Grade 5 - Mathematics

The goal of the Mathematics Program at West Woods is to help students’ value mathematics and become successful problem solvers and clear communicators of mathematical thinking. In fifth grade, students focus on fluency and developing understanding in three critical areas: multiplying and dividing fractions as well as their relationship to decimals, extending division of 2 digit divisors of whole numbers as well as decimals, and measuring volume and relating it to multiplication and division. In addition to the critical areas, 5th grade students develop an understanding of writing and interpreting numerical expressions, using place value to read, write, compare, and perform operations with decimals, converting measurements, representing and interpreting data, graph points on a coordinate plane in order to solve real world problems, and classifying two-dimensional figures into categories based on properties. Students experience a problem solving approach to mathematics based on everyday situations and use a variety of 21st century skills to interact with mathematics.

For more information visit: Farmington Public Schools K6 Mathematics Website 

Here's a list of additional ways parents can support their child in math:

• Practice creating schedules: Give your child a variety of tasks that need to get done during a Saturday and how much time each will take for each one to get done.  Give them conditions such as "x" task must be done before 11:00. "Y" task must completed in the morning but not before "x". See if they can create a schedule with all of the conditions listed within the timeframe given. 

• Work with fractions: Find opportunities to help your child become fluent in adding and subtracting fractions. A great time to do this is while cooking. Talk about how to triple a recipe. Ask questions such as: How could we get 2 1/2 cups of flour if I only have a 1/2 measuring cup? What if I only had a 1/4 measuring cup?

• Work with decimals: Practice adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals. Money is a natural way to practice so have them add prices of items in a store flyer, multiply to find a discount (25%= .25), or look at sports statistics which are often in decimals. 

• Compare Numbers: Children often think that a longer decimal number is larger than a shorter one. Help understand place value with decimals and that each place to the right is less. 

• Relate decimals and fractions: Talk about time with fractions or decimals (1 1/4 hours from now would be what time?, If your homework and reading will take 1.75 hours, how much time is that?)

• Basic facts: Review basic fact fluency (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). In fifth grade, we often are working on multi-digit computation so knowing these facts quickly and accurately will help them with these more complex computational skills. 

• At the store: When grocery shopping, help them understand unit pricing. For example, if a 18oz. package of cereal costs $4.44 but a 20oz. package is $3.94, which is the better buy? Point out that unit pricing is often right on the grocery shelf and can help figure out which item is the better buy. Another thing to point out is the difference in pricing between your local grocery store and a warehouse/discount store (like BJ's or Costco) and figure out which store has the better price. 

• Build fluency on a clock: Find ways to work on elapsed time throughout your day. Ask questions like- If we have to be at the soccer game at 5:45, but it takes 20 minutes to get there, what time should we leave? And if it takes 10 minutes to get into our uniform and we need 15 minutes to eat a snack first, what time should we start getting ready?

• Money: Continue working on money handling skills- making change, converting coins, and adding & subtracting money. 

• Measurement: Find ways to make meaningful connections with concepts like area, perimeter, and volume. 

Supporting Students at Home:

For families looking to provide additional support at home, the following resources are available:

• FPS K-6 Mathematics Website - provides links for online and app resources

• IXL - an online program that provides individualized practice for students; this can be accessed via the ClassLinks Bookmark on your student’s Chromebook

For families looking to provide additional challenge at home, the following resources are available:

• IXL - an online program that provides individualized practice for students; because this program is adaptive, students may be challenged to work on skills beyond what is covered in class

• Self-directed work - encourage your student to explore a topic/interest of choice (learn about the stock market, explore a topic via Khan Academy, etc.) or to create a resource to share with or teach their peers (via Flipgrid, WeVideo, etc.) 

From the FPS K6 Mathematics Website: 

1. Talk positively about math.  Please avoid saying,"I'm just not good at math." 

2. Talk about math whenever you can.  For example, you and your child are shopping.  Have them round the items you are purchasing to the nearest dollar.  Have them add these rounded numbers to get a total.

3. Talk to them about how you use math at home and work.  For example: paying bills, keeping a checkbook, buying presents, cooking with recipes, playing musical instruments, measuring during projects, etc.

4. Encourage them when they are challenged by math.  Little successes lead to increased confidence.  Increased confidence leads to more risk-taking in math.  More risk-taking leads to accepting more challenging problems, which leads to greater confidence and greater understanding.

5. When your child is having difficulty with homework, have him/her read the problem out loud to you. Ask him/her to identify exactly what the question is asking.  Help start the problem. Tell them to show something so the teacher knows there has been effort. Have your child prepare a specific question to ask the teacher.

6. Play games in the car.  You can do something simple like practice multiplication facts.  Or, you could learn a game like "buzz" that connects to multiplication tables.

7. Help your child develop a growth mindset.  Praise  effort and risk-taking, not just results.  If you child is struggling through a problem, suggest that he/she tries a different strategy.  Effort does not always mean trying harder but trying something different.