Math Contest

Today we are in groups and doing this challenge.  The rules are simple, 30 minutes, one answer for each question for each group.  Teams with the most points for each period will be able to choose the candy bar of their choice and Mr. Flaten will buy it for you over break.

Math Contest Questions

Answer Form, One per group.

Good Luck!

Final part of the Mid-Year checkup and how many pennies

Math Challenge  "How many pennies?"

How many pennies? from John Flaten on Vimeo.


Note: This is a challenge I did before, so I will not be accepting answers as I did last time, rather watch and then make a guess, then watch the next video called penny challenge total to see how close you were.  Enjoy!  

TODAY IN UTW:


• XtraMath

• Khan Academy

          >  Today you need at least 20 minutes and at least 2000 points

• Multiplication.com Math games

Plan for Tuesday, December 17th

Alright, today we complete "part 1" of the mid-year assessment.  This is a check of how much you've learned from the very beginning of the year to this point.  You will see that this is a gradecam quiz and you should not write on the question sheet.

Do your best and give a full effort so we can fully gauge your progress thus far.

When you have completed the problems for today use your chomebook to work the remainder of the period on

 khan academy

note: make sure if you have a number on the top right of your screen, please change the settings to your name so it is easier for you and I to see your most current status.  

Part II tomorrow and a level up chance on the Ratio problems we just learned about!

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UTW

Today we are doing the following:

1. www.xtramath.org

2. Computation sheet (front and back)

3. Opportunity to use a computer to gain as much intelligence as you can before class is over.  

Mid-Year Review

Mid-Year Review!!

This week we will be reviewing everything that we have covered so far this year, and we will be assessing your Math knowledge!

Today in Math class:

• Start on the Mid-Year Review 
• XtraMath
• Khan Academy - You only need 10 minutes and 1,000 points today

Level Ups and Reteaching

Today we are doing some level up items to improve upon our scores, the goal is to try to eliminate 1's and improve any scores that aren't 3's.

Here's the order of events:
1. Level up sheets, these are important and I'd like to see you prove your skill gains.  Your teacher(s) can and will provide extra instruction as requested by you.

2. If you complete your level up sheet(s) proceed to the ticket problem.

Here's the link, make sure you make a copy and then when you are done share it with me, so I give you credit.

Ticket Problem

3. If you finish, please work on something educational so you are smarter than when you came in the door.  Enjoy!

Plans for Thursday Dec. 12th

Class:
1. Complete the evidence collection for 5.1 to 5.4, turn into the basket when complete.
2. Work on the following questions, there are some challenging problems and the winner will get a prize!

Here's the link:

Challenge Questions

3. If all of that is done you may complete www.xtramath.org and/or go to www.khanacademy.org

Which is the better buy?

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Extra
TODAY IN UTW:

• Complete two sheets from the folder. 

• XtraMath

          >  Sign in with you Math Class PIN number

• Khan Academy

          >  Today you need at least 10 minutes 

• Computer Time for you to work on or play brain building games.  

5.4 Which is the better buy?

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Extra
TODAY IN UTW:

• Complete one sheet from the folder first. 

• XtraMath

          >  Sign in with you Math Class PIN number

• IXL: Which is a better buy? - You may use a calculator for this!

          >  Work through all 20 problems
          >  Show your teacher your SmartScore

• Khan Academy

          >  Today you need at least 20 minutes and at least 2000 points

• Multiplication.com Math games

5.3 Unit Rates continued

Today we're talking more unit rates.  From class today.

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Early Finishers try this game: Unit Rate game

Extra:
1. XtraMath
2. IXL: Unit Rate

3. Khan Academy

• Multiplication.com Math games

Unit Rates

Which is a better buy or deal? I've noticed that at the grocery store we find some different types of people, here are some we talked about today.

1. The get in and get out person, they know exactly what they want and go as fast as possible, even if they don't get a great deal.
2. The wanderer, this person is always surprised to see what they have at the store and grab anything they feel like, this person is hugely impacted by the cool looking stuff.
3. The smart shopper, this person looks for the best deal and compares the unit prices, you can usually spot this person as they look at items for a long time and then make the decision.

Video about Unit Rates

Good stuff, stay warm this weekend!

Ratio Tables

Here's what we did today, finding the missing numbers using ratios.

