Mathematics

1.  Practice addition facts to 20:  You can do this out loud in the car going places or at home playing a game called war using a deck of playing cards or you can practice with flash cards.

Use strategies to solve facts

 Using strategies will help you remember most of the facts.  Try these:

     When adding 9 add 10 then subtract one from the answer.

   9 + 7 = 10 + 7 = 17 - 1 = 16

Know your doubles.  Then you will know your near double.

7 + 7 = 14  so 7 + 6 = 1 less 13 and 7 + 8 = 1 more 15

Make 10 strategy: 7 + 5 = 10 + 2 = 12

2.  We are working on a graphing unit.  We will make and read pictographs and bar graphs. Grade 4's will read line graphs and make and read stem and leaf plots.  Grade 4's learned how to find the mean (average) and range of our data. We will learn the difference between pictographs and bar graphs.  We will learn how to choose an key and symbol for a pictograph. We will choose and make a scale for a bar graph.  We know all graphs must have a title, data, labels and a key or scale. We will locate and place items on coordinate grids. Our last activity will be to make up a survey question to ask the class, complete the survey using a tally and then record the data gathered on a pictograph graph and a bar graph.  We will record 2 things we learned from the data and  make up 2 questions about the data. Grade 4's should be able to explain what each word in black means. Grade 3's focus is on the pictograph and bar graphs.

3. Practice skip counting by 10's and 100's starting at various numbers:

   example:  123, 133, 143                  569, 579, 589, 599, 609 

4.  Practice rounding off to the ten's place and the hundred's place  grade 3's

                     and grade 4's the thousand's place too.          

      0-4 rounds down      5-9 rounds up           example:  24 rounds to 20       47 rounds to 50

     231 rounds to 230 or 200    458 rounds to 460 or 500 

                                             tens         hundreds                                           tens         hundreds

          13 456 rounds to 13,460 (tens)   to 13 400 (hundreds) to 13 000 (thousands)   

     98 765 rounds to 98 770 (tens)  to  98 800 (hundreds) to 99 000 (thousands)

5.  We are working on Place Value to the thousands (Grade 3) and ten thousands  (grade 4) place now.  Practice writing and saying these large numbers.  Be able to spell number words.  Remember to use dash between tens and ones place. Example: thirty-five 

1 456       2 780       3 004    5 067     6 902    7 300  8 011    9 999         Grade 3

10 456     25 678   39 021    47 304   58 120    69 654   71 002     86 900      Grade 4

Can you say these numbers?  Can you write them the way you say them?  Can you draw them using place value materials?  Can you break them up into their parts? ( expand them)

2 thousands + 4 hundred + 6 tens + 8 ones = 2 468

2000 + 400 + 60 + 8

two thousand four hundred sixty- eight

13 thousands + 4 hundred + 5 tens + 6 ones = 13 356

10 000 + 3000 + 300 + 50 + 6 = 13 356

What comes before that number? after that number? Can you add 10 or 100 or 1000 to that.

6.  We have started a unit on addition of whole numbers to the ten thousands place for grade 4 and hundreds place for grade 3.  We are beginning with reviewing addition of two digit numbers, introduce three digit numbers with grade threes and will work into addition of four and five digit numbers with grade fours.  We will also work on addition of numbers in a column.  We are still working on rounding off to help up decide if our answer is a reasonable one.  Keep practice rounding off to the tens and hundreds place. If the children are good at their addition facts, subtraction will be a little easier.  They will only need to work on the trading/ regrouping part.  (Trading is what we adults call carrying and borrowing.)

7. We have started working on subtraction to the hundreds place for grade 3’s and the ten thousands place for grade 4’s.  We are still working on rounding to the tens and hundreds places.  Explain that subtraction is the opposite of addition and try changing equations to addition in your head to solve the subtraction problem.

Example:  38 - 29 =    You can't subtract 9 from 8 so you must trade a ten from the tens place and make it 10 ones again.  Now you can subtract 9 from 18.  Think 9 plus what is 18.  Ah, it is a double, it is 9.  So 18 take away 9 is 9.  The answer is 9 because 2 tens take away 2 tens is 0 and you do not have to put a 0 in if it is in front of the answer. Practice subtracting basic facts to 20 and doing that subtracting with larger numbers. Make sure to line up your place values and show your regrouping or trading work above the number. Go to websites on my links page with subtraction practice to see the process and practice it.

8.  We are working on symmetry and 3D geometry.  We will be playing with the geometric solids finding out their properties, similarities and differences and how to make their nets.  We will learn about various kinds of prisms and pyramids.  We will make our own nets and try them out.  We will make skeletal models using toothpicks and clay, and then make comparisons.  We are still doing timed tests but now they will be addition and subtraction mixed together and the numbers may be two, three or four digits.  We will use our basic addition and subtraction strategies to solve problems with bigger numbers. For example:  90 + 40= So you will use your adding nine strategy to get 13 and add the zero to keep the place value, 130.  1400 - 700 = So you will use your adding doubles strategy 7+7=14 so 1400 - 700 = 700.  Keep practicing your subtraction facts to 20 to strengthen this area.

9. In language arts we are having a lot of fun reading Owls In The Family by Farley Mowat. Last week, students make 3-D owls and owlets. Stop in our classroom to view our amazing bulletin board. Students are working on dictionary skills, writing summaries, using graphic organizers/mind maps to put their ideas on paper, reading aloud, and comprehension. In math, we are finishing our geometry unit. Grade 4's have been investigating slides, reflections, and rotations. Grade 3's have been looking at the attributes of figures and looking at which shapes are convex and concave. We are also working on mental math and adding in our heads using memory strategies. In science, we are investigating sound. We have been looking at how sound is made and how it travels. Next we will look at the ear. In health, we are continuing our study of the human body systems with this weeks focus on the digestive system. Next week we will focus on the nervous system.