Making Math "Count" in the New Year!

“Math is a language of logic.  It is a disciplined, organized way of thinking.  There is a right answer; there are rules that must be followed.  More than any other subject, math is rigor distilled.  Mastering the language of logic help to embed higher-order habits in kids’ minds: the ability to reason, for example, to detect patterns and to make informed guesses.  Those kinds of skills had rising value in a world in which information was cheap and messy.”  Esther Cepeda, Daliy News, 2/23/14.

This excerpt is from an article “Why math? Why not?” from the Daily News and it makes a very important point: math teaches your child much more than just how to add and subtract, math teaches your child how to be a logical adult with strong reasoning skills.  Math is an intricate part of our everyday life.  Think about your daily routine and how many times you have had to problem solve a difficult situation or make reasonable deductions.

As parents/guardians we can make a big impact in our children’s mathematical development by incorporating small habits into our routines. Below are three “must do’s” for our elementary aged children:

1. Count with your child – this simple activity develops strong number sense and gives your child a significant advantage over peers who come to school not being able to count.

Ø  Pre K and K aged students – count to 100 by 1’s forward and backwards.  Count to 100 by tens   (10, 20, 30 …). 

Ø  Grades 1 and 2 – count to 1,000 and above.  Count by 5’s (0, 5, 10, 15…); 10’s; 100’s (100, 200, 300 …).  Count within 100’s by 10’s forward and backwards (210, 200, 190, 180…)

Ø  Grades 3 and 4 – count with high numbers (1million, 2 million, 3 million… 100,000, 200,000, 300,000).  Count fractions (1 ½; 2; 2 ½; 3; 3 ½; 4…. OR ¼; 2/3; ¾; 1; 1 ¼; 1 ^2/4; 1 ¾; 2…)

2.  Play “I am thinking of a number” game - this type of activity develops your child’s understanding how our number system is ordered.

For example:

Ø  Pre K and K aged students – “I am thinking of a number that comes before 5”; “I am thinking of a number that comes after 10”; “I am thinking of a number that comes in between 14 and 16”. 

Ø  Grades 1 and 2 – “I am thinking of a number that comes before 105 but after 102”; “I am thinking of a number that is ten less than 50”; “I am thinking of a number that is greater than 150 but less than 154”.

                  Ø  Grades 3 and 4 – Break the numbers down by place value (see diagram below) “I am                            thinking of a number that has 2 thousands, 3 hundreds, 2 tens and 4 ones – what is my                          number?” (2,324).  “I am thinking of a number that has 3 ones and 4 tenths” (decimal                          place value – 3.4)

3. Practicing math facts - Parents play a vital role in supporting this at home. Practicing 10 minutes a day will really improve math fact fluency. Try practicing math facts in the car, when shopping, while practicing sports (basketball/soccer - around the world with math facts) or while cooking. There are also many fun math websites, math apps, and math games that can help your child.

Wishing you a Happy Math Year!

Fun Math Themed Picture Books by Skill

Check out these fun titles that reinforce the different math skills (and reading skills):

Addition

Title	Author
365 Penguins	Jean-Luc Fromental
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins	Dr. Seuss
Addition Annie	David Gisler
Blueberries for Sal	Robert McCloskey
Imogene's Antlers	David Small
Math Potatoes: Mind-stretching Brain Food	Greg Tang
The Mission of Addition	Brian Cleary
The Rainbow Fish	Marcus Pfister
The Very Hungry Caterpillar	Eric Carle

Counting

Title	Author
100 Monsters in My School	Bonnie Bader
Animal 1 2 3!	J. Douglas Lee
Bears on Wheels	Stan & Jan Berenstain
Chicken Little, Count to Ten	Margaret Friskey
Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: a Counting Adventure	Doreen Cronin
Count and See	Tana Hoban
Counting on Frank	Rod Clement
A Dozen Dogs	Harriet Ziefert
Each Orange had 8 Slices	Paul Giganti, Jr.
The Handmade Counting Book	Laura Rankin
The Halloween House	Erica Silverman
How Much is a Million?	David Schwartz

Division

Title	Author
Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream	Cindy Neuschwander
Cheetah Math: Learning About Division from Baby Cheetahs	Ann W. Nagda
The Doorbell Rang	Pat Hutchins
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear	Audrey Wood
More M&M's Brand Chocolate Candies Math	Barbara McGrath
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!	Mo Willems
A Remainder of One	Elinor J. Pinczes

Fractions

Title	Author
The Doorbell Rang	Pat Hutchins
Fraction Fun	David Adler
Full House: an Invitation to Fractions	Dayle A. Dodds

Multiplication

Title	Author
365 Penguins	Jean-Luc Fromental
Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream	Cindy Neuschwander
Anno' Math Games	Mitsumasa Anno
The Best of Times: Math Strategies That Multiply	Greg Tang
Can You Count to a Googol?	Robert E. Wells
The Doorbell Rang	Pat Hutchins

Subtraction

Title	Author
The Action of Subtraction	Brian Cleary
Blueberries for Sal	Robert McCloskey
Hershey Kisses Subtraction Book	Jerry Pallotta
The Rainbow Fish	Marcus Pfister

Problem of the Month - December Grades 1-5

Strategy of the Month:

Someone said, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Turning the words of a problem into a picture or a diagram can help you "see" the problem. By using the part of your brain that visualizes a situation or object, you may see relationships or information that helps you solve the problem. When someone tells you a story, try turning the words into a motion picture or a cartoon. When reading a description, try "seeing it in your mind's eye." If you can do these things, this strategy may be for you!  Try using a picture or make a diagram to solve these problem:

Gr 1 and 2: On the playground there are three bicycles and four tricycles.  How many wheels are there?

