You can expect a weekly email from me including the current homework assignments and test schedule, as well as any concepts that can be reinforced at home. Please email me anytime with questions, comments, or concerns. You are always welcome to attend math and volunteer in my classroom. I look forward to working with you and your child this school year.
At Aquarian, math is a daily event with 75 minutes of instructional time. Math is scheduled to begin at 8:35 and end at 9:50. To encourage success, please help your children arrive at school on time in the mornings so they have adequate time to organize their belongings in their classrooms and come to math class prepared to learn!
A typical day in math includes a warm-up activity, fact practice, a lesson, and guided practice on new and reviewed concepts. Students may start their homework if there is extra time at the end of the lesson.
Students will have homework on lesson days, but not on test days. Homework is due the day after it is assigned. Students must show work on problems to get credit unless the problem is designated an exception. I will provide a "homework code" for each assignment that specifies problems that do not require work. Homework will be graded and returned the following class. Homework is eligible for corrections at full credit, but must be turned in within ten lessons of the lesson number being assigned. For instance, corrections on lesson 17 are due the day lesson 27 is assigned.
Report cards will show an academic and an effort grade. The effort grade is based on consistency of work ethic in class and completed assignments. Tests are given after every five lessons, starting after lesson 10. Each test has a fact component as well as a written assessment. Tests cover cumulative material. Academic grades are 70% tests and 30% homework.
Late homework will be accepted at no penalty up to ten lessons after it is due. For example, the homework from lesson 7 will be accepted until the day lesson 17 is due.
If you are planning an extended absence, please notify me by email ahead of time so that I can prepare the homework assignments to go home with your child.
Students can always use extra fact practice drills. Try playing games and verbally quiz your child on addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts as often as they will tolerate!
Suggested review material and math resources are listed below.
Free Math Apps for iOS Devices from The Math Learning Center
Including Geoboard, Fractions, Telling Time, Money, and many more
Khan Academy for Elementary Students
Offers lessons, quizzes, and challenges on extensive concepts
Free, printable worksheets and brain teasers
Suggested activities to do at home:
Play a game of Golf (card game - regular deck).
Log into Clever and use Imagine Math to practice addition, subtraction, or multiplication facts.
Set up a pretend store and make price tags for items with dollar and coin amounts. Play store and pretend to buy things. Use dollars and coins to practice counting money.
Use paper to cut several squares (any size). Practice folding squares into fourths, thirds, halves, and eighths. Shade areas of each shape and write the fractions that represent the shaded areas.
Use a ruler or measuring tape and measure ten items in your house to the nearest half-inch. Arrange the items in order from shortest to longest.
Play a game of number-digit-place with a two-digit (basic) or three-digit (advanced).
Try a logic puzzle.
Follow a recipe and cook or bake something. Do all of the measuring.