Math Message: September 14th through September 18th

Hello! A few notes before we get to the math:

  • Our first quiz was last Monday. The score were a little bit rough. A lot of the reason for this is that we are still trying to reinforce that we have to explain our work in math. Your student answered 4 questions, each worth 3 points. One point was for the drawing, on point was for writing and equation, and one point was for writing a sentence about their answer (ex. Karen had 6 cats; I solved this problem by making a number bond, which showed me that Karen had 6 cats). I have decided to slow down on this unit, hence the lack of post last week. I want to make sure all students have a solid foundation in multiplication and division this quarter.
  • Students will be starting on Khan Academy during support block. I have sent more information home about this for my class. Information will be coming this week for Mrs. Forino’s class.

This week and next week we will be working on tape diagrams. Here is a link that has a really good description of what tape diagrams are. Your student will be working with multiplication and division to represent them as a tape diagram (basically a bar that is split up).

We are doing this so that when they start working with more difficult numbers they will still have a pictorial way to represent their thinking.

This week we will be working on multiplication and division using units of 4. The students will get another opportunity to practice using tape diagrams and drawing out their thinking. The tape diagrams are a little bit confusing at first, but now that we have spent a few days working with them the students have really embraced them as a way to represent their thinking. Here is a great resource from Engage NY that explains tape diagrams. A reminder, if you are working with your student to practice at home, they should be reading the problem, drawing a picture, writing an equation, and writing a sentence with words.

Next week we will start rolling out a new and exciting program- ST Math! This will be another great resource to have to practice at home.

 

Math Message: August 31st through September 4th

We are back to multiplication for the next few lessons! At the end of this week we will be working on the commutativity of multiplication, particularly multiplication using units of 2s and 3s.

Monday and Tuesday we will be talking about how equations like 2 X 3 = 6 and 3 X 2 = 6 represent the same number of total objects. The primary way we will be showing that is through turning arrays. For example, if we have an area that is showing 2 rows of 3 eggs, we have the same number of eggs as an array showing 3 rows of 2 eggs.

Wednesday and Thursday we will be digging deeper into multiplication by using our knowledge of arrays to split more difficult facts up into multiplication facts we already know, for example 9 X 5 = 45 can be split into 4 X 5 = 20 and 5 X 5 = 25. Then we can add 20 and 25 to get 45.

On Friday we will be doing a mid-module assessment. This is not a “test”, but rather a means for me to evaluate where we are in terms of our multiplication and division knowledge so that I can plan for the rest of the unit.

Also this week benchmark scores in math will be sent home. You should expect to see these in the purple folders on Tuesday. I have opened myself up for time to talk about these benchmarks and next steps for your student. Please take advantage of either emailing me or setting up a time to talk! I am very excited to get rolling on math groups next week as well, so you should expect to see some additional “just right” practice coming home soon!

Math Message: August 23rd-25th

Last week we dove into multiplication and this week we are jumping into addition. I know introducing these two things so early in the year might be very different than when you were in school. I know we didn’t jump right into things when I was in school! The reason we are getting started so early is so that the students have a foundation to build off of the rest of the year.

Multiplication and division are essentially linked, so understanding in one lends to understanding the other.

When we think of multiplication we think of a certain number of groups with a certain number of objects in each group. The total number of objects is the answer to the multiplication equation. For example, if I had 4 groups of 5 eggs, I would have 20 eggs and the equation would be 4 x 5 = 20.

With division, I would know the total and I would know that I had 5 eggs in each group, but I would not know how many groups I had, so the equation would be 20 ÷ 5 = 4. You could also know how many groups you have and try and find how many eggs are in each group with the equation 20 ÷ 4= 5.

This is the BIG message in class this week– the missing number in division can be either the number of groups or the number of objects in each group. It will be more complicated later, but right now we are working on establishing this framework and understanding.

