Math in third grade is so important that we will continue to discuss come of the concepts taught. Third and fourth grade can be a real game-changer for many students. This is when the rubber hits the road. It becomes apparent which students did or did not use manipulatives and develop mathematical understanding conceptually. These are the grade the kids decide if they are "good" or "bad" at math. Several new topics are introduced, the pace of learning increases, and at the same time, the concepts being taught become more abstract. Problem-solving and high-order thinking are emphasized, and multi-step problems emerge. A great way to help at home is to practice math facts daily. In addition, using real-life situations to add, subtract, multiply, and divide is key and makes math real. Fluency is essential and will help your child feel more comfortable and confident in the classroom. If they fall behind in fluency, concepts become more complex, and the gap in development gets larger.

There are four major concepts that your child will learn in third and fourth grade and ways you can reinforce learning at home.

Multiplication & Division. In third grade, multiplication and division are introduced. A majority of the year is spent on understanding these two operations and the relationship between them (see the progression video). It is not all about memorization; understanding is imperative! By the end of third grade, your child should understand the meaning of multiplication and division and memorize all their multiplication and division facts (up to 100). In fourth grade, students continue this understanding and start to compute two and three-digit multiplication and division problems. Modeling is critical at this stage of learning. Multiplication and division are shown through equal-sized groups, arrays, and area models. See the handout for the understanding of modeling multiplication and division. The progression of multiplication and division video by Graham Fletcher gives you valuable insight on how to teach these concepts. In addition, there is a printout to the left of addition and subtraction models. Another great video is Two Kinds of division

2. Fractions: Your child will begin to understand fractions, beginning with unit fractions and using visual fraction models to represent a part of a whole. Third and fourth graders find equivalent fractions, order fractions and compare fractions, and then begin to add and subtract fractions with common denominators. Students will be identifying fractions that are equal to, less than, and greater than one. Having a visual understanding of fractions is essential. Again, make sure you make meaning by using manipulatives, and pictures, before moving to abstraction. Make math meaningful by

encouraging your child to:

• Find fractions in the real world and understand their meaning.

• Use fractions while cooking, shopping, eating, measuring, etc.

• Understand unit fractions or a fraction where the numerator is 1, for example, 3/3 or 4/4.

3. Measurement & Data. Students will solve measurement problems using rulers, mass, and volume in third through 5th grade. Students are introduced to area and perimeter and make connections between multiplication and division and how it’s relates to the area. In third grade, students will learn to tell time to the nearest minute and solve problems using elapsed time. They are collecting data and drawing different graphs to represent the data.

Encourage your child to:

• Cooking is always fun. Estimate measurements of items in the real world using liters, grams, etc. As they get older, try doubling and tripling recipes.

• Tell time using analog and digital clocks.

• Figure out time intervals in their day; for example, how many hours or minutes until their next activity. Estimate how much time they think it will take them to finish a chore or do a project. It is crazy how off they are at first:)

• Read and interpret different graphs in newspapers or online. Make their own graphs by interviewing people. Or graphing how many flowers and trees they see on a walk in your neighborhood. It is also fun to graph their multiplication grid time. They can practice multiplication and graphing all while seeing how they improve.

• Find the area and perimeter of different items in their house, outside, or at the playground.

Geometry. Students will focus on two-dimensional shapes.. Third and fourth graders categorize, analyze, and compare different properties of 2-D polygons. They look at the number of sides and angles and learn how to define these polygons. Firth graders will learn about increasing their knowledge of polygons, 3-D shapes, angles, angle measurement, and volume and surface area of various shapes.

Encourage your child to:

• Build 3D shapes with toothpicks and playdough

• Practice forming shapes using geoboards

• Find 2-D polygons in the real world and categorize and define them.

• Create 2D shapes with tangrams

• Make geometric patterns with pattern blocks.

• Use appropriate vocabulary when describing different polygons. For example: a parallelogram is a quadrilateral where opposite sides are parallel and equal.

• Relate fractions to geometry. For example: cut a polygon into 8 equal parts and describe the area of each part as 1/8 or half of a triangle.

• Use attribute blocks to sort and categorize.

• Draw different polygons and categorize them.

Composing numbers is the ability to put two parts together to make a whole. For example, kids will put together sets of objects, of smaller numbers, to make a complete set. Decomposing numbers is the ability to break down numbers into their sub-parts. Why is this important? It is the backbone of math and makes math meaningful. You will decompose and comose numbers all the way up to trigonometry. It is a fundamental skill that cannot be forgotten.