.

Friday is a computer day, so students will be reminded/given their log in information for both my.hrw.com and xtramath.org

Until tomorrow!

Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions

First, TEST TUESDAY!, now that that's out of the way, today we looked at moving and transitioning from mixed numbers to improper fractions and improper fractions to mixed numbers. 

Improper Fractions have larger numerators than denominators, in plain terms, bigger number on top and smaller number on bottom. 

Mixed numbers have a whole number AND a fraction.  The process of moving from one to the other was what we practiced today.  Last day to WKCE testing is tomorrow.  Computers on Friday and I will be reminding the students about log-ins and passwords for the my.hrw.com site and also xtramath.org. 

Last thing: I thought it was cool that fractions or fracture have the origin in Latin from the word "fractus" which means broken.  Pretty cool fact. 

WKCE testing and fractions to decimals

Greetings, let me recap the past two days.  We completed a short quiz on factors, prime factorization (trees), and also GCF.  The quiz was out of nine points and is posted in the gradebook.  If your son/daughter did not master a section we are still practicing them daily and hope to master the skill by test time.  I expect the test to be next Tuesday, so we don't have to carry over through Thanksgiving break. 

With the WKCE's we will be doing reading again on Tuesday and then Math has tests on Wednesday and Thursday.  I will try to post some vocab and areas that are common struggles for students. 

Here's the plan for the week:
Tuesday: Equivalent Fractions
Wednesday: Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions
Thursday: Comparing and Ordering Fractions
Friday: An activity to review our skills

Next week:
Monday: Review for Test
Tuesday: Fractions Test
Wednesday: Early release day, math activity or group work. 
Thursday and Friday: NO SCHOOL.

Don't forget conferences Tuesday evening if you haven't already attended.  :) 

Challenge and Conferences

Here's the answer, the winner of the contest for the closest guess is Allison H.  She guessed 425 and the answer was, well watch the video to find out.  :)

The interesting thing about the guesses is that almost no one guessed a number that didn't end in 0 or 5. I hope they just thought I was using only exact rolls and went from there.  However, I did not, I filled it up.  Many, many guesses of 400.

Awesome job, they explained to me in class today that the reason they chose 400 ranged from estimating, figuring out the ratio, measuring, and even setting up a formula where "x" was the variable for space left in the jar.

My goal was to get them to think and explain math in their own terms without a book problem, but with  a video example.  I think it worked!  :)

Conferences are tonight and also Tuesday, hope to see you there!

Math Challenge Answer

Penny Challenge Total from John Flaten on Vimeo.

Fractions are coming, the fractions are coming!

With term one in the books and forty-five days of school behind us we are turning our attention to fractions for chapter four of the Holt Mathematics curriculum.  (That's 1/4 of the school year for the people who already love fractions!) 

Today we completed a pre-test to see which parts we need to spend less time on and which areas we need to concentrate on more on the upcoming unit. 

As always, the building blocks of success are mastery of math facts.  I will be getting everyone a login and instructions for an online math facts way to master them, or refresh. 

NOTE: CONFERENCES ARE THIS THURSDAY AND NEXT TUESDAY

Also, Tuesday is the last day to turn in guesses for the "How many pennies" challenge.  The reveal will be on Wednesday in class and online. 

Experiment

From today's Love and Logic's facebook post:

Experiment:
 

Take a statement you might make to try to get a kid to think and see if you can turn it into a question.
 

Example: Instead of "That's not going to work." use "How do you think that's going to work?"
 

Questions create more thinking.

Term 1 assessment, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

Today we are doing a short twenty-five question assessment to see what we've learned so far this year.  On Monday we are going to look at the item analysis to see how people get the answers they do and if there are any ideas on how to improve on the frequently missed problems.

We start fractions next chapter and I am looking forward to conferences coming up on Thursday and the following Tuesday.  If you have questions for me, please email or call.

Enjoy the hour longer weekend!

Chapter 3 Test and End of Term 1

Greetings and good morning!  Today is a busy day in class.  We are doing the following:

1.  Giving back yesterday's tests on decimals.  If someone was absent or did not finish, they will finish today.  I am reteaching all sections as we go through them and I am showing the students common errors that I saw.

2.  This year in math we have a writing prompt grade and today's topic is "Explain how you solve a long division problem."  We're looking to improve their ability to clearly say what they are doing and showing evidence that they really understand not just how, but why.  This is also a skill needed on the WKCE tests that are coming up Nov. 12-15th.

I demonstrated a simple addition problem 2 + 3 = 5

"To find the answer to the addition problem I looked at the addends two and three to equal five.  If I needed to check the answer I could do the inverse operation of subtraction."

This is much better than what I normally see: "I just got the answer."

3. We are taking a short assessment of all Term 1 material on Friday.  It will be Chapters 1, 2, and 3.

4. Also, at conferences I am going to give all students their login information for xtramath.org

5. The end of the term is Monday, November 5th.