Extended Math

Welcome to the Extended Math Page.  

1-26-18

Thank you for joining me last night.  It was great to see everyone there and ready to help your children be the best mathematician they can be.  This week we finished up our section on skip counting and place value.  Our next unit will begin on Monday and it is about ratios and a continuation of counting money.  Packets from the last couple of weeks will come home by Friday. 

Here is a problem for this week:

Lucky had some toys to play with.  I gave her 15 more toys for her birthday.  She now has 29 toys in her basket.  Lucky puppy!  How many toys did Lucky start with?

Have a great weekend!

1-18-18

Boy this week went fast!  We spent the week working on counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s.  We solved word problems using this as well.  We also worked on looking at word problems and how they can relate to a fact family.  Next week we will work more with place value, word problems, and how they work together.  We will also celebrate 100, as the 100^th day of school is Monday.  This will be the last section of this unit before we move on to patterns and ratios.  The Parent Meeting on supporting your child in solving word problems is on Thursday, January 25^th at 5 pm in the Library.  This is an adult only meeting.  I hope to see you there!  Have a great weekend. 

1-12-18

Math is fun!  The children are very ready to continue our math adventure together.  This week we are working on two concepts.  The first is a continuation of solving word problems and the other part is a discussion on why even numbers are even and why odd numbers are odd.  We will finish up the second half of these two sections next week. Solving word problems is a very important part of our school curriculum and many of you have emailed me about how to best support your child.  I am having a 1 hour class on how we solve word problems and what it means to justify your answer.  The class will be on Thursday, January 25^th at 5 pm in 5S (my classroom).  This meeting is for parents only.  I hope you will join me. 

12-22-17

The end of the semester is here!!  We will continue working on unit 3 (number strings, word problems and place value) when we get back.  Some of you have asked what you can work on over vacation.  Writing variations of word problems or practicing subtraction fluency is your way to go. Most of the children are on target to complete the addition problems they need to by the end of the school year, but their skills at fluently subtracting are a bit slower.  Thank you for the pleasure of teaching your children.  It is so exciting to see all the new ways they express their mathematical thinking.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year!

12-15-17

We started unit three this week.  The first part of the unit explores adding number strings.  An example of a number string is 4 + 6 + 7 + 3 + 5.  In this unit we discuss different ways to add these numbers together quickly and how to represent it.  We will start the second part of the unit just after winter break.  Have a great weekend!

12-8-17

Boy did your children work hard this week!  Next week we will begin Unit 3.  This unit will look at multi-number addition, place value, skip counting, subtraction, and continued practice with word problems.  Many have asked how to support their child best in the classroom, so in January I will hold an evening meeting for parents on solving word problems.  I will email the date to you just after vacation.  While accurate computation is important, being able to justify why your answer is correct is a skill that will help your child throughout his/her life.  Have a wonderful weekend.

12-1-17

We continued to look at data this week.  We gathered all of our data on the number of teeth students have lost.  We compared individual classrooms and different grade levels.  We used a line plot graph to see what we have learned about the data.  Next week we will finish up our unit on data and take a district assessment.  Then we will start on unit 3.  The district assessment is not easy and it asks the children to do a complex multi-step problem.  The skills for this problem have been taught, but the children must do the problem on their own. I will speak with the children on how sometimes we have to attempt hard problems and persevere through them to the best of our ability.  Thank you for your continued support of your children’s effort.  Enjoy the weekend.

11-21-17

We gathered a lot of data this week.  We learned about our favorite foods, ice cream, flavor of cake.  We asked questions about broken bones, sports, number of cars, and pets.  We looked at the data, put it in graphs and then looked at what the graphs told us.  It was a very busy couple of days!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to teach your children.

11-17-17

We are knee deep in data.  This week was all about the number of pockets we were wearing, and next week we will figure out how many teeth people have lost.  The children are starting to understand how you can represent the same data in different ways.   They also understand how some graphs or tables work for some data and not others.    We are currently working on the question, “What can you learn from this table?”  Most often they want to just restate what the table is about, not tell me what they see the table shows.  We will have a short week next week and we will finish up the unit after Thanksgiving.  I hope that everyone enjoys the 5-day weekend! 

