Today in class the kids will be working on their BIG assignment that will help them review for their December Diagnostic. The assignment is due on Friday and will be considered late if it is not turned in. I am counting the assignment as 2 DAILY grades because there is so much work involved. The children have had since Monday to be working on it and I also gave them time in class yesterday to get started if they had not already done so.
Tomorrow we will be beginning the December Diagnostic. They will have time on Monday to finish it if they don't finish in class.
Don't forget about our heritage celebration on Tuesday!
Also, don't forget that there are short days on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday in which the kids get out at 2:30 instead of 3:30.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
12/14/11
Yesterday we learned about solving multiplication algebraic equations. We learned that in order to isolate the variable that you had to divide both sides of the equation. We also learned how to solve equations like this:
35 t = 5 We found out that if you divide both sides by 35 you would get t = 5/35, in which case the numerator is bigger than the denominator. We know that this answer must be less than one, so you can leave it in a fraction format and reduce it to 1/7.
Today we are going to be working with division equations and use multiplication to solve them. This is our last topic before we begin reviewing for the December Diagnostic. I hope all is going well with the BIG assignment so far.
In social studies we are going to take a pause until we get back from the Winter Break. We have learned a lot about some of the Ancient Civilizations and will continue that journey in January.
We are still missing quite a few responses about the heritage celebration. If you have not yet turned that in, please do so soon.
Thanks!
35 t = 5 We found out that if you divide both sides by 35 you would get t = 5/35, in which case the numerator is bigger than the denominator. We know that this answer must be less than one, so you can leave it in a fraction format and reduce it to 1/7.
Today we are going to be working with division equations and use multiplication to solve them. This is our last topic before we begin reviewing for the December Diagnostic. I hope all is going well with the BIG assignment so far.
In social studies we are going to take a pause until we get back from the Winter Break. We have learned a lot about some of the Ancient Civilizations and will continue that journey in January.
We are still missing quite a few responses about the heritage celebration. If you have not yet turned that in, please do so soon.
Thanks!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
12/13/11
Yesterday in math, we continued our journey through algebra. We worked on subtraction equations. For example...to solve the following equations, here are the steps you would take.
x - 6 = 10
Step 1: Isolate the variable. You want to get the x by itself, so you have to get rid of the six. In order to do that you would add 6, which would leave the x by itself.
Step 2: You must do the same thing to both sides of the equation to keep them equal...so you would add 6 to 10 and get 16.
Therefore, x = 16. .
Today we are going to move on to multiplication problems. We will spend a little more time with this than we did the last one because it gets a little confusing when dealing with fractions. Here is an example:
(1/2)x = 1/3
Step 1: Isolate the variable. In order to get x by itself, you need to get rid of the 1/2. In the equation, you are multiplying by 1/2, so you would divide by 1/2 to get rid of it, which would leave you with just x on the left side of the equation.
Step 2: You must do the same thing to the other side, so you have 1/3 divided by 1/2. Remember: Dividing by any number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal, so it would be the same as 1/3 times 2/1 which gives you 2/3.
Therefore, x = 2/3.
In social studies we have one more lesson to do. It is still going to be focusing on ancient civilizations.
In math, I have given the kids a huge math assignment that will be due on Friday. They will have their entire class period to work on it on Thursday. I have told them that they are allowed to complete 1/2 of it at home before Thursday, but not more than that so that they are not bored and giving my sub a hard time on Thursday. The assignment is their review, or study guide, for the December Diagnostic. That test will be given on Friday and finished on Monday if they still need extra time.
Do not forget that we have early dismissal on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Have a great day!
x - 6 = 10
Step 1: Isolate the variable. You want to get the x by itself, so you have to get rid of the six. In order to do that you would add 6, which would leave the x by itself.
Step 2: You must do the same thing to both sides of the equation to keep them equal...so you would add 6 to 10 and get 16.
Therefore, x = 16. .
Today we are going to move on to multiplication problems. We will spend a little more time with this than we did the last one because it gets a little confusing when dealing with fractions. Here is an example:
(1/2)x = 1/3
Step 1: Isolate the variable. In order to get x by itself, you need to get rid of the 1/2. In the equation, you are multiplying by 1/2, so you would divide by 1/2 to get rid of it, which would leave you with just x on the left side of the equation.
Step 2: You must do the same thing to the other side, so you have 1/3 divided by 1/2. Remember: Dividing by any number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal, so it would be the same as 1/3 times 2/1 which gives you 2/3.
Therefore, x = 2/3.
In social studies we have one more lesson to do. It is still going to be focusing on ancient civilizations.
In math, I have given the kids a huge math assignment that will be due on Friday. They will have their entire class period to work on it on Thursday. I have told them that they are allowed to complete 1/2 of it at home before Thursday, but not more than that so that they are not bored and giving my sub a hard time on Thursday. The assignment is their review, or study guide, for the December Diagnostic. That test will be given on Friday and finished on Monday if they still need extra time.
Do not forget that we have early dismissal on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Have a great day!
Monday, December 12, 2011
12/12/11
Last full week before Winter Break!!!
This week we are going to be focusing on our last few topics in math. We are going to be working with subtraction, multiplication, and division expressions with one variable and one=step solutions. On Thursday we are going to be reviewing for our test. I am going to be giving them a big assignment to help them review for their December Diagnostic which they are going to be taking on Friday and Monday. I am going to post the assignment tomorrow or Wednesday so that they know and can get started this week. Please do not have them complete the entire assignment. They will have 90 minutes of class time to work on it with the sub on Thursday. If they come in and it is complete, they will not have anything to do and will distract others that need to be concentrating.
The point of the assignment is to practice a couple of each type of problem that we have learned about so far this year. If they are having trouble with some of them, those are the sections that they should study in order to do well on their big test.
They will have other assignments this week to practice the last few skills before the big assignment.
In social studies we will be concentrating on the last two lessons for the nine weeks. We will be reading chapter 8 lesson 2 and chapter 12 lesson 2. We will be answering the questions at the end of each section for the last two grades of the nine weeks.
If you did not already send them in...please send in the filled out form for our heritage celebration so that we can make sure the day goes well.
Have a great week!
This week we are going to be focusing on our last few topics in math. We are going to be working with subtraction, multiplication, and division expressions with one variable and one=step solutions. On Thursday we are going to be reviewing for our test. I am going to be giving them a big assignment to help them review for their December Diagnostic which they are going to be taking on Friday and Monday. I am going to post the assignment tomorrow or Wednesday so that they know and can get started this week. Please do not have them complete the entire assignment. They will have 90 minutes of class time to work on it with the sub on Thursday. If they come in and it is complete, they will not have anything to do and will distract others that need to be concentrating.
The point of the assignment is to practice a couple of each type of problem that we have learned about so far this year. If they are having trouble with some of them, those are the sections that they should study in order to do well on their big test.
They will have other assignments this week to practice the last few skills before the big assignment.
In social studies we will be concentrating on the last two lessons for the nine weeks. We will be reading chapter 8 lesson 2 and chapter 12 lesson 2. We will be answering the questions at the end of each section for the last two grades of the nine weeks.
If you did not already send them in...please send in the filled out form for our heritage celebration so that we can make sure the day goes well.
Have a great week!
Friday, December 9, 2011
12/9/11
Yesterday was a rough day in the math world. We have begun to work with solving algebraic equations. We are going to continue with this topic until we take our midyear district math assessment. I think it can only get better from here on out!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
12/8/11
Everyone did very well on yesterday's chapter 6 assessment. Mostly A's and B's. Way to go kids!
Today we are going to begin chapter 7. It is going to take us a little further into algebra where we have to start solving for variables. We are going to be learning one and two step equations.
In social studies we have now studied about the Mayans, Aztecs, Omec, and Incas. Today we are going to be reading chapter 7 lesson 3.
Have a good day!
Today we are going to begin chapter 7. It is going to take us a little further into algebra where we have to start solving for variables. We are going to be learning one and two step equations.
In social studies we have now studied about the Mayans, Aztecs, Omec, and Incas. Today we are going to be reading chapter 7 lesson 3.
Have a good day!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
12/7/11
Yesterday we had a good day on our field trip to KSC. The kids got to see a couple of demonstrations, watch a 3-D movie in the Imax theater, and ride the Shuttle Simulator. I think most of them had a good time.
Today, we are taking our topic 6 math test. I hope everyone studied for this one. When we are finished, we are going to continue working through other Ancient Civilizations in social studies.
The kids should start to study for their December Math Diagnostic Test. It will be given on Friday the 16th and Monday the 18th. They will need to know all of the information from chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and the beginning of 7. A good way to study for this test is for them to go to the end of each chapter and do a couple of questions from each box. They can check the odd answers in the back of the book. If they get them correct, then they don't need to study that section, if they get them wrong, they should do a few more sample problems from the book. Have fun studying and do well on the test!
Today, we are taking our topic 6 math test. I hope everyone studied for this one. When we are finished, we are going to continue working through other Ancient Civilizations in social studies.
The kids should start to study for their December Math Diagnostic Test. It will be given on Friday the 16th and Monday the 18th. They will need to know all of the information from chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and the beginning of 7. A good way to study for this test is for them to go to the end of each chapter and do a couple of questions from each box. They can check the odd answers in the back of the book. If they get them correct, then they don't need to study that section, if they get them wrong, they should do a few more sample problems from the book. Have fun studying and do well on the test!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
12/6/11
Sorry I haven't been updating since last week. Tis' the season.
Yesterday we finished chapter 6 in class. They learned about the distributive property. It states:
a ( b + c) = ab + ac They can use this when breaking up a number as well. For example: 6 x 54 = 6(50 + 4) = 300 + 24 = 324.
In social studies we have begun our study of other ancient cultures such as the Mayans. We read chapter 7 section 1. There were some intriguing facts in our reading.
Today we will be on our space week field trip. It should be a lot of fun!
When we return, the kids have a test on Chapter 6 on Wednesday. I haven't given them any paper pencil homework. Please make sure that they are studying for their test.
Yesterday we finished chapter 6 in class. They learned about the distributive property. It states:
a ( b + c) = ab + ac They can use this when breaking up a number as well. For example: 6 x 54 = 6(50 + 4) = 300 + 24 = 324.
In social studies we have begun our study of other ancient cultures such as the Mayans. We read chapter 7 section 1. There were some intriguing facts in our reading.
Today we will be on our space week field trip. It should be a lot of fun!
When we return, the kids have a test on Chapter 6 on Wednesday. I haven't given them any paper pencil homework. Please make sure that they are studying for their test.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
12/1/11
Well, it is the first day of December. The countdown until Christmas begins.
