On-Line Math Practice

The key to being successful in math is knowing your basic math facts.  Currently we are working on multiplication of large numbers.  In order to solve problems involving two or more digit numbers you have to know both multiplication and addition facts well.  Later we will be working on geometry, fractions and division.  Mastery of subtraction and division facts will be necessary as well. 

Our class has been using two different websites to build math skills.  We have been using the website Xtra Math to work on basic math facts.  We are also using a website called Ten Marks.  This website allows me to assign skills in the areas we are studying at school.  Currently we are working on addition and subtraction, place value, basic multiplication and division facts, and multiplication of large numbers.  If students get stuck, they can ask for a hint or view a video to help them work the problem.

One of the big advantages for both websites is that students receive immediate feedback about how well they did, and what their mistakes were.  For each website, the students have their own ID and password or PIN.  When they complete work on the websites, I can see what they have done.  I can see which skills they have worked on and how successful they were. 

You can find the websites at:

http://tenmarks.com/    and

https://www.xtramath.org/

These websites can be accessed and used at home, and beginning next week, we will begin using these two websites as our homework on Tuesday nights.  I know that not everyone has the internet at home, so I will be conducting a Math Lab in my classroom every Wednesday and Thursday morning before school.  My classroom will be open to students beginning at 7:45 on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  Students who need or want to work on XtraMath and TenMarks here at school can come to my class at those times.  They can enter through the cafeteria doors.  I will provide them with a pass, which we will glue in their planners.

I will also invite some people to Math Lab so I can give them extra help in Math Skills.  The more we practice, the better we'll get! 

Problem Solving Fridays

Every Friday we work on problem solving. We actually do problem solving (word problems) lots of other days, too. The problems we solve on Fridays have a monthly theme, and they really make us think.



When we do this, I turn the teaching over to the kids. They show us how they solved the problem. What we realize is, there are lots of ways to solve a problem.



Here's one we had from last Friday:

#17: Multiplication: Trick or Treat!

Marvin wants to plan the amount of candy to give out for Halloween. He figures that he will have 25 trick-or-treaters per hour for 4 hours. Each trick-or-treater will receive 3 pieces of candy.

How much candy will Marvin need for the evening?

Problem solving is important, because these are skills we use in everyday life. It is an important way to develop creativity and thinking skills. Problem solving is also part of our homework this month. Students are to work on two or three problems each homework night. Some students have additional problems. These additional pages are called Math Star. Some of the people who received these problems have been identified as Gifted and Talented, but I gave them to others as well, who I feel are good math students. On Fridays, I will go over some of these problems with students.

Please let me know how this work on problem solving goes. I will make modifications if necessary.

Our First Friday

Many people keep a daily or weekly journal or diary. Blogging is just another form of journaling. The class brainstormed to decide what we should include in our blog post. Then Ms. Day wrote the post. Next week, students will help to write the blog post.

We had a very busy Friday. It was only the second day of school, but we got started with our learning right away. We began our day with Math. We're reviewing addition. We did some of it the old fashioned way. We used white boards and markers, to solve problems. We talked about key words that help us to know whether to add, subtract, multiply or divide. While Ms. Day worked with those people, Mrs. Shepley helped people do math a new way. We used the iPads to practice our basic facts. Everyone got a chance to do it, and we had lots of fun.




At 9:00 we went downstairs for the first Tiger Pride Assembly of the year. The Phillips tiger was there. Children will earn Pawprints again this year. We have brand new ones with the year printed on them, so if you have a stash of old ones at home, throw them away. Mrs. Prior-Sweet gave a Homework Coupon to each person who had no detentions and no Buddy Room visits last year. We had lots of people in our room who earned them. She also gave certificates for a free McDonald's smoothie to all the people who had NEVER EVER had a buddy room visit or detention in the whole time they have been at Phillips. Ms. Day was so impressed that so many people in our class follow the Code of Respect every single day of school.



In the morning we also had art. The art teacher, Mrs. Rasmussen, is not new to Phillips, but she is new to us. She talked with the class about how paintings tell stories. We studied faces and masks, and looked at how unique each individual is. Then students created drawings with one side a mask, and the other side a self portrait.

We have two specials on Friday. From art, everyone went to Core Knowledge with Mrs. Hawkins. They played a game to get to know each other again after being away all summer.

The first Friday was a very successful day of the school year.