11-09-17
There is never enough time in a 4 day week.  We had only 3 stations this week.  One was worksheets that reviewed or practiced skills from the lessons.  The second was a more real world problem that we then went over in class today and each child had a colored pencil to correct any errors or misconceptions on.  These problems were more difficult and felt that we needed to go over them in a group.  These will not be graded before they go home.  The last group was to complete all the unfinished work in their folders.  If it did not get done by today, it will be in folders to come home next week.  Please remember if there is a smiley face, then all is correct.  If there is a checkmark, then I accepted the work because it was close to complete.  If there are question marks or words, then there is something they are missing.  Next week we will continue with our data unit and discussing attributes that we can sort items by. 


11-03-17

We started our new unit on data and graphing this week using pumpkins as a theme.  Our centers were a bit different than the regular ones, so there would be a pumpkin activity 3 out of the 4 days.  I led a small group on putting data on a tally table, graphing it and answering questions about the data.  The other three stations were some review as well as working on sorting items by attributes.  Next week we will continue to gather data and use the information to graph/answer questions related to the data.  We will also work on sorting items by two or more rules.  Have a great weekend!

10-27-17
We have finally finished our first unit of math and will start on Unit 4 next week.  Unit 4 is all about data collection and graphing.  We will start with some pumpkin graphing next week and talk about what data is and how we sort information into groups.  We will continue with a story problem each day.  We have a check list on the wall about the information needed when solving a story problem, but I have also made a check list that each child can have at their desk.  This will help guide them through the steps each time. 

I added two items below this post this week.  The first is a pumpkin activity that I did with my students and thought some of you might enjoy it this weekend.  Their guesses are always pretty funny!   The second is a game that we played this week.  It is a multi-step game and works with fluency of addition to 20.  Some had an easy time with it and others found it much more difficult.  I hope you enjoy the game.  There is the check list for solving word problems as well.  Have a great week, hope to see you tonight at Spiders and Cider.

·        I read the problem 2 times.         

·       I can explain what the question is asking (problem type and + or -).

·       I wrote a number sentence (26 - x =12).

·       I justified my thinking with a labeled picture or words.

·       I wrote the answer with a label.

10-20-17
We continue to work hard on a variety of word problems this week. This is the focus of the last part of the unit.  We are working on addition and subtraction.  We have also started adding on ten to a number.  Understanding that only the 10’s column changes is a new concept for some, but most are grasping the idea.  Many are finishing up the packets from the last two weeks and will bring them home next week at some point.   If there is a question mark and a smiley face then the problem is right.  If there is a check mark, then they understood the concept, but did not complete it completely.  They are working hard on the Lego problem solving as well.  It is using creative thinking to solve problems with numbers and asking the children to see how there can be different solutions depending on the size bricks you use.    Thank you for your continued support and interest in your child’s education.  Have a great weekend!


10-11-17

Over the next two weeks we will finish up Unit 1.  This section looks at larger numbers in addition and subtraction word problems. I will not introduce regrouping yet because I am looking to see what strategies that they use before they learn new ways.  We will also look at strategies using doubling numbers.  As I wrote in another post, we will continue to work on skills and strategies to work with a partner or a small group of friends without a teacher leading the conversation.   It takes time to build these skills, so we will continue to practice so each child participates and completes the work together.  Several parents have asked what they can work on at home.  I wrote below some examples of the types of word problems we are working on.  Feel free to change them and practice at home.  Below the problems, I posted ways that we expect the children to solve the problems.  I tried to show it in at least two ways.

Missing Start –

There are some children playing at the park.  6 more children join them.  Now there are a total of 17 children.  How many children were at the park first?

Missing Middle –

I picked up 10 shells on the beach.  My brother picked up some shells too.  We have 15 shells all together.  How many shells did my brother pick up?

Compare difference –
Ted ran 14 laps around the playground.  Fred ran 9 laps around the playground. How many more laps did Ted run than Fred?