New Chapter Rates and Ratios

Area of Composite Figures

Sometimes we get figures that we can't figure as is, so we break them up into smaller figures we know how to find, such as triangles, rectangles, and trapezoids.  Here's a picture to show you an example:

Area of Polygons

So, here's what we've been doing the last couple of days.  Hoping to get back to blogging everyday for more current updates.

Review Day and practice online

Alright, let's say you want to do some practice in preparation for tomorrow's evidence gathering (quiz) about the properties and beginning algebra, and you are looking for an online practice quiz, here you go:

http://www.bigideasmath.com/protected/content/dcs_cc2/g6/c03/ct/tp_03_ct.htm

Quiz tomorrow and hoping that everyone proves their knowledge to a level of 3.

Factoring Out with GCF

Today we looked at a problem like this:

8 + 2

Normally we'd just say 10 and move on, but today we were factoring out the GCF and re-writing the problem in the following format:

GCF ( factor + or - factor)

So, it would be:

2 ( 4 + 1)

Still 10, but written differently.  This is an algebra readiness skill for later in their math career, but they seem to be picking it up quickly.

Tomorrow Review
Wednesday: Quiz

This week's schedule

Monday - Associative and Commutative Properties
Tuesday - Distributive Property
Wednesday - Distributive Property practice
Thursday and Friday - WKCE math tests in class.  Bring pencil and SSR book to class. 

Expressions

Today we laid the groundwork for the algebraic expressions that will becoming more important throughout their middle and high school careers.  Here's an example of what we're talking about currently:

This week we are looking at expressions and next week we continue with WKCE testing on Thursday and Friday of next week.  No need to prepare, just do your best.  Also, conference forms are coming home with times.  If you have a specific math question, please email me and I'll make sure to either tell your Cares teacher or I'll email you back with the answer.  Thanks!

Online gradebook and Chapter 3 pretest

Today is as it sounds, we tried (with some success) to log into the online gradebook.  You can ask you child about that and we'll work on it again another day.  Also we pretested on Chapter 3, so tomorrow we're talking a little more algebraically.  That's about it, not much else. 

In cares the topic we were giving was "Is rap music negatively affecting our youth?"  If you have thoughts on that you can also post and I'll share with the class. 

Decimals Assessment

I'm in the process of checking the evidence that the students gave me today.  The case is to see/prove that they can add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals using the standard algorithm.  I will have them in the gradebook sometime this weekend.  Also the "level up" sheets are done for the week and I love to see who upgraded their grade and showed mastery over the skills they previously did not demonstrate. 

Last weekend of October and the term ends in a few school days.  Monday I will be attempting to show students how to access their online grades and prepare a progress report for before conferences. 

Enjoy! 

Decimals

Yesterday and Today we covered the process of calculating decimals when you add, subtract, and multiply.  I've included some pictures to refresh your memory or just as a reference as needed.  We will continue to divide decimals tomorrow (with a Star Trek reference) and then quiz on Friday.

Check the gradebook it has been updated to reflect level up sheets and the fractions we quizzed on last week.

Chance to show what you know about...

FRACTIONS!

We've been practicing and working with division of fractions and word problems involving division of fractions.  Today we did a review and tomorrow will be an opportunity to show mastery and also level up on previous skills where a 1 was earned.

Keep an eye on the gradebook on Monday when it will be updated with the two new standard skills of dividing fractions and dividing fractions in word problems.

Here's a progress check from the Big Ideas Student book:

Progress Check (I noticed that the signs are a bit funny, I think the word problems would be most helpful)

Also, if you want/need a refresher about the content you can go here and click on the sections 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 to check it out.  Here's another link:  Review

Multiplying and Dividing Fractions

Today we continued to work on fractions, the standards we are looking to master are:

1. I can divide fractions
2. I can divide fractions in a word problem
3. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimal numbers

Our biggest things that are learning challenges are converting mixed numbers to improper fractions, forgetting to skip, flip, multiply, and reduce, and finally the simple act of copying down the problem.  You'd be surprised how much success we can have just by following the process of setting up the problem.

As a parent or teacher, my thought is that you can't truly get the help you need if you didn't set up the problem.  :)

Here's a quick example of a problem that we are working on:

Enjoy, early release tomorrow, so not a regular math class tomorrow.