Yesterday in math we learned how to turn a phrase into an algebraic equation and define the variable. For example: Johnny is 2 times older than his little brother Mikey.
m = Mikey's age j = Johnny's age
j = 2m
example: Anne went on a trip across the country with her two friends. If they were charged $40.00 for each of their bicycles that they brought. How much was the trip?
c = cost of each bus ticket
T = total cost of trip
T = 3c + 3 x 40 or T = 3c + 120
In social studies we reviewed a few key concepts. We reviewed what a polis, acropolis, and the agora are. We also talked about the Parthenon and that temples were built in honor of gods and goddesses. Another thing we talked about was that Hippocrates was the father of medicine. I told the students that they needed to know the vocabulary words on pages 291-306. That covers almost everything on the test. We also talked about how to measure distance accurately on a map.
Today we are taking the social studies midterm. If everyone finishes early enough we will continue with chapter 6 in math. If not, there won't be any homework tonight.
Yesterday in math we learned how to turn a phrase into an algebraic equation and define the variable. For example: Johnny is 2 times older than his little brother Mikey.
m = Mikey's age j = Johnny's age
j = 2m
example: Anne went on a trip across the country with her two friends. If they were charged $40.00 for each of their bicycles that they brought. How much was the trip?
c = cost of each bus ticket
T = total cost of trip
T = 3c + 3 x 40 or T = 3c + 120
In social studies we reviewed a few key concepts. We reviewed what a polis, acropolis, and the agora are. We also talked about the Parthenon and that temples were built in honor of gods and goddesses. Another thing we talked about was that Hippocrates was the father of medicine. I told the students that they needed to know the vocabulary words on pages 291-306. That covers almost everything on the test. We also talked about how to measure distance accurately on a map.
Today we are taking the social studies midterm. If everyone finishes early enough we will continue with chapter 6 in math. If not, there won't be any homework tonight.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
11/30/11
Yesterday we learned how to evaluate expressions when given the value of a variable.
For example:
t + 3 x 5 =
They gave us that t = 4
4 + 3 x 5 =
4 + 15 =
19
We would still have to solve the multiplication first due to the order of operations (PEMDAS)
In social studies we reviewed the difference between the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic. We learned the the Empire was ruled by one ruler whereas the Republic was ruled by a few. We also learned about the Hellenistic Age is which the Greek culture was spread through a vast land. It was spread to any place that was conquered. Keep reading 291-306 and you will do well on the midterm.
For example:
t + 3 x 5 =
They gave us that t = 4
4 + 3 x 5 =
4 + 15 =
19
We would still have to solve the multiplication first due to the order of operations (PEMDAS)
In social studies we reviewed the difference between the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic. We learned the the Empire was ruled by one ruler whereas the Republic was ruled by a few. We also learned about the Hellenistic Age is which the Greek culture was spread through a vast land. It was spread to any place that was conquered. Keep reading 291-306 and you will do well on the midterm.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
11/29/11
Yesterday when I got to school I was unable to give the DA math test. I did not have the correct copies. I improvised and we moved on with our studies in math and social studies. That being said, the social studies midterm will now be on Thursday instead of Friday.
In math yesterday, we reviewed the order of operations: PEMDAS (parenthesis, exponents, multiplication/division (left to right), and addition/subtraction (left to right) We did a long example on the board that was more in depth than the ones that they were required to do for homework. I showed them how I wanted them to show their work and that they needed to show each individual step of the process. For example:
8 x 5 + (6^2 - 8 (1 x 1)) -4 =
8 x 5 + (6^2 - 8 x 1) - 4 =
8 x 5 + (36 - 8 x 1) - 4 =
8 x 5 + ( 36 - 8) - 4 =
8 x 5 + 28 - 4 =
40 + 28 - 4 =
68 - 4 =
64
If they do it in this manner it will prevent them from making silly mistakes.
In math today and tomorrow, we will be working on evaluating an expression when given the value of the variable and writing an expression based on word problems. For example:
X + 4 when X = 6; I would plug 6 in for X and solve: 6 + 4 = 10 So 10 would be my answer.
The other would be something like: Johnny went to the store and bought some apples. Then he bought 6 oranges. If he bought 15 pieces of fruit, how many apples did Johnny buy?
They would have to come up with the expression X + 6 = 15
In social studies yesterday, we reviewed what Rome and Greece contributed to our system of government. We learned that Athens was the birthplace of democracy. We also learned that Rome had a democracy that was a little bit different. It also included separation of powers, which meant they had more than one branch of government. We know that the forum was the most important place in Rome. It was where they had money changers, who exchanged currency, banks, sporting events, trials, basically anything that was important was done at the forum. We also read about the Peloponnesian war, which was started because Sparta and other city-states in the Peloponnese were afraid that Athens was gaining too much power. It ended when Athens was defeated.
We will continue to review some important concepts today as well.
In math yesterday, we reviewed the order of operations: PEMDAS (parenthesis, exponents, multiplication/division (left to right), and addition/subtraction (left to right) We did a long example on the board that was more in depth than the ones that they were required to do for homework. I showed them how I wanted them to show their work and that they needed to show each individual step of the process. For example:
8 x 5 + (6^2 - 8 (1 x 1)) -4 =
8 x 5 + (6^2 - 8 x 1) - 4 =
8 x 5 + (36 - 8 x 1) - 4 =
8 x 5 + ( 36 - 8) - 4 =
8 x 5 + 28 - 4 =
40 + 28 - 4 =
68 - 4 =
64
If they do it in this manner it will prevent them from making silly mistakes.
In math today and tomorrow, we will be working on evaluating an expression when given the value of the variable and writing an expression based on word problems. For example:
X + 4 when X = 6; I would plug 6 in for X and solve: 6 + 4 = 10 So 10 would be my answer.
The other would be something like: Johnny went to the store and bought some apples. Then he bought 6 oranges. If he bought 15 pieces of fruit, how many apples did Johnny buy?
They would have to come up with the expression X + 6 = 15
In social studies yesterday, we reviewed what Rome and Greece contributed to our system of government. We learned that Athens was the birthplace of democracy. We also learned that Rome had a democracy that was a little bit different. It also included separation of powers, which meant they had more than one branch of government. We know that the forum was the most important place in Rome. It was where they had money changers, who exchanged currency, banks, sporting events, trials, basically anything that was important was done at the forum. We also read about the Peloponnesian war, which was started because Sparta and other city-states in the Peloponnese were afraid that Athens was gaining too much power. It ended when Athens was defeated.
We will continue to review some important concepts today as well.
Monday, November 28, 2011
11/28/11
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. We are going to keep trucking through our standards in both math and social studies. We have 3 more full weeks of school before the semester is over.
This week, we are going to be reviewing for our social studies midterm. If you would like to help your child review at home, they need to read and understand all of the important concepts of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece on pages 291-306. We will be reviewing them in class as well. The social studies midterm will be given on Friday 12/2.
In math, we are moving into a new concept. Today I am giving them a test to see where they are in math so far this year. Starting tomorrow, we will be beginning to work with numerical expressions and how the different properties, such as the distributive, commutative, and associative properties work. This will be our introduction into our algebra unit where we will be solving equations to find the value of a variable. Also, we will be graphing equations as well.
We will be taking the chapter 6 test on these concepts on Thursday, December 8. Before the three weeks is over, we will be reviewing previously taught concepts and be taking our district math assessment as well. I will keep you posted as the weeks go on.
Welcome back!
This week, we are going to be reviewing for our social studies midterm. If you would like to help your child review at home, they need to read and understand all of the important concepts of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece on pages 291-306. We will be reviewing them in class as well. The social studies midterm will be given on Friday 12/2.
In math, we are moving into a new concept. Today I am giving them a test to see where they are in math so far this year. Starting tomorrow, we will be beginning to work with numerical expressions and how the different properties, such as the distributive, commutative, and associative properties work. This will be our introduction into our algebra unit where we will be solving equations to find the value of a variable. Also, we will be graphing equations as well.
We will be taking the chapter 6 test on these concepts on Thursday, December 8. Before the three weeks is over, we will be reviewing previously taught concepts and be taking our district math assessment as well. I will keep you posted as the weeks go on.
Welcome back!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
11/22/11
Yesterday and again today we are having a math competition in class. We also are working on our essays for our DBQ. They are due today before the kids leave the classroom. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving break and is ready to start algebra when we return!!!
Friday, November 18, 2011
11/17/11
Today we will be taking our big test on decimals, fractions, and percents. I think that the kids are going to do a great job on this test. Most of them did very well on the review questions on Tuesday. We also are going to be beginning our persuasive essays on our DBQ question. I will be collecting the DBQs today so that I can upload the grades onto Edline.
The debates yesterday went okay. Some classes did a better job than other classes, but it was definitely a learning experience for all of us.
Have a great weekend!
The debates yesterday went okay. Some classes did a better job than other classes, but it was definitely a learning experience for all of us.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
11/17/11
Yesterday wasn't so bad. I think the kids got it. Some even came up with their own ways to solve them.
Today in class we are going to be actually doing our debate. We are also going to be calculating the actual percent of a number. It is going to be a good day. I can feel it already.
Today in class we are going to be actually doing our debate. We are also going to be calculating the actual percent of a number. It is going to be a good day. I can feel it already.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
11/16/11
Sorry it has been so long since I have been on. Wedding plans and my son being sick has been very hectic.
This week, we are finishing up our unit on fractions, decimals, and percents. We will be having an end of unit test on Friday. The kids got a chance on Tuesday with the sub to do a few pages of review. If they didn't have problems with any of the sections, then they will do fine on the test.
We still have two new concepts to learn today and tomorrow. We are going to begin with estimating percents today. This topic is a little tricky, but I will explain. If the question is asking ABOUT how much is 78% of 309, the kids would round that to 80% of 300. There are a couple of ways that they can then calculate this. They can multiply .8 * 300 and they would get 240, or they could look at 300 and think, what is 10% of 300. They would get 30, then multiply it by 8 to get 240. They also could set it up like a ratio and do 80/100 = x/300. They know that they have to multiply 100 * 3 to get to 300, so they would do the same to the top and do 80 * 3 and get 240.
Tomorrow, we will be learning how to find the exact percent. This will be a review on how to multiply decimals. I try to remind them that when they see the word of in a word problem, it means to multiply. So if the question asks for 76% of 352, they would multiply 352 times .76 and get 267.52. This is how you would find an exact answer.
We are going to be beginning our debate in social studies today. The kids are going to meet with their teams and formulate how they are going to go about defending their choices so that they are well prepared for tomorrow's debate. On Friday in social studies when they finish their math test, they can begin working on their culminating essay for the DBQ. It is a persuasive essay on Rome or Athens, which had the better system.
