Get Into the Study Zone

Summer Fun...School Excitement!

I hope that every student has had a chance to catch up on their rest and relaxation and has tried something new this Summer.  School is just few weeks away, so be sure to work on your Summer Math packet to prepare your brain for learning.  I look forward to seeing everyone and meeting any new students!

Geometry Formulas...it's a snap!

'Figure'-ing out Geometry

5th grade is learning a lot of Geometry terms and creating a Geometry dictionary.  We start with points, planes, lines, angles and move into shapes, perimeter, area and volume.  Students are learning
how to measure angles with a protractor.

Math Facts, Math Facts, Math Facts....

....that's all I ever hear!    According to an article in the March 14, 2008 issue of The New York Times, a report, presented by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (March 2008), addressed the importance of mastering the basic facts. 

The report stated that it is important for students to master their basic math facts well enough that their recall becomes automatic, stored in their long-term memory, leaving room in their working memory to take in new math processes.

"For all content areas, practice allows students to achieve automaticity of basic skills -- the fast, accurate and effortless processing of content information -- which frees up working memory for more complex aspects of problem solving," the report said.
..... "to prepare students for algebra, the curriculum must simultaneously develop conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem-solving skills."

By even the 5th grade, the number of steps in problems necessitates that students know those facts quickly so they don't get bogged down in recalculating the facts several times while solving the problem.   from: Mathwithouttears.blogspot.com

Let's work with our student on math facts. This is one thing students can do over school breaks. Practice, practice, practice.

Multi-step Inequalities

Applying what they've learned about solving for variables, 8th grade is graphing solution sets....and acquiring Algebra skills with lots of perseverance.  Right after Spring Break students will begin with graphing lines and slope/intercept form.

Fractions, Fractions, Fractions!

Even though our class time has been split into 'parts' with Iowa testing and Mother Nature, as a 'whole' 5th grade has been working very hard to master fractions!  They are finishing addition and subtraction with fractions of all kinds and heading into multiplying and dividing next.

Multi-step Equations in 8th grade

Combining like terms, moving variables to one side and constants to the other, 8th grade is working with algebraic equations to solve for variables.  They are systematically showing their work, keeping signs in mind, and will work with inequalities next.

5th grade Fractions

Fraction addition and subtraction with common and unlike denominators is the focus of Ch. 6 in 5th grade.  Students are working with least common multiples (LCM's) to find the least common denominators (LCD's) and calculating equivalent fractions for addition and subtraction.  They are putting fractions in simplest form using greatest common factors (GCF's).  They are finding their multiplication and division facts to be very important.

Catholic Schools Week Kicked Off

Let's celebrate Catholic Schools with all the fun Activities planned for Catholic Schools Week, which starts January 25th.