To finish out the week:
Wednesday - Early Release
Thursday - Review of all things multi and divide fractions
Friday - Quiz on multiplication and division of fractions and Level Up opportunity on skills at a 1

Fraction Multiplication and Test Scores

Here's a response I wrote about the scores recently entered into the gradebook:

Here's how the improvement works.  My goal is that each student shows evidence of learning in all of the skills that we cover in 6th grade math.  After the test I keep track of each skill that they haven't mastered yet and then give a mini-test of the same skill, but different problems.  If they show mastery of that skill the grade is changed to reflect that growth.  You should see a comment in the gradebook if they "leveled up" in that skill. 

Feel free to email me any questions you have about that or anything else that is math related.  Have a nice weekend.

Basically, each student on the test scores a 1, 2, 3, or 4 and I am hoping to see a 3 to demonstrate mastery of that skill.  (note: a 4 would be an enrichment or extension grade above and beyond)

Back to the present time: We are working on multiplying fractions, converting mixed numbers, and improper fractions.  You might want to ask your child about a cheerleader holding up a bodybuilder, kind of a fun image.  No school Friday, I'll be back on to update you on Monday when we start dividing fractions.  Hint: It's just like multiplication of fractions, but we flip the second number.  

Starting Chapter 2

Today we completed a pre-test that will show which areas of our upcoming studies need more attention than others.  Also, with the pre-test we will be able to see which students are ready for more extensions and enrichments in those skills.  Those scores will be in the gradebook soon.

Your child should have brought home the first test today, please email me if you have questions.

Also, if anyone scores a 1 or 2 and wants to prove that they've practiced and mastered or improved that skill there will be opportunities each week to increase their score.  As always, we're learning and attempting to get to mastery of each skill.

Note: there will be no update on Tuesday, Oct. 8th, since the green side is visiting the environmental site for the entire day.

Chapter 1 Test Friday

Here is a practice test you can take online at home or anywhere, just click the link and see how you do. You can even take it as a family if you wish.

Practice Test

Here are the skills we are trying to proof knowledge of:

For those who don't speak Common Core State Standards, they mean:

Long Division

Exponents and Powers

Order of Operations

Greatest Common Factor

Least Common Multiple

Should be fun, looking for all students to show growth and success on the first assessment.  

LCM (Least Common Multiple)

Alright, we've done the GCF (greatest common factor) and with the birthday cake method it was faster and not as many people struggled.  Some are still learning and we'll review a bunch on Thursday before Friday's test.

Today we introduced and practiced LCM (least common multiple) this is where you list a bunch of multiples of two or three different numbers and then find the smallest one.  Thanks to the same lady who did the birthday cake we have a faster way as well.  Here's the video:

Parent communication option: Ask your child how to find the LCM, and ask them to tell you the difference between GCF and LCM.

Family Game option: Make up two or three numbers and have members race and compare answers, if a  race is too competitive you can set a timer for an amount of time and then just compare answers and all right answers get points.  

Tomorrow we review addition of fractions and lead into multiplication and division of fractions next week.  

GCF (Greatest Common Factor)

Here's the upside down birthday cake method, listing all of the factors and finding the greatest one always works, but a way that works for big numbers a little faster.

Factors, Factor Trees, and Prime Factorization! Oh My!

Alright, oops, forgot to get on here last night, that's alright though because we talked about divisibility tricks, so it was just a small set up for today. 

Three things:
1. Factor Pairs - this is when you have a number like 20 and you find all of the ways you can multiply and get that number, so we'd go with:

1 x 20

2 x 10

4 x 5

2. Factor Trees - this is when you start with a number and find pairs, but not all, until you have nothing but prime numbers.  (Reminder: Prime numbers only have two factors, like 7 would only have 1 x 7)

20 (starting number)      

2 x 10 (here's a factor pair)

2 x 5 x 2 (Only primes are left)

3. Prime Factorization - this is when you do the tree and end up with only prime numbers so you order them and write them as exponents if you can, so 20 would be equal to 2 x 2 x 5 and you could write that with an exponent for two to the second power.  

Tomorrow is Greatest Common Factor or GCF, basically we're finding more factor pairs of two numbers and finding the biggest one. 

Quiz 1.3

Welcome back!