Since I was out on Tuesday, I am going to give them time next week to work on their essays as well. If they want to work on it over the weekend they can.
I hope this gets us all caught up.
This week, we are finishing up our unit on fractions, decimals, and percents. We will be having an end of unit test on Friday. The kids got a chance on Tuesday with the sub to do a few pages of review. If they didn't have problems with any of the sections, then they will do fine on the test.
We still have two new concepts to learn today and tomorrow. We are going to begin with estimating percents today. This topic is a little tricky, but I will explain. If the question is asking ABOUT how much is 78% of 309, the kids would round that to 80% of 300. There are a couple of ways that they can then calculate this. They can multiply .8 * 300 and they would get 240, or they could look at 300 and think, what is 10% of 300. They would get 30, then multiply it by 8 to get 240. They also could set it up like a ratio and do 80/100 = x/300. They know that they have to multiply 100 * 3 to get to 300, so they would do the same to the top and do 80 * 3 and get 240.
Tomorrow, we will be learning how to find the exact percent. This will be a review on how to multiply decimals. I try to remind them that when they see the word of in a word problem, it means to multiply. So if the question asks for 76% of 352, they would multiply 352 times .76 and get 267.52. This is how you would find an exact answer.
We are going to be beginning our debate in social studies today. The kids are going to meet with their teams and formulate how they are going to go about defending their choices so that they are well prepared for tomorrow's debate. On Friday in social studies when they finish their math test, they can begin working on their culminating essay for the DBQ. It is a persuasive essay on Rome or Athens, which had the better system.
Since I was out on Tuesday, I am going to give them time next week to work on their essays as well. If they want to work on it over the weekend they can.
I hope this gets us all caught up.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
11/10/11
Today we are going to be continuing our journey through the DBQ: Citizenship in Athens and Rome: Which was the better system? The kids did well yesterday on the first two documents, so we are going to be analyzing the next two documents.
We reviewed the homework from Tuesday night yesterday. The kids seem a little more comfortable with the skills. We are going to continue on our journey today. We are going to be ordering 3 or more fractions from least to greatest. The students have a choice to either find a common denominator for all of the fractions/ mixed numbers, or they can turn them all into decimals or percents and order them that way. Whichever way is easiest for them is what I want them to use. We are going to be finishing the workbook pages mostly in class, but they will be able to bring it home this weekend to be checked or to finish it if they don't finish it in class.
Have a great long weekend! I will talk to you all again on Monday!
We reviewed the homework from Tuesday night yesterday. The kids seem a little more comfortable with the skills. We are going to continue on our journey today. We are going to be ordering 3 or more fractions from least to greatest. The students have a choice to either find a common denominator for all of the fractions/ mixed numbers, or they can turn them all into decimals or percents and order them that way. Whichever way is easiest for them is what I want them to use. We are going to be finishing the workbook pages mostly in class, but they will be able to bring it home this weekend to be checked or to finish it if they don't finish it in class.
Have a great long weekend! I will talk to you all again on Monday!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
11/9/11
Today I will not be at school. I have a meeting up at the district. The kids are going to continue working on their new DBQ about Athens and Rome: Which was the better system? They are going to be analyzing the first two documents and answering questions on them. If they don't finish them in class, then they will have to finish them at home tonight for homework.
In math yesterday, we worked on converting percents greater than 100% and less than 1% to fractions and decimals. Many of the kids did fine, but I saw some confused faces. If your child had a hard time with last night's homework, I suggest that they practice some more problems out of the text book. I believe it was 5-4 part B. Don't quote me on that one, I don't have my workbook with me.
We will continue reviewing all of the skills that have been taught daily so that they can keep practicing what we are doing. This is a long chapter and I want to make sure they have a firm grasp on everything that has been taught. Some of the main things that they need to know are:
1. A fraction bar means divide, so if you are turning a fraction into a decimal or a percent, you can divide to find the answer.
2. A percent is out of 100, so if it is a decimal, you can move the decimal 2 places to the right, or multiply times 100 to turn it into a percent. If it is a fraction, if you get the denominator to 100, then the numerator is your answer.
3. When going from a decimal to a percent, you can move the decimal two places to the RIGHT, but if you are converting from a percent to a decimal, you move the decimal two places to the LEFT.
This is all going to become more important as we begin to work more with comparing numbers that are written in all different formats. Also, we are going to start working with finding the percent of a number and estimating what we think it should be as well.
I have received t-shirt orders from about 1/2 of the 6th graders. They are due by November 15th, which is next Tuesday. If you have not yet turned them in, please try to get it in by Thursday or Monday. Thank you!
In math yesterday, we worked on converting percents greater than 100% and less than 1% to fractions and decimals. Many of the kids did fine, but I saw some confused faces. If your child had a hard time with last night's homework, I suggest that they practice some more problems out of the text book. I believe it was 5-4 part B. Don't quote me on that one, I don't have my workbook with me.
We will continue reviewing all of the skills that have been taught daily so that they can keep practicing what we are doing. This is a long chapter and I want to make sure they have a firm grasp on everything that has been taught. Some of the main things that they need to know are:
1. A fraction bar means divide, so if you are turning a fraction into a decimal or a percent, you can divide to find the answer.
2. A percent is out of 100, so if it is a decimal, you can move the decimal 2 places to the right, or multiply times 100 to turn it into a percent. If it is a fraction, if you get the denominator to 100, then the numerator is your answer.
3. When going from a decimal to a percent, you can move the decimal two places to the RIGHT, but if you are converting from a percent to a decimal, you move the decimal two places to the LEFT.
This is all going to become more important as we begin to work more with comparing numbers that are written in all different formats. Also, we are going to start working with finding the percent of a number and estimating what we think it should be as well.
I have received t-shirt orders from about 1/2 of the 6th graders. They are due by November 15th, which is next Tuesday. If you have not yet turned them in, please try to get it in by Thursday or Monday. Thank you!
Monday, November 7, 2011
11/7/11
We will begin another week. First let me remind all of you that there is no school on Friday. It is a short week, so we need to work hard this week to get finished with everything.
This week, we are going to continue our work with converting decimals, fractions, and percents. We are going to also be looking at percents that are greater than 100% and less than 1%. This may be a little more confusing for them. We will continue to review all of the concepts that have been learned so far.
In social studies, we are going to continue our studies of Ancient Rome. We are going to be beginning another DBQ. It is "Citizenship: Which is the better system, Athens or Rome?" It is going to be more fun than the last one because the students will be choosing a side. They will get to have a debate. It will also include writing a persuasive essay at the end. This is good because that is what they are required to do on their writing assessment.
So all in all, let's work hard and getir' done!
This week, we are going to continue our work with converting decimals, fractions, and percents. We are going to also be looking at percents that are greater than 100% and less than 1%. This may be a little more confusing for them. We will continue to review all of the concepts that have been learned so far.
In social studies, we are going to continue our studies of Ancient Rome. We are going to be beginning another DBQ. It is "Citizenship: Which is the better system, Athens or Rome?" It is going to be more fun than the last one because the students will be choosing a side. They will get to have a debate. It will also include writing a persuasive essay at the end. This is good because that is what they are required to do on their writing assessment.
So all in all, let's work hard and getir' done!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
11/2/11
Today we learned how to turn a percent into a fraction. The kids picked up on this one very quickly. When turning a percent into a fraction, you put the percent over 100 and reduce the fraction. For example, 65% would be 65/100 which then would divide by 5/5 and you would get 13/20.
In social studies, we researched a couple of the important Greek philosophers and found out that Hippocrates was the father of medicine and a great physician. We also found out that Archimedes was an inventor, and scientist, and a mathematician.
Tomorrow we will be learning how to turn fractions into percents. We will also be doing a reader's theater on Julius Cesar. FUN, FUN, FUN!!!
In social studies, we researched a couple of the important Greek philosophers and found out that Hippocrates was the father of medicine and a great physician. We also found out that Archimedes was an inventor, and scientist, and a mathematician.
Tomorrow we will be learning how to turn fractions into percents. We will also be doing a reader's theater on Julius Cesar. FUN, FUN, FUN!!!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
11/1/11
Today we learned about changing fractions into decimals. We know that a fraction bar means to divide, so if we divide the numerator by the denominator, we can convert them into decimals. For example 4/5 is equal to 4 divided by 5. When we divide, we see that 5 cannot go into 4, so we add a decimal and a zero. We know that 5 can go into 40 - 8 times, so we know that 4/5 is equal to 0.8.
In social studies we are continuing our study on the Roman Civilizations. We will be look at some of the philosophers that were important in Ancient Greece and Rome tomorrow. I am going to take pictures of the Greek gods and goddesses so you can all see the fabulous work that the kids are doing!
Thank you so much to all of you that came to meet with me last night! It was a great night and I look forward to meeting with all of you next semester.
Ms. D :)
In social studies we are continuing our study on the Roman Civilizations. We will be look at some of the philosophers that were important in Ancient Greece and Rome tomorrow. I am going to take pictures of the Greek gods and goddesses so you can all see the fabulous work that the kids are doing!
Thank you so much to all of you that came to meet with me last night! It was a great night and I look forward to meeting with all of you next semester.
Ms. D :)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
10/31/11
Today in class we learned how to convert decimals into fractions. We learned that if you read the decimal properly, it tells you how to make it a fraction, then you just reduce. For example, 0.35 is read zero and thirty-five hundredths, so you would write it with 35 on top and 100 on the bottom, then you would reduce by dividing by 5 which would give you 7/20.
In social studies we are beginning our unit on Ancient Rome. We read part of chapter 13 in class that talked about the Roman Republic and answered some comprehension questions with a partner.
I gave them time in class to work on their homework so that they wouldn't have much if any left to do. If you celebrate Halloween, have fun trick-or-treating.
:)
In social studies we are beginning our unit on Ancient Rome. We read part of chapter 13 in class that talked about the Roman Republic and answered some comprehension questions with a partner.
I gave them time in class to work on their homework so that they wouldn't have much if any left to do. If you celebrate Halloween, have fun trick-or-treating.
:)
Friday, October 28, 2011
10/27/11
We took our math test today on ratios and rates. The grade level average was a 90%!!! Way to go kids!
Tomorrow we will be presented our Greek gods and goddesses and taking a quiz on the information! Keep up the great work!
Tomorrow we will be presented our Greek gods and goddesses and taking a quiz on the information! Keep up the great work!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
10/25/11
Sorry I haven't posted yet this week. I have been getting sick and have been going to bed early to try to kick it out of my body. In social studies, the Greek gods and goddesses posters are coming out fabulous. I can't wait to take some pictures to post on here for all to see. We have been watching some videos on Ancient Greece to help fill any gaps of knowledge that we may have.
