Mrs. Nelms and I recently had the opportunity to attend an amazing workshop with Greg Tang, a pioneer in math education. While much of the focus was on teaching students various methods of modeling to use when approaching word problems, something was mentioned that really stuck with us. MATH FACTS SHOULD BE MASTERED BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE. As 4th grade teachers, we know this and often preach it to parents. Even though it isn't on our report card, it is a part of Common Core. More importantly, automaticity of basic addition and multiplication facts is essential to success in middle school math.
There are a plethora of ways in which you can practice facts at home - computer games, flashcards, apps. Below, I outline some of my favorite ways to practice facts that are interactive and fun with the family. Multiplication War Grab a deck of cards and split the deck in two. Play a game of war, except the person who finds the product first takes the pile. Pop Math A fun, bubble-popping app that asks kids to identify multiple facts at the same time. Good, Old-fashioned Flash Cards Try timing yourself and then making it a "beat mom" or "beat dad" challenge. If practicing with flashcards, focus on the facts students can't identify in 5 seconds or less instead of the whole set. Multiplication Dominos Use dominoes for the "facts." Facts correctly answered get placed into a lineup to see which team can build the longest domino train before knocking them down. Damult Dice I'm not sure where I found this game, but it is FUN. Grab three dice and roll. The goal is to use addition and multiplication to find the largest number possible. For example, I roll a 3, a 4, and a 6 on my turn. I could either do (3+4) times 6 for 42 points, OR (3+6) times 4 for 36 points, OR (4+6) times 3 for 30 points. I’ll take the 42 points! The person with the highest score at the end of ten round wins.
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The new elementary report card follows a standards-based philosophy, which means it is a tool to accurately communicate your child’s learning in each content area as it relates to the learning standards. The report card provides a more comprehensive picture of students’ academic achievement, as well as their skills as a student.
Two parent information nights have been scheduled in the upcoming weeks. Please feel free to bring any questions you may have to one of the following parent night events: SBG Parent Night at South Middle School - Thursday, September 13th, 7:00-8:00pm SBG Parent Night at Thomas Middle School - Tuesday, September 18th, 7:00-8:00pm If you’re not able to attend a parent night, the presentation will be available on the district website. To see a sample of the new fourth grade report card, please follow the links below: 4th Grade Standards-Based Report Card 4th Grade/Advanced Math Standards-Based Report Card We're excited to be embarking on our first units of study in Reading Workshop, geared towards establishing our reading community.
Our "launching" will aim to establish the reading behaviors, rituals and routines for Reading Workshop. Our goal is to establish a community that fosters active listening, thinking, engagement, and participation in all aspects of a Reading Workshop. We will be spending time getting to know ourselves and each other as readers, setting goals for ourselves as readers and establishing an initial repertoire of strategies to further develop across the year. Please talk to your student about his/her reading life! Questions can include: - What are you reading? Why did you select this text? - What are you thinking about as you are reading? - What are you reading next? Also, talk with your child about your own self as a reader - your interests, habits and passions as a reader. Together lets help build a love for reading! |