Parent Support - 4th grade Math

What Happened to Math Class? Mike Flynn from Mt. Holyoke's Math Leadership Program offered this video series on why math has changed over the past 50 years.

YouCubed Parent Resources Jo Boaler, at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education, focuses her work on the role of Growth Mindset in successful math learning

Graham Fletcher's Making Sense Series on the progression of learning in different parts of elementary math.

As children grow from age eight to age ten, their brains develop more ability to think in symbolic and abstract ways. Every child develops on their own timeline. Fourth grade marks a time when students will move from working with physical blocks that they can touch to being able to think about large numbers and place value in their heads. Everything we do this year will focus on bolstering the children's understandings about place value. Please watch this video to learn more:

By the time students reach fourth grade, they have been adding and subtracting for three full years. It is expected that they have had ample opportunity to solidify their basic fact fluency and have also spent a year practicing multi-digit algorithms. In fourth grade, we do a quick review of these skills and then begin using them as part of multi-digit multiplication and division algorithms.

In practice, there are often students who need additional review and practice with multi-digit subtraction with regrouping.

During fourth grade students build on the basic multiplication facts learned in third grade to work with multi-digit numbers. A developmental approach supports the transition from concrete to abstract thinking by starting with base-10 blocks, moving to sketched arrays, drawing area models, shifting to the partial products algorithm, and finally the traditional algorithm with regrouping. All learning activities are designed to provide scaffolding and support for the development of place value understanding and mental mathematics.

Graham Fletcher's video on the progression of multiplication learning is excellent for helping adults understand this learning and is posted below.

As we begin our work with division, I'll begin laying the groundwork by reviewing what students learned in third grade about the vocabulary of division and the relationship between multiplication and division facts through face families. By the time students leave fourth grade, they should be fluent with their division facts up to 144/12. We will also spend time building foundational skills with factors and multiples, before beginning an exploration of estimation in division. We will then move on to dealing with remainders, followed by the use of repeated subtraction to divide. We will learn about how to use area models to divide, and then learn a progression of algorithms. You can learn more about this skill development continuum by watch Graham Fletcher's Division Progression video below.

Fractions is a special area of emphasis for fourth graders. We begin with a study of fraction equivalence and comparison, and then move on to learning how to add, subtract and multiply fractions. Along the way students must learn how to convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers, as well as how to find fractions with common denominators. Finally, students will learn how to convert between fractions and decimals for tenths and hundredths and connect these understandings back to work with money and the metric system.

All along the way it is important for students to have concrete manipulatives to support their understanding of fractional amounts. We will use number lines, fraction strips, fraction circles, base ten blocks, and sets of counters. It is helpful for families to point out fractions in every day life. This is especially apparent when cooking or working on house projects that involve measurement.

Great free tool for student appropriate, online manipulatives: Fractions by the Math Learning Center