In math, we have continued working with ratios and rates. I feel as though the kids have been doing much better with these concepts as the week has gone on. We have a test on them on Thursday and will be reviewing for the test on Wednesday in class. I do not have a study guide for this test, but suggest that the kids look at the practice test from chapter 4 in the book. If they can do well on that, then they shouldn't have any problem on the test on Thursday!
In math, we have continued working with ratios and rates. I feel as though the kids have been doing much better with these concepts as the week has gone on. We have a test on them on Thursday and will be reviewing for the test on Wednesday in class. I do not have a study guide for this test, but suggest that the kids look at the practice test from chapter 4 in the book. If they can do well on that, then they shouldn't have any problem on the test on Thursday!
Friday, October 21, 2011
10/20/11
Another great day at WMSS. Again, a day filled with excellent projects. Your kids are amazing! They have all worked so hard on the social studies projects and it has paid off big time! Again, thank you to all of the parents that have helped their children to have a successful project.
The kids are diligently working on their Greek gods and goddesses project now. They really seem to be enjoying this one. Everyone has been given a job according to their strengths, and I believe that may be why they are so excited.
We are almost finished with our timeline. We started putting it together today, but did not finish. We will be finishing it tomorrow.
In math, I reviewed ratios with them and gave them some visual examples so that they could get a better understanding of the homework from Monday. I also went over how to find the unit rate when given some information. Again, this is a topic from the book and we are taking notes in class. Please have your children refer to chapter 4 in the book or to look at their notes in their composition books if they are having a hard time. Again, thank you for all of your support so far this year! You are all amazing!
The kids are diligently working on their Greek gods and goddesses project now. They really seem to be enjoying this one. Everyone has been given a job according to their strengths, and I believe that may be why they are so excited.
We are almost finished with our timeline. We started putting it together today, but did not finish. We will be finishing it tomorrow.
In math, I reviewed ratios with them and gave them some visual examples so that they could get a better understanding of the homework from Monday. I also went over how to find the unit rate when given some information. Again, this is a topic from the book and we are taking notes in class. Please have your children refer to chapter 4 in the book or to look at their notes in their composition books if they are having a hard time. Again, thank you for all of your support so far this year! You are all amazing!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
10/19/11
Today we went through 5 more social studies projects. I am learning a lot about students' backgrounds and traditions as well as interesting facts about countries from all around the world. Again, I would like to thank all of the parents out there who have been preparing food, collecting items, and telling stories from their past to help their children prepare for their presentations. Awesome work!!!
Report cards are going to be on Edline this nine weeks. I am new to this as well, and am not sure exactly how it will work, but I am sure that it won't be too bad. They will be posted on October 25 for your viewing if I understand the process correctly.
In math, I went over the homework from Monday and it looks as if some of the kids are confused about ratios. I am going to be going over some more examples today and will move on to the next section as well. We will understand them together. The test on rates and ratios is tentatively scheduled for next Thursday. I am going to be posting some games that you can play at home with your kids to help them practice these concepts.
Have fun!!!
Report cards are going to be on Edline this nine weeks. I am new to this as well, and am not sure exactly how it will work, but I am sure that it won't be too bad. They will be posted on October 25 for your viewing if I understand the process correctly.
In math, I went over the homework from Monday and it looks as if some of the kids are confused about ratios. I am going to be going over some more examples today and will move on to the next section as well. We will understand them together. The test on rates and ratios is tentatively scheduled for next Thursday. I am going to be posting some games that you can play at home with your kids to help them practice these concepts.
Have fun!!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
10/18/11
Projects went well again today.
We started working on ratios today. I have told the kids to use their text books as a resource so that if they don't understand how to solve a problem, they can look at examples. Their homework tonight is workbook pages 55 and 56 and they can use the examples from pages 200-201 in the text book to help them.
Tomorrow we will continue with our last few social studies presentations and will continue working with ratios.
Have a great day!
We started working on ratios today. I have told the kids to use their text books as a resource so that if they don't understand how to solve a problem, they can look at examples. Their homework tonight is workbook pages 55 and 56 and they can use the examples from pages 200-201 in the text book to help them.
Tomorrow we will continue with our last few social studies presentations and will continue working with ratios.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
10/17/11
Today we had a great day in class. We finished another round of country presentations. They have been awesome!!! Thank you to all of the parents who have worked so hard to help out with providing authentic food and experiences for our students.
Today we worked on our timeline of Ancient Greece project. I had the kids come up with an event in Ancient Greek history that they wanted to work on for the timeline. They had to write the date, the name of the event, and illustrate the event on one index card, and write 3 sentences describing the event on another. The time lines are going to come out awesome!
We began another project today in class. I broke the kids into groups and each person has a specific job. I have an artist, a researcher, and presenter, and a wildcard in each group. The groups have picked a Greek god or goddess to draw on a big poster. They are going to draw symbols around their god or goddess that represents them and write why they drew each symbol. They were pretty excited about this one. They got a good start yesterday and will have some class time this week to work on it. It will be due to present on Monday. I can't wait to see how they turn out.
We are going to be starting the chapter on rates and proportions in math today. We will also continue reviewing decimals and fractions until everyone has a firm grasp on those concepts.
Have a happy week!
Today we worked on our timeline of Ancient Greece project. I had the kids come up with an event in Ancient Greek history that they wanted to work on for the timeline. They had to write the date, the name of the event, and illustrate the event on one index card, and write 3 sentences describing the event on another. The time lines are going to come out awesome!
We began another project today in class. I broke the kids into groups and each person has a specific job. I have an artist, a researcher, and presenter, and a wildcard in each group. The groups have picked a Greek god or goddess to draw on a big poster. They are going to draw symbols around their god or goddess that represents them and write why they drew each symbol. They were pretty excited about this one. They got a good start yesterday and will have some class time this week to work on it. It will be due to present on Monday. I can't wait to see how they turn out.
We are going to be starting the chapter on rates and proportions in math today. We will also continue reviewing decimals and fractions until everyone has a firm grasp on those concepts.
Have a happy week!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
10/15/11
Well, it is the end of the nine weeks. I feel that it was a pretty successful nine weeks and the students have adjusted well to the 6th grade. I will continue working on the format of the class based on individual needs. I am going to be starting the math help club on Friday mornings at 8:00. You do not have to register for this club and you only have to come if you feel that you need help with a particular topic. It will be in my classroom, room 909 starting this Friday. The first few weeks is going to be on fractions, so if you had trouble on your fractions test, I encourage you to join us.
This week, we will be finishing up our social studies presentations. They have been great so far. I just want to remind everyone, that if you are going to bring in food to eat, it is supposed to just be a sampling from your country, not an entire feast. We should not be competing with the cafeteria.
In math, we are going to begin working with ratios and proportions and we will be forming new cooperative learning groups as well. Keep up the great work!
This week, we will be finishing up our social studies presentations. They have been great so far. I just want to remind everyone, that if you are going to bring in food to eat, it is supposed to just be a sampling from your country, not an entire feast. We should not be competing with the cafeteria.
In math, we are going to begin working with ratios and proportions and we will be forming new cooperative learning groups as well. Keep up the great work!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
10/11
Today was the first day of project presentations for their countries. The food was great, and the kids did a wonderful job with their presentations.
During success zone, we went over the fractions math test. I have sent it home and anyone that needed a parent signature is supposed to correct anything they got wrong on the back of the test and bring it back to me. We went over the word problems in class, so they don't need to redo the front.
I have posted all of the current grades that I have. If your child has any zeros on there, they are missing assignments. Please have them complete these assignments no later than Friday. The grading period ends this Thursday. The missing projects are greatly effecting their grades.
I am a little disappointed in the quality of some of the tic tac toe projects. I have kept some of them in the classroom to use as examples for next year so that I get higher quality projects. Some kids did a great job, others not so much. The reason this is disappointing is because I gave them 3 weeks of my class time which totaled about 12 hours of class time. I had high expectations for them. I have many kids who still have not turned them in as well.
In math tomorrow, we are going to be taking a math test. This test is for information purposes only. They cannot study for it.
On Thursday we are going to be continuing our presentations for social studies. We are also reading chapter 13 about Ancient Greece. We are going to be creating a class time line of important events or people. Each child is going to be picking an event to illustrate and give some information on. It is only able to be the size of 2 small index cards. 1 card will have the name of the event/person, the date it happened and a small illustration. The other index card will give the class some important information about the event or person. The kids need to be thinking of what person or event they would like to do that helped shaped Ancient Greece. Some examples of good ideas would be a war or battle that took place or a famous person that did something important. The kids will be signing up for their event on Friday, and will be completing it in class.
Have a fantastic day!
During success zone, we went over the fractions math test. I have sent it home and anyone that needed a parent signature is supposed to correct anything they got wrong on the back of the test and bring it back to me. We went over the word problems in class, so they don't need to redo the front.
I have posted all of the current grades that I have. If your child has any zeros on there, they are missing assignments. Please have them complete these assignments no later than Friday. The grading period ends this Thursday. The missing projects are greatly effecting their grades.
I am a little disappointed in the quality of some of the tic tac toe projects. I have kept some of them in the classroom to use as examples for next year so that I get higher quality projects. Some kids did a great job, others not so much. The reason this is disappointing is because I gave them 3 weeks of my class time which totaled about 12 hours of class time. I had high expectations for them. I have many kids who still have not turned them in as well.
In math tomorrow, we are going to be taking a math test. This test is for information purposes only. They cannot study for it.
On Thursday we are going to be continuing our presentations for social studies. We are also reading chapter 13 about Ancient Greece. We are going to be creating a class time line of important events or people. Each child is going to be picking an event to illustrate and give some information on. It is only able to be the size of 2 small index cards. 1 card will have the name of the event/person, the date it happened and a small illustration. The other index card will give the class some important information about the event or person. The kids need to be thinking of what person or event they would like to do that helped shaped Ancient Greece. Some examples of good ideas would be a war or battle that took place or a famous person that did something important. The kids will be signing up for their event on Friday, and will be completing it in class.
Have a fantastic day!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
10/5
The other class got to go to the video conference today. I also got to go today. The information was great and the presenter got all of the kids involved with force and motion. The kids really seemed to have a great understanding when it was all over.
In math, we continued with our fractions unit. I met with about 1/2 of the students to see how far they were on their tic tac toe boards as well as on their social studies projects. I have 6 groups between the 3 classes that have signed up to present their social studies next week. I have not given third period the chance to sign up yet, but am hoping they get to do that tomorrow. Most of the kids have told me they already have their tic tac toe projects done and are working on an extra credit project.