Alright, today we took our first quiz, it was on two standards:
1. Long Division
2. Exponents with Order of Operations

I really enjoyed class today.  The students took the quiz and when they completed theirs we did a mini-conference about their answers as they finished.  So, if they missed a few I gave them the opportunity to go fix them.  This helped to point out many little errors that should now be fixed and hopefully not made again.

Of course on the test I will not be able to point out these errors, but will correct what they've done.  Also, I shared with them that they have the responsibility of proving what they know by showing the steps and their work.  I have to be able to know that they know it and their work is proof of their thoughts on paper.

Coming up soon Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiple.  Brush up on those multiplication facts.

Assignment on Friday! Quiz on Monday!

So, I'll be gone on Friday for class as I am attending a workshop in Eau Claire.  However, Friday is a day of practicing what we learned today.  It should be pretty much review, but just proof that they understand Order of Operations.

Here are two images that might help you understand what we're doing in class:

The quiz on Monday is on the three big topics so far.

1.1 Long Division
1.2 Powers and Exponents
1.3 Order of Operations

I won't be posting on Friday, so see you Monday!

Powers and Exponents!

There's that old question about if you were hired and had a choice between $1,000 a day or starting with $0.01 and doubling the new amount each day which would you choose?

Of course you see that the person making $1,000 a day would still have a great living at over $350,000 a year (before taxes, we'll save that for percents and decimals), but the person who chooses the penny would be making this:

So, today we did two really big things:

1. Every student has a book that they can bring home so there is a resource that you can use at home.  It does not need to be brought back to class each day as we can see the book online using our Chromebooks.

2. Assignment 1.2
     From the book it is page 14

It will be due on Thursday and we'll be jumping into Order of Operations, there will not be a math lesson on Wednesday due to early release, but we will be do something math related, just not as a full class meeting.

Finally, someone asked about subscribing to the blog, I didn't see how to do that yet, but when I do, I'll post how to do it.  :)

Friday - Multi-digit division (Long Division)

Families,
     Remember those days when we were in school and got to do many, many long division problems.  It was awesome if you knew how, but if you didn't it was pretty miserable.  There are four steps you probably remember by heart, if not, here they are:

1. Divide
2. Multiply
3. Subtract
4. Bring Down

     We did this over and over in wait to see if there would be a remainder!  How much fun was that?  Well, today there were four of these on the board and each student had a chance to show if they knew/remembered how to do these.  Some did, some didn't, no problem. 

     I had a great time teaching the group that wanted the lesson and those who have already conquered the task had a challenge assignment and got to work on other math skills using the same division techniques.  It was great, behavior was awesome, people were on-task, and the best part, I'm sure each learner is more confident in dividing now.  I can only teach as well as the students learn, today was great, next week we have some order of operations to look forward to.  See you then! 

Activity 1.1

The entire focus of Thursday and Friday is for the students to be able to do two things:

1. Determine which mathematical operation to use on each problem
2. Be able to divide multi-digit numbers

Today we talked about a few bar graphs and how math books pose questions.  There was some vocabulary discussion and refreshing of terms.  Here are some to ask your child about:

- operation
- prime
- composite
- x axis
- y axis

Finally, the best part is that we handed out Record and Practice Journals today.  They have them and should be bringing them to each class day.  Tomorrow we will do a mini-quiz and some practice problems after the mini-lesson. 

Another math day of seeing what you know!

Today we continued and finished part two of the course assessment, so just a few questions left tomorrow.  Then we're off to start the book and have some group conversations about bar graphs and other math concepts. 

We also introduced a site called todaysmeet and talked about how and when we might be able to use it.  They were excited to have a chat place and that it showed up on the screen in front of the class.  Finally, I invite you to ask your child about the gradecam program we are going to use, it's pretty cool. 

Pre-Test for 6th Grade Math

Greetings,
Today we started #1-20 on the 6th grade assessment, this is to see what students already know and provide a benchmark for how much they learn by mid-year and also at the conclusion of the school year.  We are using a cool thing called gradecam to score them and it allows students to see how they did right away.  Also, we are using another online tool called ILearn and it allows us to really use the laptops in a way that makes it easy to see the tasks we are completing for that day. 

Here's the schedule for the week:
Monday #1-20
Tuesday #21-43
Wednesday #44-56
Thursday Activity 1.1
Friday Lesson 1.1 with assignment! 