10-6-17

We had a great week in extended math.  We played many games of making 10’s and I have included a couple of them below.  We will not start our geometry unit for a while.  It is always good to look for shapes, but I figured you would like a game or two that relates to what we are doing currently in class.  You can play both games with a deck of cards without the face cards.  If you do not have one at home, I can email you the deck that they are talking about in the directions. We will take a week off from math during the ½ days, but I will post another update next week about what is coming up next.  I know we are not meeting for conferences, but everyone is doing well.  Have a great Fall Break!

9-29-17
Station time is going well in the classroom.  This week while the students were working, I was able to pull groups to clear up a couple of small misconceptions or to clarify how I expect that they will justify their answer or show their work.  This concept is a work in progress and will take all year for some to understand completely.  Even if they can do the math in their head, they must show how they got the answer.  For some it is frustrating because they know and don’t want to take the time, but as I explained to them, they will continue to justify how they solved a problem through high school and in real life as well.  There are two other concepts we are working on not related to math.  One is working with a partner to complete work using both people’s ideas and how to get along when you disagree.  The other is how to complete your work when no adult is standing over you telling you to get things done.  If you do not get any work from math next week, I kept it so they could finish it up.  I am not concerned that anyone is behind, but I am trying to reinforce a time on task work ethic.  Next week, we will start the third section of unit one.  It looks at combinations of 10.  We will work on fluency of the addition problems that make 10 because this will help when we introduce regrouping.  Have a great weekend!

9-26-17
There have been questions about the completed work that I send home.  If there is a happy face, it was done correctly.  If there was a check mark, I skimmed to see it was complete or they did the minimum work needed to complete.  If there is a finish or ?, then they did not complete the work or something is missing/wrong.  If you would like your child to complete the work, you are welcome to help them finish it and I will am happy to check it after it is complete.

9-22-17

It was another busy week in extended math.  The children are settling into the routines of class.  Most are completing their work independently and coming to adults when they have questions on what to do.  Next week, I will start to pull small groups to work on review of topics that we need for the next math lessons.  Topics that we discussed this week was introduction of all the coins and the symbols on the coins.  We also discussed the concept of how many ways to make a number.  We looked at 2 addends, three addends and also discussed the use of subtraction. Finally, we explored the topic of “having enough” for the class.  Finally, we started a discussion on how to work with a partner.  We will continue to revisit this as the year continues.  In problem solving we spent the week on the problem type that compares two numbers and then asks how many more did the one person have.  An example of this type of problem is: Lucky and Sydney were digging up bones in the back yard.  Lucky found 12 bones.  Sydney found 5 bones.  How many more bones did Lucky find?  I received many emails this week regarding Reflex Math.  This is part of homework this week, so your child’s login information is in their folder. I also sent home a worksheet on what happens at each hour of the day.  We had a short discussion on it, but there was some confusion on how children are not getting ready for school at 4 am and that we are out of school at 4 pm.  Please look this over with your child.  You are welcome to fill it out and return it to school, but I was looking at the paper as more of a talking point.  I will upload the paper here in case it does not make it home.  Have a great weekend!

9-15-17

We had a great first week.  We started with our regular routines this week.  The first segment of our day is a word problem.  We are starting with unknown start and unknown addend.  We solve and discuss multiple ways to solve each problem.  The next part of our lesson is from our district adoption Investigation.  We are starting on Unit 1 of 2^nd grade.  If there are concepts that need a deeper explanation, we will pause and spend more time on that unit.  The last part of our time together is spend working individually or in small groups (pairs, trios, fours).  The children will have 4 tasks they will need to complete each week.  I check what they finish each night and the work can be checked and re-turned in.  Fridays will be a day to complete all work and recheck for errors.  If all work is completed, there are extra stations that they can complete each week.  I will send home their work in backpacks on Mondays.  I need the weekend to finish checking all work that has been turned in on Friday.  This week we worked on the steps of solving a problem, number sense and the use of tools in the classroom.  Next week we will continue with number sense as well as an introduction/review of money.  Homework this week is ordering numbers.  We explored that concept with numbers to 100, so if you are playing with your child at home, please use numbers 1-9 and choose at least 12 cards.  Have your child make 2 digit numbers with those cards and place them in order.