Monday, September 29, 2014

Article about Math Education

I thought some of you might enjoy this article I found in an ed tech newsletter. The second page really describes the type of research-based learning we are doing now in mathematics -- moving away from a "teacher as giver of knowledge" model to a "student as discoverer of patterns and building knowledge him/herself" model. To learn more, click here.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Assembly is this Friday at 9am!

We have our first performance assembly on Friday, October 3rd at 9am. A full dress rehearsal will occur Thursday, October 2nd, for all lower school students to view, and on the Friday performance, family and friends are invited to attend. We look forward to seeing you there.

In other news, I hope to use this blog to keep you up-to-date about the techniques we are using in math. Today, I have a few games and activities you may wish to try with your kids:

The Factor Game: We played a pencil and paper version of this game in class. Try this version with your kids!

Grid Method: This activity practices the partial products method of multiplication that we have been practicing in class. If this sounds like a foreign language to you, I encourage you to check out this site! http://www.iboard.co.uk/iwb/Grid-Method-547

Volume: This activity reviews the work we've been doing with rectangular prisms. http://www.interactivestuff.org/sums4fun/3dboxes.html

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

First Buddy Meeting!

On Friday we celebrated our first buddy meeting of the school year! We talked, laughed, and drew portraits of each other. The second graders displayed their buddy portraits in their class, so you may wish to go see the display in that room. 


Not all of the pictures managed to upload to the site, so feel free to ask me if you'd like to see one of your kid!

Many families have asked me about the types of math we are doing in class these days. I'll take this opportunity to update you about what we did in math yesterday: defining math strategies. 

We focused on a few, namely:

The Five is Half of 10 Strategy
If given the problem 5 x 78, it is easier for many to solve 10 x 78 first, and then divide it in half to find your product. 

The Fifty is Half of 100 Strategy
To solve 50 x 78, it is easier for many to solve 100 x 78 first, then divide it in half to find your product. 

The Over Strategy
If you are trying to solve a problem like 49 x 78, it may be helpful to start with 50 x 78 and then subtract one group of 78. 

The Partial Products Strategy
When working on a problem like 99 x 3, it may be easier to solve it in parts: (90 x 3) + (9 x 3)

We will continue to practice these and other strategies this year, and for the next couple of weeks in particular. Ask your child to locate these strategies in use on their homework pages!