Be sure to keep it cool as the air conditioning at the school is still not working properly, hopefully it will cool down a bit tomorrow!  See you then.  Mr. Flaten

Week One complete, day one of math!

We had our first day of math today.  We did three things:

1. Talked about classroom expectations and how the class will operate.
2. Talked about getting the practice books next week.
3. Chromebook computers to do some activities on ILearn

Most of us got on pretty quickly and some struggled, but almost everyone is on, we'll get 100% next week.  We are looking at a pre-course test (not graded) to get a baseline of where students are on the 6th grade material next week and also starting in the big ideas books with activity and lesson 1.1.

If you want to keep up or follow along the link to the book is:

http://www.bigideasmath.com/students/?level=7.00

Just find lesson 1.1 on the left hand side.

Have a great weekend, it's been fun getting to know your children this week.  Thanks for the hard work at home it shows in their character and manners here at school.

Day One, Open House

It was fun getting to meet all of my Cares students and many math students who will be learning in my classroom.  As we talked today Wednesday and Thursday will not follow the regular schedule, but we will focus more on procedures and how middle school operates.

Also, we'll be getting out the Chromebooks on Thursday to see how they function and start using them a little bit.  Looking forward to day two.

Computers!

 Lucky us!  6th Grade Math students (both sides) will be participating in a 1:1 Technology Pilot this school year!  That means that when students are in my classroom, they will have daily access to technology, specifically a Samsung Chromebook.  We will be using these everyday to enhance our Math studies.  The two 6th Grade Language Arts classrooms will also be participating in the 1:1 pilot.

Although we are using them everyday we will not be exclusively using them, we have a great new book, and many other resources.  These will supplement our learning, not become the main source.  It's still sixth grade math, just like you learned.  

Setting up!

Hopefully you found this and bookmarked it, you'll want to keep up each day during the school year to keep up.

Wow, we have new book and I spent time hauling them down to the classroom.  I'm excited to see how much fun we can have going through them and also the new practice journals.  I will be updating this more frequently as school starts and keeping us up to date as we go.

I'm excited to meet you on the open house day next Tuesday!

Schedule for the next week

April 29th: Quiz on 8.3-4 Practice quiz available at www.bigideasmath.com
April 30th: Topic 1
May 1st: Chapter Review
May 2nd: Chapter Test Practice test available at www.bigideasmath.com
May 3rd: Computer Day

Then we're on to the last chapter of the year.  Right now it's all about inequalities, here's an example:

Chapter 7: Writing expressions and equations

Today we started Chapter 7, you will notice that there will be more effort put in by students to keep track of how well they are doing on each assignment.  As always, I am available to help each and every lunch period and also after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:30.

I will also be more active on the blog here to keep you in the loop.  Email me or call with any math questions you may have.

As I told the kids today we basically have about 50 hours of 6th grade math left.  The quarter ends on April 2nd.  Then there will only be one quarter left.  Wow!

Chapter 6 Areas and Circles

Alright, here we go.

This next chapter is all about circumference, radius, diameter, perimeter, and area.  Some of this should be review, other stuff will be newer.

Also, starting this chapter we're trying out a little bit different class format.  I will be teaching about ten students at a time, while ten work independently, and ten play math games that involve the same concepts.

This will allow me more time to spend with each student to answer questions and really help them master the skills.

The schedule looks like this:

3/7 Section 6.1
3/8 Section 6.2
3/11 Section 6.3, no games, QUIZ ON 6.1 AND 6.2
3/12 Section 6.4
3/13 None, music in our schools day
3/14 Chapter review and a QUIZ ON 6.3 AND 6.4
3/15 Chapter Test!

Then Spring Break followed by Chapter 7 when we return.

Pre-test for Chapter 6 on Monday

Circles and Area pretest on Monday.  I'll be using that information to form smaller learning groups and teach the concepts to about ten students at a time, through a rotation, rather than whole group instruction.  It's a model called "math workshop" that some students have already done in elementary school. 

So, the schedule for the week looks like this:
Monday - Pretest and explain rotations
Tuesday - Dry run of rotations and teaching games for the games station
Wednesday -> Friday - Starting the chapter and rolling on

Also, if your child had a 1 on either standard on the test I will be giving them an opportunity to show their knowledge of the content through some practice sheets and also a small quiz when they complete those.  That one is not permanent, but they need to do the work to show mastery of the skill(s). 