I had a student present one of their fraction projects in third period today. They did a stop motion video, and presented how to calculate the number of photos needed to make it last 90 seconds. It was awesome. I shared it at my class in the evening, and all of the teachers couldn't believe that a 6th grader had created it. Way to go! Keep those creative juices flowing!
In math, we continued with our fractions unit. I met with about 1/2 of the students to see how far they were on their tic tac toe boards as well as on their social studies projects. I have 6 groups between the 3 classes that have signed up to present their social studies next week. I have not given third period the chance to sign up yet, but am hoping they get to do that tomorrow. Most of the kids have told me they already have their tic tac toe projects done and are working on an extra credit project.
I had a student present one of their fraction projects in third period today. They did a stop motion video, and presented how to calculate the number of photos needed to make it last 90 seconds. It was awesome. I shared it at my class in the evening, and all of the teachers couldn't believe that a 6th grader had created it. Way to go! Keep those creative juices flowing!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
10/4
Today was a fun day. Some of the students went to a video conference this morning. The rest of them will be going tomorrow. From the feedback I got, they really enjoyed it. One student even said, "This was the best video conference I have ever been to." That makes it all feel worth while.
We are beginning to wrap things up with our fractions unit. The study guide has been posted on here as well as on Edline. It looks very similar to part of their test on Monday. If they know how to do all of these problems, except #1 and #18 then they will score fine on their test.
In social studies, I gave them a mapping exercise. Most of them did really well if they followed directions and stayed focused. We will be continuing our study of Ancient Greece for the rest of the week.
I will be doing a status check today on social studies projects and will be signing up some groups that are done to present next week. Hopefully I can get about 1/2 of them to present since we will be testing in math and not starting a new unit until the following week.
Keep working on those fraction projects. They are due on Monday!!!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
We are beginning to wrap things up with our fractions unit. The study guide has been posted on here as well as on Edline. It looks very similar to part of their test on Monday. If they know how to do all of these problems, except #1 and #18 then they will score fine on their test.
In social studies, I gave them a mapping exercise. Most of them did really well if they followed directions and stayed focused. We will be continuing our study of Ancient Greece for the rest of the week.
I will be doing a status check today on social studies projects and will be signing up some groups that are done to present next week. Hopefully I can get about 1/2 of them to present since we will be testing in math and not starting a new unit until the following week.
Keep working on those fraction projects. They are due on Monday!!!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
10/4 - Fraction Study Guide
I have posted the study guide for the fraction test. It is due on Monday, which is the day of the test. #1 and #18 have a negative answer, and we have not learned that. They can attempt these problems if they want, but they will not count against them.
Thanks! Have fun!
Thanks! Have fun!
10/3
Today we continued our study of fractions. I talked to the kids about their tic tac toe projects being due on Monday the 10th. Groups 2, 3, and 4 in Fielder and Cohen's class need to have 2 projects finished. Group 1 needs to have 1 project finished. They have asked if they can receive extra credit if they do an extra project and I said that is fine. My homeroom, group 1 needs to have 1 project done, groups 2 and 3 have to have 2 projects done, and group 4 needs to have 3 projects done.
In social studies we have begun a new unit on Ancient Greece. We are learning about the geography of it now. We will be moving on to learning how Ancient Greece has affected the United States today as we continue our journey through Ancient times.
In social studies we have begun a new unit on Ancient Greece. We are learning about the geography of it now. We will be moving on to learning how Ancient Greece has affected the United States today as we continue our journey through Ancient times.
Friday, September 30, 2011
9/29/11
We are almost finished with our first DBQ. I think every child is very prepared to answer the question: How did the constitution guard against tyranny? Today we are going to be writing our class essay that answers this question with support from the documents that we have analyzed. We also are going to be learning more about the Declaration of Independence.
Next week we are going to be starting our journey through ancient civilizations.
In math, I am meeting with a group that I ran out of time to meet with yesterday.
Next week, we are going to be finishing up our study of fractions. All of the fractions projects are going to need to be complete by 10/10 and turned in. The social studies projects are going to have a deadline soon after. I have to begin to get groups to present so that we can move on.
I am posting the Tic Tac Toe board for fractions in case your children have lost their copy. It will be in the links section on here as well as on Edline.
Next week we are going to be starting our journey through ancient civilizations.
In math, I am meeting with a group that I ran out of time to meet with yesterday.
Next week, we are going to be finishing up our study of fractions. All of the fractions projects are going to need to be complete by 10/10 and turned in. The social studies projects are going to have a deadline soon after. I have to begin to get groups to present so that we can move on.
I am posting the Tic Tac Toe board for fractions in case your children have lost their copy. It will be in the links section on here as well as on Edline.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
9/28/11
We had another great day in the life of a 6th grader! We have continued our journey through the constitution. I believe the kids are really getting a firm grasp on the point of it and how it guarded against tyranny. We are going to be finishing up the last two documents tomorrow so that we can focus on the essay on Friday. We also learned a little bit about the Declaration of Independence today as well. On Friday, we are going to be finishing that up as well.
Tomorrow we are going to be continuing our study of fractions as well. I will be meeting with groups 3 and 4. I will have some grades to post this week as well.
Parents,
We, as a 6th grade team, are going to begin meeting with each of you for conferences. We are going to be working on a schedule for our meetings and will be getting in contact with you soon!
Have a great day!
Tomorrow we are going to be continuing our study of fractions as well. I will be meeting with groups 3 and 4. I will have some grades to post this week as well.
Parents,
We, as a 6th grade team, are going to begin meeting with each of you for conferences. We are going to be working on a schedule for our meetings and will be getting in contact with you soon!
Have a great day!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
9/27/11
Today was a great day in math class. We were able to get everything done. We have been continuing to explore the question: How did the constitution guard against tyranny? We will be finishing that DBQ today and begin looking at the Declaration of Independence.
I have met with all of the groups now in math and have retaught the lessons from last week. I think they all have a better understanding of what they were supposed to know. I also met with each child and did an individual check on how far along they are on their math and social studies projects. We are getting pretty far and by the end of the week I expect a few groups to be ready to present. By the end of next week, most of the groups should be ready to present their social studies country projects.
As for the tic tac toe boards. I have many students that have already completed one of the projects. Their goal is to finish the one that they have started by Friday if they have not yet done that. Many of them are working on a second or third project and will have all 3 of them done by next Friday. I am pretty excited after seeing what they are doing so far as to what is going to be turned in.
I am thinking that our math test on fractions will probably be at the end of next week. I will keep you posted as we get closer to mastering all of the 6th grade fractions skills. I will also send home a study guide prior to the test.
I hope you all have a great day tomorrow!
I have met with all of the groups now in math and have retaught the lessons from last week. I think they all have a better understanding of what they were supposed to know. I also met with each child and did an individual check on how far along they are on their math and social studies projects. We are getting pretty far and by the end of the week I expect a few groups to be ready to present. By the end of next week, most of the groups should be ready to present their social studies country projects.
As for the tic tac toe boards. I have many students that have already completed one of the projects. Their goal is to finish the one that they have started by Friday if they have not yet done that. Many of them are working on a second or third project and will have all 3 of them done by next Friday. I am pretty excited after seeing what they are doing so far as to what is going to be turned in.
I am thinking that our math test on fractions will probably be at the end of next week. I will keep you posted as we get closer to mastering all of the 6th grade fractions skills. I will also send home a study guide prior to the test.
I hope you all have a great day tomorrow!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
9/26/11
Today, I retaught the skills from Thursday and Friday to groups 1 and 2. They seemed to have a better grasp on the information.
We started working on our DBQ: How did the constitution guard against tyranny? They had to read an article and finish answering the questions in their packet. We will be going over the answers tomorrow.
I will also be meeting with groups 3 and 4 tomorrow.
On Friday, I will be doing a status check on both the social studies projects as well as the tic tac toe board projects.
This week we will be learning about the Declaration of Independence as well.
We started working on our DBQ: How did the constitution guard against tyranny? They had to read an article and finish answering the questions in their packet. We will be going over the answers tomorrow.
I will also be meeting with groups 3 and 4 tomorrow.
On Friday, I will be doing a status check on both the social studies projects as well as the tic tac toe board projects.
This week we will be learning about the Declaration of Independence as well.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
9/21/11
Today and tomorrow I will have a sub in my classroom. I hope all goes well and the kids still have a great learning experience. If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I will answer them this weekend.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
9/20/11
Today was our first day of rotations. It was a little hectic, but went over very well. I got a lot of positive feedback from the kids. They enjoyed having time to work in independent projects and homework, but still to get the attention they needed with their math skills. Most of them were able to finish their homework in class.
I did not get to meet with all of them due to time restraints, and will be meeting with the groups that I did not get to call today.
I did not get to meet with all of them due to time restraints, and will be meeting with the groups that I did not get to call today.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
8/19/11
Today we took our math pre-test on fractions. As I suspected, there were only a couple of kids in the grade level that have already mastered the 6th grade standards. That being said, about 1/2 of the kids need a refresher on their previous fraction skills such as adding and subtracting mixed numbers, which is where I am going to start their group. About the other 1/2 of them have mastered all of their previous skills, but need to learn the new skills of multiplying and dividing decimals.
I have given each of them a tic tac toe board of projects for them to do in class when they have mastered all of their 6th grade standards. Each child's requirements will be different based on how much time they have to work on it. These projects should be done in class, not at home for homework. If your child chooses to work on them at home that is fine, but they are not homework unless they waste their class time and don't finish.
On the homework note, homework will be assigned daily to the kids that I am meeting with. They will have time in class to work on their assignment, so should not have much homework to bring home. If you want to see what they are doing in class, they can bring it home and turn it in the next day.
I hope this all makes sense. I think we will all be more comfortable with it as the week goes on.
I have given each of them a tic tac toe board of projects for them to do in class when they have mastered all of their 6th grade standards. Each child's requirements will be different based on how much time they have to work on it. These projects should be done in class, not at home for homework. If your child chooses to work on them at home that is fine, but they are not homework unless they waste their class time and don't finish.
On the homework note, homework will be assigned daily to the kids that I am meeting with. They will have time in class to work on their assignment, so should not have much homework to bring home. If you want to see what they are doing in class, they can bring it home and turn it in the next day.
