MATH 6B

CLass news

IMPORTANT DATES:

October 10: Lesson 3.2 - 3.4 Graded Homework due; Bell Ringer Quiz and Fun Math Friday

October 15: Unit 3 Test (Decimals Operations)

October 16: End of Quarter, all missing work due

Happy October!

6th grade math is moving along swimmingly! We are blessed to have so many wonderful sixth graders joining us in middle school this year, so we collaborated with Mrs. Frederickson and Mrs. Joyce to split the class by mastery level. 6B is the basic level group of math students. It is a smaller group, with additional support from Mrs. Hill, one of our resource teachers. I have adapted our Common Core State Standards in Math curriculum to better reflect the beauty and connectedness of mathematics so our units and lessons do not follow the layout of our textbooks. Be assured, your students are still learning all of the skills but in a more cohesive and connected manner. 

The students started the year with completing a math survey, a parent survey and the first of three STAR Math Assessments. I shared those with you at conferences.  We warmed up our math thinking skills by spending the first 2 days on a curious problem. Which is the largest number: the number of stars in the universe; the number of seconds since the Big Bang or the number of ways to order a deck of 52 playing cards? (Ask them to explain the answer to you!) Then we dove in with a study of whole numbers, followed by a second unit on fractions. We are now studying decimals. During the rest of October we will study integers. 

One of my goals as a math teacher is to provide each and every student with the support he or she needs to grow into a "Math Person". That means a person who is comfortable using math in every area of life. As the students know (because I repeat it TOO MANY TIMES during the week 😅 ), "Math is the language of the universe" (Michelangelo). Through math we can know God, know Truth, know Beauty and grow in virtue. In our class, no one is allowed to ridicule anyone for trying and failing. We don't use the words, "I'm bad at math." Instead, we say, "I haven't learned this yet." And we work hard and keep trying. 

The syllabus I sent home at the beginning of the year explains how I grade and approach homework. You can download it by clicking below. Please read it. To access all of the notes and daily assignments, please email me for the access code to our Math 6B Google Classroom site. This is also the most up-to-date schedule for quizzes, tests, and assignments. 

I am excited to learn math along with your students! One way to practice math facts and build fluency is to play card games! You can change the rules of common games like Go Fish or War to include math. I have a great book (unfortunately out of print) called All Hands on Deck: Math Games using Cards and Dice. I am happy to send home copies of the games we use during Fun Math Friday. Just email me!