At Home Math (AHM)

Every Friday students will be sent home with a Math reflection worksheet. The worksheet is expected to be completed at home throughout the week and returned to school the following Wednesday. The weekly reflections will support your child through Math concept rehearsal, the development of problem solving strategies and in making connections between the strands. This duotang will also serve as a resource to continually review concepts covered through out the year.

Math Rehearsal

• Students will develop a strong understanding of concepts through reflection, inquiry/discovery, and class participation in Math activities. At home, encouraging your child to make connections between Math and the world around them is key. Students should never feel that their work is merely a process to be completed, or that there is only one way to get the "right" answer. It far more important for students to become confident in their ability to work with numbers, see solutions from a variety of perspectives and to develop strong communication of their thoughts.
• Most Math rehearsal problem solving questions will focus upon the practice of basic math functions (e.g., addition, subtraction) as well as patterning, sorting, geometric features and/or data collection.
• Continually question your child's thinking - See Sample questions for each Math Process

Problem Solving Strategies

• Problem solving is a large focus of our mathematical program. Students are encouraged to apply their logical thinking and reasoning to develop an accurate answer. When working with your child, occasionally become a skeptic. Ask them to convince you of their thinking by clearly proving reasoning and explanation to their solutions. See problem solving model at the bottom of the page to help with this process.

Assessment

• Students will share, discuss and review their reflections of At-Home Math work during class time. Each week student’s problem solving work will be SELF-assessed on a leveled rating scale. Oral feedback and next steps will be provided from teacher and peers. Gradually, students will become familiar with the Math processes. See Math Processes Here.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at the school or via email at ruggierod@hdsb.ca.

Mr. Ruggiero

Problem Solving Model

1) Understand the Question

- Underline the important information in the question, using different a coloured pencil.

2) Make a Plan

- Decide how to solve the problem, for example:

- Guess and check

- Look for a pattern

- Draw a picture

- Choose an operation

- Make a table or graph

3) Carry out the Plan

- Put your plan into action

4) Look Back

- Reflect upon the mathematical strategies used to solve the problem.

- Double check for any calculation mistakes, missing units or other errors.

5) Communicate

- Use pictures, numbers and words to communicate the reasoning behind understanding the question.