Email me if you have questions.  Thanks.  

Enjoy Plinko while I grade and enter tests!

Plinko

Chapter 5 Test is on Friday!

Here we are, finally time for a test on Chapter 5.  It's all about ratios, mean, median, mode, and range.

You can find the review guide online at the www.bigideasmath.com site.  Click on students, go, pick the green book, then chapter 5.

Also, if anyone needs or wants help, I'll be in my room each day at lunch and after school on Wednesday for extra tutoring until 3:30 pm.

Here's a practice quiz, if the link works:  practice quiz

Median, Mode, and Range

Tomorrow we're starting to look at median (the middle number), mode (the number that occurs the most), and range (simply the highest minus the lowest.)

Also, I found a really cool Mario video I might show in class if there is time.  It will help us practice some math range skills.

Here's an example data set:

Mean (average) day 2

Second day of average.  It's basically this simple:

1. add up all of the data points (numbers)
2. divide the total by however many numbers there were.

Example:

Let's say Mr. Flaten sits at a stop light and times how long he waits each time.  Let's pretend there were five lights and the times (in seconds) were:  7, 13, 10, 5, and 15.

How long would I wait on average?

1. Add up the numbers, the total is: 50 seconds
2. Divide by the five stop lights, so 50 divided by 5.  The average time waiting at a light would be 10 seconds.

The second factor would be an outlier.  That's when there is a number or numbers that are way outside of the "normal" range of numbers in the set.  For example, if I have to wait at a stop light for 62 seconds because of a police vehicle, it would increase my average, but not really be a true representation of the mean.

Here's tonight's assignment: Section 5.4 Puzzle time sheet.

Found a youtube video that might help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgxZfQDf4qY

Quiz and Mean

Today we took a quiz and will have the results in the gradebook soon.  So far this chapter it was rates and ratios.  Tomorrow we're on to Mean.

Oops, not that kind, the math kind.  Mean is the same as average, so here's an example of tomorrow's opening activity.

Ratios and Rates Chapter schedule

Here's the timeline of our current chapter:

Important dates: March 4th should be the test and there are quizzes after sections 3 and 6.  

Super Bowl predictions

On Friday we spent the last two minutes of each class trying out some probability and wrote down some guesses to some Super Bowl questions.  I'll repost the questions and try to back them up with actual math to see if I can be more accurate. 

1. Who will win?  49ers or Ravens                 MY PICK: RAVENS

logic: Ravens points per game this year 24.9, Niners ppg 24.8.  That's close, hmm, mathematically I'm going Ravens, but it's pretty much 50/50 (that's a ratio, not a fraction)

2. Will the National Anthem be over or under 2 minutes and 15 seconds? 

logic: Youtubed some videos, seems the longest an anthem has been thus far is about 2 minutes, I don't see this one being the longest ever, so I'm going UNDER. 

3. What will be the total points scored?    MY ANSWER: 50

logic: I searched average points scored in super bowl and it seems it is 54, but based on the teams ppg earlier I 'll say 50.  This would be a good place to talk about range and see how close I could be.  My probability of getting this one exactly right is not great. 

4. Will the MVP be an offensive or defensive player?  MY ANSWER: OFFENSE

logic: It seems 50/50, but researching past MVPs it breaks down as such:   Offensive: 38 Defensive: 8 ST: 1

5. Coin Toss, Heads or Tails? 

logic: this should eventually average out, let's check the history.  Heads: 25, Tails: 21  Seems that it should be tails to try to get it to 50/50, it's also been heads four years in a row.  I'm going TAILS.  Some students also said you can win free pizza for guessing that on a pizza site. 

Bonus: This is a weird question, what color top will Beyonce have on for the halftime show? 

logic: Who knows?  I'm going to put her name in an image search and see which one has the highest frequency (vocab word!)  and go with it.  SILVER is my official guess. 

Should be fun to see how well we predict these.  See you Monday! 

Exciting news!

Everyone now has a take home record and practice journal as of today!  This means they can bring home the math and share it with you.  It looks like this, but without the notebook paper in front:  

I'm excited to share the opportunity with you to partner in having a resource to take home and learn from.  The assignment for today is the Chapter 5 Fair game review around page 101-102.  

