March 1, 2020
The kids did great with multiplying decimals last week! This week we'll work on dividing whole numbers by decimals and take an assessment by the end of the week. (Students should be familiar with models, but I'm also showing them the standard algorithm for multiplying/dividing decimals.)
February 24, 2020
Today students are bringing home their latest math assessment. They've all made really good growth!
This week we'll work multiplying whole numbers by decimals and multiplying decimals by decimals.
February 18, 2020
We worked really hard on division last week, especially interpreting remainders. This requires students to read questions (in word problems) carefully! We took a post assessment on the standard algorithm for multiplication and division last week. Everyone showed tremendous growth!
This week we're going to focus on reviewing concepts from this quarter. Tomorrow students will work on a Fraction Frenzy (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing) Digital Breakout Game. Be sure to ask them about this!
February 10, 2020
Last week the kids did great using the standard algorithm for multiplying multi-digit numbers. (Students should be able to multiply a 3-digit number by a 2-digit number.)
This week we're revisiting division, as we use various place value models and interpret remainders. (Students are expected to begin to develop an understanding of the standard algorithm for division, but they aren't expected to master it in fifth grade.)
Here's an example in which students would need to ignore the remainder: Landon will use beads to make necklaces. He has 623 beads and needs to use 8 beads for each necklace. What is the greatest number of necklaces Landon can make with 623 beads?
February 3, 2020
This week we're beginning our next math unit. Students will begin using the standard algorithm for multiplication (WOO HOO!), and we'll continue to work with visual models for division.
January 27, 2020
We will keep practicing using area model for adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators and we will try it out with mixed numbers. We will also learn how number lines can be used with these problems as well. Be on the lookout for examples of what this looks like in your child's blue folder.
January 22, 2020
Today students are bringing home the assessment on adding/subtracting decimals using place value strategies.
This week we'll working on adding/subtracting fractions. Last Friday students used benchmark fractions (0, 1/2, 1) to estimate sums/differences. Next, we'll begin learning how to use area model (see below) and number lines for adding and subtracting fractions.
January 13, 2020
This week we'll review adding/subtracting decimals with real-world applications (Taco Bell's Combo menu!), and students will take an assessment on Wednesday. Next we'll be moving on to adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators...
January 6, 2020
This week we'll wrap up adding/subtracting decimals using place value strategies. Note that this fifth grade math standard requires that students be able to estimate sums/differences to determine reasonableness of answers, as well as use base ten drawings to demonstrate understanding of adding/subtracting decimals. Many students may choose to use standard algorithm to check their answers, which is great!
December 2, 2019
This week we'll be discovering patterns in multiplying and dividing by powers of ten. (10, 100, 1000) It's really important that students understand the value of each digit increases by x10, x100, or x1000, and the value of each digit increases as they shift to the left. The decimal does NOT move.
November 18, 2019
We'll continue our work with decimals. Today we started to make connections between decimals and metric measurement.
November 12, 2019
Last Friday we assessed students' abilities to see division as fractions, and divide whole numbers by fractions and divide fractions by whole numbers via word problems. Overall, the kids did really well...ESPECIALLY considering the fact that--based on the pre-test results--not one student had an understanding of this concept a few weeks ago! These assessments are coming home today.
This week we'll begin working with decimals. The kids will work to:
- Explain the patterns in the place value system from one million to the thousandths place.
- Read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths.
November 4, 2019
Last week I gave a quiz to check in on students' abilities multiply fractions, see division as fractions, and divide whole numbers by fractions via word problems. Based on the results, the challenge with this assessment wasn't the skill of multiplying/dividing fractions, but interpreting the word problems (i.e. determining the operation and what is being divided) correctly.
Last week the kids did really great with dividing whole numbers by fractions. Ask them what generalizations we've made regarding the size of the quotient when 1-dividing fractions by whole numbers and 2-dividing whole numbers by fractions. (1-The quotient will be smaller than the unit fraction. 2-The quotient will be larger than the whole number.) Can they explain why???
October 28, 2019
Last week we worked to see fractions as the division of a numerator by the denominator. For example, if 3 pizzas are shared equally by 6 kids, each kid will get 3/6 or 1/2 of a pizza. Students are able to represent these scenarios with models. The kids are doing really well with this!
This week we'll be dividing whole numbers by fractions.
October 22, 2019
Last week we came to the conclusion that when multiplying fractions, it is reasonable to expect our products to be smaller than either factor. Students did great on our post assessment for multiplying fractions by whole numbers! Look for this to come home in blue folders.
This week we're moving on to dividing fractions. Here's a common misconception some students have about dividing fractions:
The student may have trouble understanding how the answer to a division problem could be a larger number.
- Relate 6 ÷ 1/4 to the context, “How many 1/4 portions are found in 6 candy bars?” Refer to visual models to show that each whole candy bar has 4 portions that are 1/4 in size. Therefore, in 6 whole candy bars there is a total of 24 portions.
