“Once you begin watching spiders, you haven’t time for much else.” – E.B. White (1899-1985)
Good afternoon,
I was away yesterday afternoon, so we spent a little bit of time today getting caught up and sorting a few things out. That means that unfinished Book Talks will be completed tomorrow. Sorry for the delay! In Math yesterday, our Grade 4 students continued to explore multiplying larger numbers. Yesterday we practiced the following strategies: using base-10 blocks, using expanded form, and breaking the number apart.
When using base-10 blocks, don’t forget to build your biggest number first. Then, consider how many groups you need to make. Remember, multiplication is all about grouping (or repeated addition)! In the example above, there are 76 prizes in each package. There are 3 packages. So, you can 3 groups of 76. That means that you need to build 76 out of base-10 blocks 3 times. Afterwards, count up your tens rods and your ones cubes and then add them together! There will be 228 prizes.
When using expanded form, break your larger number into expanded form. This will help you to create two smaller, easier multiplication facts that you can use to solve the problem. In the example above, we have broken 76 into 70 + 6. Instead of solving 76 x 3 we are going to solve 70 x 3 and 6 x 3, then add them together. Since 70 x 3 = 210 and 6 x 3 = 18, 76 x 3 = 210 + 18 = 228.
Finally, we can break the number apart. This is the way that I learned multiplication in school! First, stack your numbers with the largest number on top. Line up your place value places. Then multiply the ones. Then multiply the tens. Then add them together to get your final answer. In the example above, once we have stacked our numbers we can multiply 3 ones by 6 ones. 3 x 6 = 18. Next, we can multiply 3 ones by 7 tens. 3 x 70 = 210. Finally we can add them together. 18 + 210 = 228.
There is a shorter way to break the numbers apart, often referred to as short multiplication. Some students were interested in using this method. We watched the following video to help those students who wanted to be using short multiplication:
Remember, we are allowed to use ANY strategy in our class. There a lots of different roads we can take to get to the same place. Students are encouraged to use the strategy that works best for them and to practice this strategy. Students who have mastered a particular strategy should then be encouraged to try and practice a new strategy and add it to their repertoire. Today we reviewed the strategies above and continued to practice.
In Science yesterday, our Grade 5 students began their Chemistry unit. They first watched this video on Mixtures:
Then we started to discuss pure substances and mixtures a little further. A pure substance is composed of only one type of particle. An example would be gold or oxygen. A mixture is made up of two or more pure substances. Students brainstormed different pure substances and different mixtures and added them to T-Chart that we were creating on the board. Tomorrow, mixtures made with two or more solids!
The Grade 4 students were given time to make sure that they had completed their Interactive Notebook pages for Wheels and Levers before we begin light and shadows. Students were asked to complete at least 4 of the following questions:
Any unfinished questions were assigned for homework yesterday and will be due in class tomorrow.
Today in Language Arts, students looked at rhyme and the rhyming scheme of poems. We looked more specifically at quatrain poems:
Students will be writing their own quatrain poems later this week.
In Social Studies, the Grade 5 students shared their work on their Homesteaders projects. You can view the students’ presentations below:
Homestead A PowerPoint – Homestead A
Homestead B Overview – Homestead B
Homestead C PowerPoint – Homestead C
Students also shared their learning through poems, posters, and skits. I was very impressed with the time, research, and creativity that the Grade 5 students put into this activity. Our Grade 4 students began research for their own Homesteaders project today. Students began researching agriculture in Alberta using the following links:
Agriculture in Alberta – Agriculture in Alberta
Rural Life (Ranching) – Ranching
Stay tuned for more information about how the Grade 4 students will be applying their research!
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Math:
- Gr. 4 – pgs. 292 #2, 4, 7
Science:
- Gr. 5 – Left-hand Pages: Electricity and Magnetism (tomorrow)
- Gr. 4 – Left-hand Pages: Waste in Our World (tomorrow)
Health:
- FRIENDS – pg. 70 (tomorrow)
Eco-Week Water Bottle Challenge – ALL NEXT WEEK (April 18th-April 22nd)
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Book Orders – April 28th
Spring Picture Day – April 27th