I hope this all makes sense. I think we will all be more comfortable with it as the week goes on.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
New Class Format
I just wanted to let all of you know that starting this week, there will be a new format for math class. I have been taking a class that has given me some more insight on how to make sure that I am reaching every student and helping them reach their potential. Starting this week, things are going to be a little different. I will be teaching in units based on the New Generation Sunshine State Standards. This week we will be starting the unit on fractions. The unit will begin with a pretest on all of the concepts that the students should have previously learned and mastered as well as the 6th grade standards that have not yet been taught. I will be forming groups based on the outcome of their test scores. The test will be broken apart by skill and that is how each group will be taught. The students will only be instructed on skills that they have not yet mastered. There will be projects that extend their learning once they have mastered the skills. That being said, each group will be receiving different homework assignments. The only downfall to the new program is that I will not be able to post the homework assignments ahead of time. One of the positive points of this new program is that there will be time built in to their math block for them to work on and maybe even complete their homework assignments in class. I hope this makes sense to all of you. Your children will be able to better explain the process after they see how things go this week. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
9/14/11
Today in class we are going to be working on estimating decimal division problems. Remember, estimate when dividing means to use compatible numbers. Here is an example:
321.6 / 82.7 =
You would round the 82.7 to 80, which is a number that is close to it that is easy to make a mental math problem out of. Then you look at the 321.6 and ask yourself, what number is close to 321.6 that 80 can go into evenly. So you would round the 321.6 to 320. You would then divide 320/80 and get 4. I hope this makes more sense for you if you were having a hard time.
Here is one more example:
114.35 / 109.88
Round the 109.88 to 110.
Then round the 114.35 to 110.
110 / 110 = 1, so your estimate would be 1.
On their homework, I want them to show me what they rounded each number to, and then give me the estimated quotient. DO NOT DIVIDE THE PROBLEM FOR REAL, YOU WILL BE WASTING YOUR TIME!
321.6 / 82.7 =
You would round the 82.7 to 80, which is a number that is close to it that is easy to make a mental math problem out of. Then you look at the 321.6 and ask yourself, what number is close to 321.6 that 80 can go into evenly. So you would round the 321.6 to 320. You would then divide 320/80 and get 4. I hope this makes more sense for you if you were having a hard time.
Here is one more example:
114.35 / 109.88
Round the 109.88 to 110.
Then round the 114.35 to 110.
110 / 110 = 1, so your estimate would be 1.
On their homework, I want them to show me what they rounded each number to, and then give me the estimated quotient. DO NOT DIVIDE THE PROBLEM FOR REAL, YOU WILL BE WASTING YOUR TIME!
9/13/11
Today we discussed more about our country projects. I have posted a link on here as well as on Edline for the rubric that the kids created to score the projects. Each group has divided up the labor of the project and each student will be receiving an individual grade. A group grade will also be received in which the students will be giving their input.
In math today we reviewed dividing decimals by whole numbers and rounding our answer to the nearest 10th. Some of the students are still questioning when they should round their answer versus rounding the problem. My explanation for this is to round the problem if the directions say to "estimate." If the directions say round to the nearest "whatever" they want them to round just their answer. I hope this clarifies for those of you that weren't sure.
Also, when you are multiplying and the directions ask you to estimate, round each of the factors and then multiply. If you are dividing and the directions ask you to estimate, then you are going to use compatible numbers to solve the problem.
Good luck guys!
In math today we reviewed dividing decimals by whole numbers and rounding our answer to the nearest 10th. Some of the students are still questioning when they should round their answer versus rounding the problem. My explanation for this is to round the problem if the directions say to "estimate." If the directions say round to the nearest "whatever" they want them to round just their answer. I hope this clarifies for those of you that weren't sure.
Also, when you are multiplying and the directions ask you to estimate, round each of the factors and then multiply. If you are dividing and the directions ask you to estimate, then you are going to use compatible numbers to solve the problem.
Good luck guys!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Homework week of 9/13
The homework next week will all be out of the workbook. I am going to try to send home all of the pages on Friday in case they want to work on them over the weekend.
Tuesday - WB 15-16
Wednesday - WB 13
Thursday - WB 17
I hope this helps all of you.
Tuesday - WB 15-16
Wednesday - WB 13
Thursday - WB 17
I hope this helps all of you.
9/7/11
Today our GSP kids got to go to GSP class. They seemed excited about going and seemed to have a great day.
We reviewed dividing greater numbers and getting a remainder. I also showed most of them how to add a decimal and a zero to the number and continue on to the hundredths place in order to round their answer to the tenths place. We are going to continue on our journey of division on 9/8 reviewing compatible numbers as well as beginning to add a decimal in.
In social studies, we finally finished reading chapter 3 and are going to begin creating our rubric for our country project. The students will have plenty of class time to do most of this project because I don't want it to interfere with their inventions and science fair projects. I hope this helps.
We reviewed dividing greater numbers and getting a remainder. I also showed most of them how to add a decimal and a zero to the number and continue on to the hundredths place in order to round their answer to the tenths place. We are going to continue on our journey of division on 9/8 reviewing compatible numbers as well as beginning to add a decimal in.
In social studies, we finally finished reading chapter 3 and are going to begin creating our rubric for our country project. The students will have plenty of class time to do most of this project because I don't want it to interfere with their inventions and science fair projects. I hope this helps.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
9/6/11
Today we took our multiplying decimals test. I was much more impressed with the scores. I am glad to see that they are getting it. I guess I just needed to slow down a little bit with them. This week, we are reviewing division of greater numbers and estimating division problems using compatible numbers. We are also continuing our social studies journey through chapter 3.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Next Week's HW 9/6-9/9
Next week we are going to be taking our decimal test on Tuesday. It will be on multiplying greater numbers, multiplying decimals, rounding decimals, and estimating decimal products.
Tuesday night's assignment will be a basic division sheet to get us ready for dividing decimals.
Wednesday night's assignment will be a long division sheet with remainders.
Thursday night's assignment is a division sheet that would normally have remainders, but I want the kids to use compatible numbers to solve them instead.
An example of compatible numbers is:
If I gave you the problem 316 / 8, you would change the 316 into something close like rounding, that 8 can go into evenly. So for this problem, you would do 320/8 which is 40. I do not want you to go back and solve the problem, just use the compatible numbers.
Have a great weekend!
Tuesday night's assignment will be a basic division sheet to get us ready for dividing decimals.
Wednesday night's assignment will be a long division sheet with remainders.
Thursday night's assignment is a division sheet that would normally have remainders, but I want the kids to use compatible numbers to solve them instead.
An example of compatible numbers is:
If I gave you the problem 316 / 8, you would change the 316 into something close like rounding, that 8 can go into evenly. So for this problem, you would do 320/8 which is 40. I do not want you to go back and solve the problem, just use the compatible numbers.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Math Test 9/6/11
Yesterday I sent an email about a math test on multiplying decimals and greater numbers on Monday, but since I wasn't thinking and there isn't school on Monday, that test will be on Tuesday! LOL! Sorry, I am tired this week!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Here is an email I sent today!
Sorry about the confusion this week on the homework. I guess when I changed it to go back to decimals, I forgot about a note I put about splitting last night's assignment. It was not supposed to be split, but for those of you that only did 1/2 that is okay, just turn the whole thing in on Friday.
That being said, you do not have to do page 15-16 on Thursday night. I still don't think we are ready to move in to dividing decimals anyways. Hang on to those workbook pages though, because they will be assigned next week when we move into dividing decimals.
Tonight, you should be doing workbook page 12. It is due tomorrow. You can do wb p.11 for extra practice if you still are having a hard time with multiplying decimals. We are going to continue with this topic for the rest of the week and will be taking a test on Monday on multiplying decimals, and rounding decimals.
I hope this makes things more clarified.
By the way, I have posted a link to the online math textbook as well. The log in information is on Edline and the blog, but I will put it here as well.
username: WMS followed by their student number
password: p followed by their student number
Thank you for all of your time and effort with your children so far this year. You have all been a great help!
Ms. D
That being said, you do not have to do page 15-16 on Thursday night. I still don't think we are ready to move in to dividing decimals anyways. Hang on to those workbook pages though, because they will be assigned next week when we move into dividing decimals.
Tonight, you should be doing workbook page 12. It is due tomorrow. You can do wb p.11 for extra practice if you still are having a hard time with multiplying decimals. We are going to continue with this topic for the rest of the week and will be taking a test on Monday on multiplying decimals, and rounding decimals.
I hope this makes things more clarified.
By the way, I have posted a link to the online math textbook as well. The log in information is on Edline and the blog, but I will put it here as well.
username: WMS followed by their student number
password: p followed by their student number
Thank you for all of your time and effort with your children so far this year. You have all been a great help!
Ms. D
Online Math Book
I have put a link on Edline for the math book. If you click on the link, the username is : WMS followed by their student number. The password is: p followed by their student number. I hope this helps all of you! I will add a link on here as well.
8/30/11 - 8/31/11
Yesterday we began to review multiplying decimals. I believe that the students have a better understanding of this concept this time around. We are going to go over how to use multiplying decimals in word problem format today. I think this is where we are having the most trouble. I hope this helps the students become more confident in their abilities.
A note about homework: Please have your children bring you their math homework when they are finished so that you can check it. I give homework for the children to practice the skills that we have learned that day in class. If they are not understanding it, maybe hearing it in a different way will help them get a better understanding of it. If they struggled, just write a note on it after you have corrected it together, and I will meet with them and go over it again in class. I am hoping that by doing this, we can squash any of their misconceptions before testing on a concept.
In first period yesterday, we began chapter 3 in the social studies book. It is talking about different cultures and their economic systems, cultural differences, etc. At the end of this chapter, we are going to be doing a fun group project in which the kids will be grouping themselves and choosing a country. They will be creating a rubric for this project and grading each other as well. They are going to present to their homerooms all about the country's history, economy, religion, and culture to the class. There are many creative ways that they can do this, and I am sure that they are going to come up with some great ones. This project will be taking us a while to do, but will hit on many of our social studies benchmarks for 6th grade. I will be giving deadlines for each part of it so that they can be receiving grades each week.
A note about homework: Please have your children bring you their math homework when they are finished so that you can check it. I give homework for the children to practice the skills that we have learned that day in class. If they are not understanding it, maybe hearing it in a different way will help them get a better understanding of it. If they struggled, just write a note on it after you have corrected it together, and I will meet with them and go over it again in class. I am hoping that by doing this, we can squash any of their misconceptions before testing on a concept.
In first period yesterday, we began chapter 3 in the social studies book. It is talking about different cultures and their economic systems, cultural differences, etc. At the end of this chapter, we are going to be doing a fun group project in which the kids will be grouping themselves and choosing a country. They will be creating a rubric for this project and grading each other as well. They are going to present to their homerooms all about the country's history, economy, religion, and culture to the class. There are many creative ways that they can do this, and I am sure that they are going to come up with some great ones. This project will be taking us a while to do, but will hit on many of our social studies benchmarks for 6th grade. I will be giving deadlines for each part of it so that they can be receiving grades each week.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
8/30/11
Today we are going to be working on multiplying decimals again. Now that we all have a firm grasp on multiplying greater numbers. I hope this works out better. We also are going to be working on some problem solving skills so that we don't get so intimidated when we see word problems.