October 14, 2019
This week we're continuing to multiply whole numbers by fractions! More specifically, we're focusing on using various visual models to multiply whole numbers by fractions. (This is a necessary part of this standard! Students are welcome to use the standard algorithm, but it must be accompanied by a visual model.)
Check out this videos to see some of the visual models we'll be working with...
Multiply a Fraction x Fraction with Visual Fraction Model
October 7, 2019
Today students will be bringing home their scores on Friday's division assessment. (We started working on this standard before track out.) Everyone made awesome growth on this skill! Students took this assessment online, as we're preparing for the EOG Math test to be online this year.
This week we'll begin to multiplying fractions by whole numbers using models. More specifically, we'll be using models to understand why:
- multiplying a whole number by a fraction that's less than one results in a product that is less than than that whole number.
- multiplying a whole number by a fraction that's more than one results in a product that is greater than than that whole number.
- multiplying a whole number by a fraction that's equivalent to one results in a product that is equal to that whole number.
October 1, 2019
This week we'll be reviewing dividing by two-digit divisors, and we'll assess this skill on Friday. Below you'll find two videos/strategies that we use for dividing. My favorite is the second!
We'll also wrap up our Volume City project from the end of first quarter.
September 3, 2019
Last week students took their assessment for Order of Operations and Multiplication online. Today I'm sending home the scores for this assessment. They all did great on this skill!
Last week we worked on dividing multi-digit numbers by 2-digit divisors. This proved to be difficult for some students, so we'll continue working on this in small groups this week.
We'll also be starting a final project called Volume City. This will integrate what we've learned about volume, while incorporating multiplication and division.
August 26, 2019
Last week the kids did great with using the area model for multiplication! We're still working to "attend to precision," though many students worked hard to combat those silly mistakes last week. We will be assessing these skills via a Google form today. (Next Tuesday, I'll send home the kids' written work and scores on this assessment.)
This week we're starting division. Click here for some online practice.
August 19, 2019
Last week the kids did great with Order of Operations! They came in with some prior knowledge of this (PEMDAS) from fourth grade, and so we worked to really be able to demonstrate our understanding of what PEMDAS actually means through evaluating written and numerical expressions.
This week we'll begin working with the area model strategy for multiplication. Click here for an demonstration. The kids are doing so well with this; however, many students need to work on "attending to precision." Ask your fifth grader about ways they can do this!
August 12, 2019
This week we'll be wrapping up our unit on finding volume. We'll review on Monday and assess on Tuesday. Some students are struggling to find the volume of composite shapes, specifically when all dimensions aren't given. Click here for extra practice with this at home!
On Wednesday, I'll give a pre-test on our upcoming unit on Order of Operations and multiplication. We have lots of students that already have a strong command of these skills!
We're using Xtra Math for building our fluency with math facts. XtraMath® helps students transition from counting or calculating the basic math facts to recalling them. Quickly recalling math facts, instead of calculating them, frees up mental resources for higher-level operations.
August 5, 2019
Last week we continued to explore the volume of rectangular prisms. We found the volume of real world rectangular prisms using various materials/tools (i.e. ruler, popcubes, building blocks). We used cheese balls (YUM!) to determine that shorter, but wider rectangular prisms yield more volume that taller, more narrow rectangular prisms. Ask your fifth grader why...
This week we'll also learn how to find the volume of composite figures. Click here to see a video about finding the volume of composite figures.
July 29, 2019
Last week we concluded our graphing unit with a final assessment. These are coming home today. In class I shared with students how many correct responses they got on the data/graphing pre-assessment, and we compared that to the number of correct responses on the post-assessment. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT MADE GROWTH! Please let me know if you have questions.
This week we'll explore the volume of rectangular prisms. This week we'll begin to look closely at using layers to explore volume. Ask your fifth grader about the most efficient way to find volume! We'll be using volume to better understand the associative property of multiplication. (see video) I've posted some online sites that kids can use to practice working with volume.
July 22, 2019
This week we'll be wrapping up our unit on data and graphing. Students will working on generating two numerical patterns using two given rules, identifying relationships and graphing corresponding terms as ordered pairs.
We're also beginning to incorporate multiplication fluency into our daily routine. The kids will be using Xtra Math to practice their multiplication facts.
This week we'll take our assessment on this standard and next week we'll move on to using models to explore properties of multiplication and division.
July 15, 2019
This week we'll continue building student understanding of data collection. Students will learn to collect data by asking questions, represent data that changes over time using a line graph, and determine whether a survey question will yield categorical or numerical data. Additionally, they'll work to graph points in the first quadrant of a coordinate plane, using it to solve problems. Ask your fifth grader was he's learned about coordinate grids (x axis, y axis, order pairs, etc...).
July 9, 2019
This week we're representing and interpreting data. We'll be talking about different types of data (categorical, numerical, data that changes over time) and different ways to represent that data.