If you want to practice with your child at home I would suggest finding problems where you need to find either the number of groups or the number of objects in each group. Cooking could be a great example: if you have 20 chocolate chips that you need to put on 5 cookies, how many chocolate chips are on each cookie? Also you can just use objects around the house— if you have have 3 cats with 30 toes total, how many toes does each cat have?
If your child seems to be understanding all of your examples, mix it up. I have 3 boxes of cookies that holds 30 cookies. If each cookie had 3 raisins in it, how many raisins are their total. What about in each box? I’m looking for some good websites to practice this online. The next math message will be posted a little sooner! We’ll soon be diving into choosing between multiplication and division to solve problems.

Math Message August 17th-21st

This week in math we will be laying the foundation for the entire year, starting with…(drumroll please)… MULTIPLICATION. When I was younger, multiplication was something that was really difficult for me, and I think it is because I tried to memorize it without understanding how it worked.

The first part of understanding how multiplication works is building a framework for looking at problems. Our framework is RDW- or Read, Draw, Write. We will be working on this Monday and Tuesday.

When you are solving a problem with RDW, you follow these steps.

  1. READ the problem
  2. DRAW (and label) a picture of what the problem is asking you.
  3. WRITE an equation
  4. DRAW a number sentence.

This week we will be focusing on building the foundation for multiplication through repeated addition and arrays.

picture from http://bloxhamprimary.co.uk/classes/class-2p/posts/arrays-and-more-titanic

picture from http://bloxhamprimary.co.uk/classes/class-2p/posts/arrays-and-more-titanic

These eggs are showing an array. We could look at this as 4 groups of 6 eggs, or 4+4+4+4+4+4=24, or, by the end of the first day, 4 x 6 = 24.

Wednesday we will be working on understanding equal groups of as multiplication, such as 6 equal groups of 4 equals 24.

Thursday we be relating multiplication back to the array model, and looking at a lot of pictures like the one with these eggs.

Friday we will be diving even deeper into factors, learning that a factor can be the size of a group and the number of groups. In our egg picture multiplication problem, both 4 (the number of groups) and 6 (the number of eggs in each group) are both factors.

Going back to the egg problem, following RDW, it would look something like this:

  1. READ the problem

Susan had a chicken that laid some eggs. When she put them in the egg carton she had four rows of 6 eggs.

  1. DRAW(and label) a picture of what the problem is asking you.

Here the student would draw something like the picture above.

  1. WRITE an equation

4+4+4+4+4+4=24

OR

4 X 6 = 24

  1. WRITE a number sentence

Susan has 4 rows, each with 6 eggs, so Susan has 24 eggs.  

When you are at home or doing errands, ask your student to notice arrays. Whether they are looking at cereal boxes at the grocery store or looking at ceiling tiles, your student can certainly find arrays. Take a picture and email it to me with an equation! My email is isabel.bozada@reyn.org

Hot Diggity Dog!

Thank you so much for coming to Hot Diggity Dog Night on Thursday! I look forward to getting to know your students and your families throughout this school year. I thought that I would post all of the information we talked about tonight so that you would have another reference point.

First, I will be sending home a student information sheet on your child’s first day of school! It has important information that you will need all year. If at any point you need another copy have no worry! I have all of the files saved and I can email them to you. If you want your student’s file, email me at isabel.bozada@reyn.org. This sheet will be sent home in the front of their folders and should remain there for the year. It has my contact information on the front, and your student’s passwords and information on the back.

Second, please fill out the family survey if you have not already! This is important for me to know how to reach you, add you to ClassDojo, and is especially important if you want to volunteer in our classroom. Here is the link to the survey.

Look forward to our first “Math Message” post before the first day of school! I will also be working to post the standards we are working on first quarter under the tabs.

Feel free to email me or message me on Dojo with any questions!


Ms. Bozada

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school!

My name is Isabel Bozada and I will be teaching 3rd grade at Herbert Mills STEM Elementary School this year! Whether you are a student, family member, or member of our community, this website will serve as a window into our classroom. I will be posting what we do in class, homework, and outside resources. Check back regularly to see what is going on in our class!

Thanks for visiting!

Ms. Bozada