Hopefully today, we are going to be able to get back into doing some social studies as well.
Hopefully today, we are going to be able to get back into doing some social studies as well.
8/29/11
Today in math class, we went back to the basics. We worked on simple multiplication facts through a minute math drill. My goal for all of them is that they can complete 70 questions correctly in 2 minutes. About 1/2 of them have already done it, and most of them are in the 60s. I had one person in each class that was able to get done with all 100 and have them all correct! Way to go!!!
We also went back to multiplying greater numbers without a decimal. The kids really enjoyed this refresher and were able to alleviate some pressure and some stress. I was glad to see all of their smiles again.
We also went back to multiplying greater numbers without a decimal. The kids really enjoyed this refresher and were able to alleviate some pressure and some stress. I was glad to see all of their smiles again.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Math Test 8/26/11
After grading the majority of the math tests today...I have come to the realization that although most of you can compute using decimals, you are not fluent at using them when solving word problems. That being said, I am not going to count the decimal test that we took today.
Next week, we are going to keep working with decimals and see if we can get a firmer grasp on these concepts. We will be working through many word problems and showing how we can implement what we have learned into real life situations.
Please do not do the homework for next week. I will be postponing the work on fractions until we are clear on decimals. I will be giving some assignments next week, but they will not be ready until Monday since I am leaving town for the weekend in about an hour. Sorry about any inconvenience that has caused any of you.
Next week, there will be a new test on decimals that will be in a word problem format. I encourage you all to be practicing solving decimal word problems at home, and maybe work through some of the decimal problems on pages 77-79. On Monday, we will be going over the test that we took so that we can all understand where we went wrong.
I hope this helps ease the minds of those children that were stressed out after taking the test today! Relax and have a great weekend and be ready to understand decimals on Monday!
Next week, we are going to keep working with decimals and see if we can get a firmer grasp on these concepts. We will be working through many word problems and showing how we can implement what we have learned into real life situations.
Please do not do the homework for next week. I will be postponing the work on fractions until we are clear on decimals. I will be giving some assignments next week, but they will not be ready until Monday since I am leaving town for the weekend in about an hour. Sorry about any inconvenience that has caused any of you.
Next week, there will be a new test on decimals that will be in a word problem format. I encourage you all to be practicing solving decimal word problems at home, and maybe work through some of the decimal problems on pages 77-79. On Monday, we will be going over the test that we took so that we can all understand where we went wrong.
I hope this helps ease the minds of those children that were stressed out after taking the test today! Relax and have a great weekend and be ready to understand decimals on Monday!
8/24/11
The social studies test went well for most students. I have quite a few that forgot to bring in their social studies flash cards. I hope they have them today. So far, I have been pretty good about giving them extra time to turn in homework late without a penalty, but will not be doing that any more starting next week. All students need to be responsible and have all of their assignments in to me on time.
We reviewed for the math test and had some extra time to work on our homework in class. I hope that this is helpful.
I want to make sure that everyone knows that they should not be spending more than 45 minutes on their math homework. If the assignment is too much, please have your child do a few of each type of question and sign that they have worked for 45 minutes on there. The point of the homework is for them to get practice on the skills that are being taught, not for them to sit for 2 to 3 hours and do math. Sorry for any inconvenience thus far.
I hope you are all ready for the math test!!!
We reviewed for the math test and had some extra time to work on our homework in class. I hope that this is helpful.
I want to make sure that everyone knows that they should not be spending more than 45 minutes on their math homework. If the assignment is too much, please have your child do a few of each type of question and sign that they have worked for 45 minutes on there. The point of the homework is for them to get practice on the skills that are being taught, not for them to sit for 2 to 3 hours and do math. Sorry for any inconvenience thus far.
I hope you are all ready for the math test!!!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
8/25/11
Today we are taking our social studies vocabulary test.
When we are finished with that, I am going to give them the rest of the period to work on their math homework again. While they are all working individually today, I am going to be calling groups or individuals to work with me on problems that they are having a hard time on so we can iron out any misconceptions. I hope this is helpful for the students!
There will not be any other homework over the weekend!
I am looking forward to beginning fractions next week!
When we are finished with that, I am going to give them the rest of the period to work on their math homework again. While they are all working individually today, I am going to be calling groups or individuals to work with me on problems that they are having a hard time on so we can iron out any misconceptions. I hope this is helpful for the students!
There will not be any other homework over the weekend!
I am looking forward to beginning fractions next week!
8/24/11
We finally finished all of our social studies presentations! YEAH! The kids really seem to understand the vocabulary words. We are going to take our vocabulary test on Thursday. I posted the words and definitions on the blog and Edline in case anyone missed any of them.
We also began reviewing for the math test today. Everyone's group that I called over really seemed to understand all of the decimal concepts that we have gone over. I gave the kids about an hour in class to work with a partner on the math homework. I am hoping that this lightened their load for the evening in case they need time to study for the ss test.
We also began reviewing for the math test today. Everyone's group that I called over really seemed to understand all of the decimal concepts that we have gone over. I gave the kids about an hour in class to work with a partner on the math homework. I am hoping that this lightened their load for the evening in case they need time to study for the ss test.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Social Studies Vocabulary Review
1. Movement - moving from one place to another
2. Diffusion - The movement of ideas or behaviors from one culture to another.
3. Human geography - the study of people past and present
4. Physical geography - the study of landscapes and how they develop and change.
5. Decade - 10 years
6. Century - 100 years
7. Millennium - 1000 years
8. Epoch - period of time marked by distinct events.
9. Era - period of time that is a lifetime or less.
10. AD - anno domini - year 1 and above
11. BC - Before common era - Before year 0
12. absolute location - exact spot on Earth
13. relative location - description of a place in relation to another place.
14. places - physical locations like cities, town, and homes
15. region - places on Earth that share characteristics
16. cartography - study of maps and map making
17. meteorology - study of weather
18. climatology - study of how atmospheric conditions change over time and their affect on land and people.
19. human-environment interaction - when people use their natural environment to survive and how they impact the environment.
2. Diffusion - The movement of ideas or behaviors from one culture to another.
3. Human geography - the study of people past and present
4. Physical geography - the study of landscapes and how they develop and change.
5. Decade - 10 years
6. Century - 100 years
7. Millennium - 1000 years
8. Epoch - period of time marked by distinct events.
9. Era - period of time that is a lifetime or less.
10. AD - anno domini - year 1 and above
11. BC - Before common era - Before year 0
12. absolute location - exact spot on Earth
13. relative location - description of a place in relation to another place.
14. places - physical locations like cities, town, and homes
15. region - places on Earth that share characteristics
16. cartography - study of maps and map making
17. meteorology - study of weather
18. climatology - study of how atmospheric conditions change over time and their affect on land and people.
19. human-environment interaction - when people use their natural environment to survive and how they impact the environment.
8/23/11
Today we learned about dividing decimals by decimals. We also reviewed how to divide a decimal by a whole number. When dividing a decimal by a decimal we want to make the outside number a whole number by moving the decimal. How ever many places we move the decimal on the outside, we must do the same to the number on the inside. Then we bring the decimal straight up and divide like normal.
We also got through some more social studies presentations. The vocabulary quiz will be on Thursday. We should be finished with all presentations by the end of the day on Wednesday.
Open house was awesome! Thank you to all of you that were able to attend!
We also got through some more social studies presentations. The vocabulary quiz will be on Thursday. We should be finished with all presentations by the end of the day on Wednesday.
Open house was awesome! Thank you to all of you that were able to attend!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Social Studies Flash Cards
Yesterday we began presentations on social studies vocabulary. It is not looking like we are going to finish them today because we have a lot of math to go over as well. I am postponing the vocabulary test until all presentations are done so that we all have a deeper understanding of what the words mean. Those of you that have studied hard for the test are probably already ready to take it.
That being said, if you have not done your vocabulary cards, don't worry too much. Make sure you have blank cards with you so that you can do them in class as the words are presented. Again, I will let everyone know when we will be taking the quiz.
Math yesterday went well. We learned that multiplying a number by a power of 10 just moves the decimal. For example, 0.987 x 10^3 = 987. We also learned how to divide a decimal by a whole number. We learned that when doing this, you just bring the decimal straight up and divide as if it is not there.
Homework last night was out of the math book. I am aware that some of you did not bring home your math book. I will give you until Wednesday to turn it in if you forgot your math book, but will be awarding points to tables today that have it with them. As soon as I get the information about the online text book, I will get that info out to all of you.
That being said, if you have not done your vocabulary cards, don't worry too much. Make sure you have blank cards with you so that you can do them in class as the words are presented. Again, I will let everyone know when we will be taking the quiz.
Math yesterday went well. We learned that multiplying a number by a power of 10 just moves the decimal. For example, 0.987 x 10^3 = 987. We also learned how to divide a decimal by a whole number. We learned that when doing this, you just bring the decimal straight up and divide as if it is not there.
Homework last night was out of the math book. I am aware that some of you did not bring home your math book. I will give you until Wednesday to turn it in if you forgot your math book, but will be awarding points to tables today that have it with them. As soon as I get the information about the online text book, I will get that info out to all of you.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Homework the week of 8/29
I have posted the assignments for the week of 8/29 and still have not figured out how to post them without all of the extra blank pages. Sorry. Still working on this.
8/29 - Math Games p.56 - You can play this with your child or they can answer all of the questions on their own.
8/30 - Math Review p.30 1-18
8/31 - Math Review p.27 all
9/1 - Math Review p.30 19-30
We are going to be finishing our work with decimals this week, and will be moving on to fractions next week. For those of you that like to work ahead, I hope this helps you out!
8/29 - Math Games p.56 - You can play this with your child or they can answer all of the questions on their own.
8/30 - Math Review p.30 1-18
8/31 - Math Review p.27 all
9/1 - Math Review p.30 19-30
We are going to be finishing our work with decimals this week, and will be moving on to fractions next week. For those of you that like to work ahead, I hope this helps you out!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Social Studies Projects
On Monday some of the groups are going to be presenting their social studies projects to the class. I gave them quite a bit of time to work on them in class, but some groups could not get even close to finishing. Those groups will not be presenting until Tuesday and will have about 10 minutes in class on Monday to continue working on them. If they brought some home to do this weekend, that is fine, but if not, they need to be complete by Tuesday.
The social studies vocabulary quiz has been moved to Wednesday. The flash cards also will not be due until Wednesday and they will have an opportunity to do them in class. If your child has not already done them, then please have them wait until they come to class and just have them bring in their index cards. I will explain to them exactly what I want on each one to help them study for the test.