Gr 3 and 4:   Every bike slot in a bicycle rack was filled.    Donna's bike was in the middle.  There    were six bikes to the right of Donna's.  How    many bicycles were in the bicycle rack?

Gr 5: In the restaurant there are 12 square tables. Only one person can sit on each side. What is the greatest number of people that can be seated if the tables are pushed end to end into one large rectangle?

It is Time to talk about Time with your kids!

Supporting your child at home as he/she learns how to tell time.

Your child is beginning or will soon begin a unit on time in his/her classroom.  In first grade, the expectation is for students to be able to tell time to the half hour and hour.  In second grade, the expectation is for students to be able to tell time to the 5-minute using an analog and a digital clock.  In third grade and up, the expectation is to be able to solve problems involving elapsed time.

Telling time is a skill everyone needs.  Below are some tips on how you can easily help your child with this skill.

·       Have your child practice counting to 60.  If you have an analog clock at home, have your child point to the minute intervals as he or she counts.  They should start at the 12 and count clockwise (to the right).

·       Have your child practice counting by 5s.  If you have an analog clock at home, have your child point to the five minute intervals (5, 10, 15…) as he or she counts.  They should start at the 12 and count clockwise (to the right).

·       Ask your child to tell you the time: how many minutes is it after _________?

·       Share your strategies – explain to your child how you tell time.

·       Use the terminology around your child as much as possible.  The more your child can hear the various terminology, and practice saying the vocabulary in his/her everyday life, the quicker he/she will be able to internalize this skill.

o   “Dinner will be at six – thirty or half-past six”; “I will pick you up at a quarter after five or five-fifteen”; “your show will start at six forty-five or a quarter to six”

·       Use a timer to show your child how long 15 minutes is, for example.  Sensing time intervals is a difficult concept for children to understand.  How long is 30 minutes compared to 15 minutes?  Setting a timer while your child completes two activities that take a different amount of time will help him/her to start grasping this concept.

·       Review part of the clock.  Point out to your child which hand is the hour hand vs the minute hand.  Practice the strategies your child learns at school as much as possible.

o   Point to the short hand and tell students that this hand is the hour hand. This is the hand that tells you the hour of the day. Tell them they can remember the hour hand by remembering that it’s the short hand.

o   Point to the long hand and tell students that this hand is the minute hand. This is the hand that tells you how many minutes have passed in an hour. Tell them they can remember the minute hand by remembering that it’s the long hand

·       Computer games and apps.  There are many free apps and computer games where your child can practice telling-time skills in fun ways.   Below are a few suggestion:

o   Jungle Time – app

o   Wake the Rooster by Telling time: Tiny Chicken – app

o   http://www.squidoo.com/telling-time-games - This web-site has a list of fun internet games that teach and/or review time skills.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are trying out a new problems solving station at school.  This is part of our new venture at Jefferson elementary to give students extra practice with critical thinking skills.  I have created a Problem Solving Station for our students in grades 1-5 that is located outside of my room, C13.  This is a voluntary program that is meant for extra practice.  If your child chooses to participate, they can do so at any point this school year and they can be as active in this as time and their schedule allows.  This does not take place of assignments that are sent home from the classroom.  It is meant to be fun and educational.

How does this work:

1. Student selects a problem set from their grade cluster.

2.  The problems themselves are leveled.  Each problem has a star next to it. 

     1 star is easy - 4 stars is difficult.

3.  The student completes these problems on their own time, no deadline.           

     He/she doesn't have to complete all the problems, if the 4 star problems are   

      too challenging  then they can be skipped.

4. Once the student completes the problems, then he/she can bring the    

     problems back to me.

5. For every 10 stars that are earned, the students get to visit my prize box.

Jefferson Problem Solving Station

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are trying out a new problems solving station at school.  This is part of our new venture at Jefferson elementary to give students extra practice with critical thinking skills.  I have created a Problem Solving Station for our students in grades 1-5 that is located outside of my room, C13.  This is a voluntary program that is meant for extra practice.  If your child chooses to participate, they can do so at any point this school year and they can be as active in this as time and their schedule allows.  This does not take place of assignments that are sent home from the classroom.  It is meant to be fun and educational.

How does this work:

1. Student selects a problem set from their grade cluster.

2.  The problems themselves are leveled.  Each problem has a star next to it. 

     1 star is easy - 4 stars is difficult.

3.  The student completes these problems on their own time, no deadline.           

     He/she doesn't have to complete all the problems, if the 4 star problems are   

      too challenging  then they can be skipped.

4. Once the student completes the problems, then he/she can bring the    

     problems back to me.

5. For every 10 stars that are earned, the students get to visit my prize box.