Math
Math
Week 5
I have created a workspace for Math this week. The workspace is accessible through the Student Portal
If you are having difficulty accessing the workspace, I have posted the two quizes here: Quiz 1 Quiz 2
Please remember if you are accessing the quizes through this page, you will have to make a copy of the Doc and save it to your Math Folder before you complete it. If you use the workspace, you will not need to complete this step.
Week 4
We are continuing with our study of Area this week. I have placed these documents in your math folders in your Google Drive. Please remember to make a copy of the worksheet and save the completed copy to your drive.
Lesson 3 is about how different shapes can have the same area.
Lesson 4 focuses on how to find the area of a rectangle
Don't forget to use Mathletics to practice the concept of area.
Week 3
Our next unit of study is Area. Here are a couple of videos to introduce the concept of area.
I have copied the following documents to your Math Drive.
Sum it Up Lesson 1 Lesson 1 Worksheet
Sum it Up Lesson 2 Lesson 2 Worksheet
Please check your math folder for them.
Week 2
Here we are in the middle of week 2 of school from home. We would normally have a test on the decimals we have been working on. Please try the quiz I posted below. Once you are finished the work on Decimals, you can work ahead on our next unit Measuring Mass, Capacity and Volume. Once you complete these worksheets, don't forget to go on Matheltics to complete the mass, capacity and volume activities as well as the Digital games I have posted links to below. When you are confident that you know the material, try the 2 quizes I posted below.
Lesson 1: Estimating and Measuring Mass Sum it Up Worksheet Digital Game
Lesson 2: Estimating and Measuring Capacity Sum It Up Worksheet DIgital Game
Lesson 3: Measuring Volume Sum it Up Worksheet
Week 1
We were in the middle of a unit on Decimals when we left for March Break. I will post lessons below. In addition, students have access to resources through the student portal. We have been using Mathletics to reinforce the concepts taught in class as well as basic math skills. Here is a workbook from Mathletics to give your child extra worksheets to practice adding.
I will update this page through the coming weeks.
Here are the next lessons in the unit with the accompanying Sum It Up page (parent summary), independent worksheets and games.
1. Adding Decimals Sum It Up Worksheet Online Game Downloadable Game
2. Subtracting Decimals Sum It Up Worksheet
3. Solving Addition and Subtraction Problems Sum It Up Worksheet
4. Adding and Subtracting Money Amounts Sum it Up Worksheet
Welcome to Mathematics in Grade 4
"Learning mathematics results in more than a mastery of basic skills... Mathematical structures, operations, processes, and language provide students with a framework and tools for reasoning, justifying conclusions, and expressing ideas clearly."
- The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8, Mathematics (2005)
Math Program
We will be following Ontario Mathematics Curriculum and focusing on a new Math program purchased the Ottawa Catholic School Board to help facilitate continued growth and improvement in the teaching and learning of Mathematics. This program is called MathUP.
Created by Marian Small, MathUP Classroom is a comprehensive, online, K–8 instructional solution that helps teachers better help their students. MathUP is designed to support teachers to:
• Build confidence in teaching math
• Teach through essential understandings
• Teach and assess with intention and purpose
• Focus on effective ways to consolidate learning
• Increase student engagement through critical and creative thinking
• Reach and extend all learners
MathUp Lesson Summaries and Practice Tasks (accessible at home)
I will be able to share some of the big ideas of what we focused on during daily math lessons and also provide optional practice for students at home to help consolidate their learning. Look out for this information on the "Math UP" page of this website.
Mathletics (accessible at home)
Mathletics is a captivating online math learning space providing students with all the tools they need to be successful learners, both in the classroom and beyond. Powerful courses aligned to provincial math curricula, matched with dynamic tools and reporting for teachers. Mathletics supports a blend of student-driven learning and teacher-led instruction. In the Learn area, students have access to a full set of activities, aligned to the provincial math curricula, plus active tutorials and print-based materials. Games and apps in the Play area engage students while they target math fluency, including the famous Live Mathletics. Teachers can use the Review area to assign tasks to help assess student performance, diagnose areas of improvement and set targeted curriculum activities to address learning gaps, all from within Mathletics. I'm excited to use this newly updated powerful resource this year. This will also be another excellent resource for families wanting to support their child's learning at home with extra practice.
Students can access their Mathletics accounts through the Student Portal.
Students will be given usernames and passwords at the beginning of the year. Students are encouraged to keep their usernames and passwords in a safe place that they can access (ex. a dedicated page in their student agenda). If your child is unsure of their username or password, they may ask me and I can provide it to them again.
Problem Solving Model:
When solving word problems and other multi-step problems, it is helpful for students to have a plan to help them tackle the problem step-by-step. Over the years, I have found that the acronym USAJ has been very successful with my junior students. It is very similar in concept to the UPSC (Understand, Plan, Solve and Check) model described in the curriculum.
Understand:
Read the problem carefully, underline or highlight keywords and make a plan.
- What do I need to figure out?
- What operation/s do I need to use? (add, subtract, multiply, divide)
- What strategies will I use to help me solve this problem (number line, T-table, graph, array, standard algorithm, calculator, hands-on manipulatives etc.)
Solve
Solve the problem and show your work.
- Did I show how I solved the problem clearly?
Answer
Answer the question with a "therefore" statement.
- Did I re-read the problem to remember what I was supposed to be figuring out?
- Did I make sure I communicated my answer clearly?
Justify
Check your answer for mistakes and prove you are correct.
- Did I double check my math?
- Did I show how to solve the problem in another way?
- Did I justify my answer by communicating my thinking clearly?
USAJ can be remembered easily with a mnemonic device such as, "Ugly Sweaters Are Junk."
Student-Led Discourse
Students are encouraged to talk, ask questions and explain their thinking to each other during Math lessons. When discussing the answer to a problem, students compare their answers and work it out together, explaining their strategies and discussing what they did to find a solution. The teacher guides the conversation and supports students in critical thinking and questioning. The teacher is able to clarify key concepts and highlight "aha moments" in student understanding.
This is something we will be working towards in Grade 4 , as students learn about the routines and expectations in our math classroom.
Number Talks
A Number Talk is a five to fifteen-minute classroom conversation around purposefully crafted problems that are solved mentally. During a Number Talk teachers ask students to mentally solve problems to help students focus on number relationships, encourage and elicit students’ individual strategies, and help students construct important mathematical ideas. As students share and defend their solutions and strategies, they have opportunities to collectively reason about numbers while building their mathematical understanding.
Math Games
Playing math games is an important part of the mathematics curriculum. Math games can be powerful in helping students achieve automaticity in basic addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. Essential to learning is the talk that surrounds mathematical thinking. Students are encouraged to ask questions, develop strategies, explain their thinking and use hands-on materials to show what they have discovered about number patterns. Math games can help children build number sense, fact fluency, and confidence in their mathematical abilities.
Ongoing Assessment
Students will participate in a variety of different assessments of their progress and understanding in math this year. I will be using short diagnostic assessments at the beginning of each unit for my own purposes to see how to help your child and the class with specific needs. Throughout each unit, I take notes, observe, conference with students, collect work and document how students are doing. Sometimes, during a unit, I will have a quiz to see how students are progressing. At the end of each unit, I will have a more formal culminating assessment in the form of a test, task or performance assessment. I will try my best to always give advanced notice of quizzes and tests on the "homework" pages of this website.