Test Grades are in

Here's the schedule for this week:

Monday: Chapter 4 Test (Fractions, Decimals, and Percents)
Tuesday: Standardized Test version of Fractions, Decimals, and Percents
Wednesday: Mid Year assessment, this shows us improvements from the beginning of the year pre-test
Thursday: Chapter Opener and a Bill Nye probability video (The only video we watch this year, I think)
Friday: Starting chapter 5

Note: I shared with the students today that we are looking at summer school possibilities and we really want to use the class time to learn sixth grade math, not summer time.  If you see many, many 1's we'll talk about it at conferences and try to diagnose the root of the issue.  It will be very hard work for some, but I will be available and opening up my self to extra time during lunch and after school almost every day! 

Math Test Monday!

Chapter 4 math test is Monday.  You can do a practice test here:

Practice Test

If you don't do well on it, you can go here:

Chapter Review

I hope this helps, as always, the best way to prepare for a test is to listen in class, do your work, and come in for help any lunch period or after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 - 3:30. 

This week's schedule

Here we go!

Wednesday: early release rotations (math scavenger hunt)
Thursday: Section 4-5 lesson with homework
Friday: Quiz for Sections 4-4 and 4-5, check it out on the bigideasmath.com website

Next week:
Monday: Chapter 4 Test
and some mid-year assessments. 

Lots of info will be coming for conferences, like Aimsweb progress, Pre and Mid assessment results, and an update of your child's progress. 

As always, I'm here to help every lunch period and also after school from 3:00 - 3:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays!  Let's learn some math. 

Fraction, we are just past 1/2 way through the year. 

Mental math and percents

I want to run some data analysis on the quizzes, so they will be returned on Monday and posted in the gradebook as well.

Today we are working on problems like these:

Quiz on Thursday

Here's a game you can play to get ready for the quiz on Thursday.  Not sure if this is the actual quiz we are using, but an example of the types of problems.

Game

This or That?

Today I kind of made up a game show, without the prizes, and showed the students these problems

It was fun to compare on things we might actually buy or see in our daily lives.  Just think about how many times we use fractions, decimals, and percents throughout the day.  Here's the thing, our kids don't have the practice yet to see that 0.33 is 33% is 33/100.  They need more practice, keep asking them about the work they are doing in class.

Additionally, each student has a work folder in the classroom and they are free to bring those papers home for review as you request.  Just ask them and have them bring the papers home.  We are having a quiz on Thursday, so we'll see how much was retained from our practice so far this chapter.  Three keys to success: supplies, effort, behavior.

Fractions, Decimals, and Percents.

Sorry for the delay in posting, I wanted to leave the schedule and big ideas link on the first page for at least a week so everyone could get there.  We're into changing fractions, decimals, and percents back and forth.  We do have an assignment each day and I'm tracking them for completeness and seeing if there are errors we can fix before the quiz/test.

As always, I'm available every lunch and after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until 3:30.  Start to talk to your child about where you see fractions each day and try to incorporate that into your daily conversations. 

Think about cooking, your gas gauge, anything that has a percent or decimal or fraction on it should be showcased this month.  Maybe even a time to show them some household bills and talk about the life skill of budgeting?  Lots of possibilities. 

Things like this get them thinking.  How much gas is in here?  How far do you think we can get?  Should we fill up soon or are we alright?  How do you know?  How much gas does the car hold?  How much is in 1/4 of a tank?  And so on.  :)

I'll be back to posting more frequently and if you have questions, please contact me. 

Thanks,
 Mr. Flaten

Big Ideas Math

Here's the pacing guide for the first chapter of the book that we will be starting on Monday with the projected dates of the lessons/activities/tests.  Please try to look ahead at the lessons with the online book if you can so it's even easier the day of the lesson.

www.bigideasmath.com

We're in the green book, go to student and then home, click go and you're there, no password needed. 

And we're back!

We're back to school.  Today we got thinking again with a fun talk about compound interest and how it can multiply savings accounts using math to become more wealthy.  :)

We are starting the new Big Ideas Math books on Monday and I will be sending home a letter that needs to be signed and returned on Friday.  Please look for that on Thursday evening.

If you have any questions or need help with transitioning into the new book or how I can best help please let me know.

Until tomorrow!