I am going to try to video some of the presentations or take pictures of them. If there is anyone that cannot have their photo taken, please let me know. I want to put some of them on the blog and will be finding out if I can send home a permission slip for that so they can feel "famous." LOL.
I hope you all have a great weekend!!!
The social studies vocabulary quiz has been moved to Wednesday. The flash cards also will not be due until Wednesday and they will have an opportunity to do them in class. If your child has not already done them, then please have them wait until they come to class and just have them bring in their index cards. I will explain to them exactly what I want on each one to help them study for the test.
I am going to try to video some of the presentations or take pictures of them. If there is anyone that cannot have their photo taken, please let me know. I want to put some of them on the blog and will be finding out if I can send home a permission slip for that so they can feel "famous." LOL.
I hope you all have a great weekend!!!
Math Test
I have sent home the math test to be corrected this weekend. If there was a problem that was incorrect, please have your child fix both the regular multiplication problem as well as the estimate next to it. I have sent home an example of how I want it done with your children. These corrections are due on Monday in order to receive 1/2 of their credit back. Make sure when rounding for the estimation that you are rounding to the ones place.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Yesterday's Math Test
Yesterday's math test took a lot longer than expected. We did not get a chance to work on the social studies vocabulary in class, but will be working with those words today.
I will be sending the math test home today with all of the kids. They are to correct their test this weekend to receive a second score that will be averaged with the first score they received. This opportunity does not arise often in my class. If they do not turn it in on Monday, then they forfeit their chance to change their score. If they got a 100% I will add 5% to their grade so that it is fair. Many children made a lot of silly mistakes on their multiplication of greater numbers. They need to be working on being more accurate in this area. For the most part, everyone understood the concept of mutiplying the decimals and how to move the decimal in their answers. Some of them are still having a hard time understanding what estimating is and why we do it. We will continue working with that throughout the school year as we venture through different areas of math. It is important that children have a way to look at a problem and their answer and determine if it is reasonable. When you receive their tests back, you will notice that there are 2 problems in the second box that do not actually follow the decimal rule due to the way that the problems and answers were written. I gave the students credit if they followed the rule to move the decimal, but if they were able to check for reasonableness, they would have noticed that the answer did not make sense. I know that they will do better on the next test.
I will be sending the math test home today with all of the kids. They are to correct their test this weekend to receive a second score that will be averaged with the first score they received. This opportunity does not arise often in my class. If they do not turn it in on Monday, then they forfeit their chance to change their score. If they got a 100% I will add 5% to their grade so that it is fair. Many children made a lot of silly mistakes on their multiplication of greater numbers. They need to be working on being more accurate in this area. For the most part, everyone understood the concept of mutiplying the decimals and how to move the decimal in their answers. Some of them are still having a hard time understanding what estimating is and why we do it. We will continue working with that throughout the school year as we venture through different areas of math. It is important that children have a way to look at a problem and their answer and determine if it is reasonable. When you receive their tests back, you will notice that there are 2 problems in the second box that do not actually follow the decimal rule due to the way that the problems and answers were written. I gave the students credit if they followed the rule to move the decimal, but if they were able to check for reasonableness, they would have noticed that the answer did not make sense. I know that they will do better on the next test.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Next Week's HW
I have updated Edline and posted next week's homework for those of you that would like to get a head start. Yesterday, I handed out math and social studies books for Ms. Fielder's and Mr. Cohen's homeroom to keep at home. My class needs to bring them back and forth so that we have a class set to use in school. I will hopefully be finding out how to access the books online soon so that my class does not have to carry them back and forth. As soon as I know the information, I will share it with you.
Next week's homework is as follows:
8/22 - Math book p.78 41-48, p.79 59-62
Study for social studies vocab quiz tomorrow. (These are the words you made flash cards for.)
Social Studies flash cards due tomorrow.
8/23 - Advantage p.24 (link on Edline or in the links section on the blog.)
8/24 - Math book p.63 all
8/25 - Math book p.80 (Study for math test on all decimal concepts)
Next week's homework is as follows:
8/22 - Math book p.78 41-48, p.79 59-62
Study for social studies vocab quiz tomorrow. (These are the words you made flash cards for.)
Social Studies flash cards due tomorrow.
8/23 - Advantage p.24 (link on Edline or in the links section on the blog.)
8/24 - Math book p.63 all
8/25 - Math book p.80 (Study for math test on all decimal concepts)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
8/16/11
Today we worked on comparing decimals and ordering them on a number line. We learned that if the whole numbers are the same and you have the same number of digits after the decimal, you can compare them as if they are whole numbers. For example: 0.32, 0.236, 0.987, 0.152 Since the whole number is 0 on all of them, we are going to make sure they have them same number of digits after the decimal. As you can see, the first one does not, so we are going to add a zero to the end so that they all have 3 digits. (0.320) Now we can compare them as if they are all whole numbers, 320, 236, 987, 152. Of course we know which of these is smaller.
Tomorrow, 8/17/11 we are going to be reviewing for our test on multiplying decimals. I want the students to be able to estimate to check if their answers are reasonable. For example, if they are being asked to multiply 1.9 x 2.6, they can round each factor and multiply to check their answer. Let's say they got 49.4 and had put their decimal in the wrong place, if they estimate to check, they would multiply 2 x 3 and realize that their answer should be close to 6. This would help them to realize that they either multiplied incorrectly, or they put their decimal in the wrong spot, so they could go back and check their answer.
I will be checking out math books to each of the students today so that they have a reference at home and a way to study for tests! I hope we have a great day!!!
Tomorrow, 8/17/11 we are going to be reviewing for our test on multiplying decimals. I want the students to be able to estimate to check if their answers are reasonable. For example, if they are being asked to multiply 1.9 x 2.6, they can round each factor and multiply to check their answer. Let's say they got 49.4 and had put their decimal in the wrong place, if they estimate to check, they would multiply 2 x 3 and realize that their answer should be close to 6. This would help them to realize that they either multiplied incorrectly, or they put their decimal in the wrong spot, so they could go back and check their answer.
I will be checking out math books to each of the students today so that they have a reference at home and a way to study for tests! I hope we have a great day!!!
Monday, August 15, 2011
8/15/11
Today we began multiplying decimals. We also worked on finding where a decimal would be located on a number line. When multiplying decimals, we should multiply as if the decimals are not there and then count how many numbers there are after the decimal in the problem. That is how many places after the decimal there should be in your answer. Example: 2.02 * 1.36 = ___________ There are 2 places after the decimal in the first factor and 2 places after the decimal in the second factor, so there should be a total of 4 places after the decimal in your answer. You should multiply 202 times 136 and get 27472, then you would move the decimal 4 places so your answer would be 2.7472. I hope this helps with the homework.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
math homework link
The link for the workbook page has some blank pages in between pages for the assignment. I will be working on this in the future so that there are not page breaks. Sorry :(
This week's homework assignments
Each week I will be posting the assignments for the entire week.
Monday - 8/15/11 - workbook pages 15-16 on decimals (if you click on the assignment, it is attached.)
Tuesday - 8/16/11 - Create 5 word problems involving decimals on 3x5 index cards. Please do not put the answers on the cards. These word problems can involve anything we have learned with decimals such as: adding decimals, subtracting decimals, multiplying decimals, ordering decimals, estimating with decimals, rounding decimals, etc. Please do not include anything dealing with dividing decimals since we have not worked on that yet.
Wednesday - 8/17/11- Study for test on decimals tomorrow. Begin working on social studies vocabulary flash cards. Social studies vocabulary words for this week are:
decade
century
epoch
era
millennium
bc/bce
ad/ce
absolute location
relative location
place
region
movement
diffusion
human geography
physical geography
cartography
meteorology
climatology
If you are not sure what some of these are in reference to social studies, you will by the end of the week. The flashcards will be due on Tuesday 8/23. We will be going over these words on Thursday and Friday of this week.
Thursday 8/18/11 - Continue working on flash cards. Also, finish whatever you did not finish for social studies presentations on Monday and Tuesday.
I hope this helps everyone in planning for their week.
Monday - 8/15/11 - workbook pages 15-16 on decimals (if you click on the assignment, it is attached.)
Tuesday - 8/16/11 - Create 5 word problems involving decimals on 3x5 index cards. Please do not put the answers on the cards. These word problems can involve anything we have learned with decimals such as: adding decimals, subtracting decimals, multiplying decimals, ordering decimals, estimating with decimals, rounding decimals, etc. Please do not include anything dealing with dividing decimals since we have not worked on that yet.
Wednesday - 8/17/11- Study for test on decimals tomorrow. Begin working on social studies vocabulary flash cards. Social studies vocabulary words for this week are:
decade
century
epoch
era
millennium
bc/bce
ad/ce
absolute location
relative location
place
region
movement
diffusion
human geography
physical geography
cartography
meteorology
climatology
If you are not sure what some of these are in reference to social studies, you will by the end of the week. The flashcards will be due on Tuesday 8/23. We will be going over these words on Thursday and Friday of this week.
Thursday 8/18/11 - Continue working on flash cards. Also, finish whatever you did not finish for social studies presentations on Monday and Tuesday.
I hope this helps everyone in planning for their week.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Some Things We Did On The First Week Of School
We also took our math inventory test so that I get to know a little about what areas in math the kids need to work on the most.
I got to know a lot about them through a 4 square activity in which they created 3 truths and 1 lie about themselves to share with each other. The people in their group had to detect which one was not true. You sure have some interesting kids!!! LOL
I am looking forward to moving into doing some math and learning social studies along with them!
Overall...we had a great week!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Thursday (8/11/11) - Homework that is due on Monday
I want to know a little bit about how you learn best. Please click on the link "learning style quiz" and take the Quiz. This should only take a few minutes, but make sure you answer the questions on all 5 pages. When you are finished, please print your response page and put your name on it. Bring it in by Monday.
First Day Back
I had a great first day back. It was so nice to see all of the smiling faces and excited 6th graders back at WMSS. I sent home some information cards for the grade level tonight for the parents to fill out or look over and send back in. These cards are for emergency contact in case I can't get on Edline. Usually, all emails will be sent through Edline. Also, I have requested that your children bring in a wallet sized photo of themselves for a project that we are doing for Open House. Please have them send this in soon. I look forward to a great year. What an awesome first day back!!!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Welcome to Ms. DeLuca's Math Class
Some things that make me happy are:
* Anything to do with the Florida Gators
*Students that are enthusiastic about learning
* Chocolate of any kind
* Students that ask for help when they don't understand something
* When people take responsibility for their actions
*Playing softball
* Teaching math and having fun with it!
Some things that make me unhappy are:
* Negativity
* Disrupting and interrupting
* Insensitivity to others
I am looking forward to having a great year with all of you and can't wait for the year to begin!
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