What`s Trending in Math and Science
September 10-14 2016
This Week at a Glance
Good Afternoon Parents,
After a short hiatus last week (apologies!) the weekly newsletter is back! After a huge influx of classwork and assignments turned in after the last progress report was sent home (woo-hoo!) I am still updating progress reports and those will be coming out to you this Thursday.
Monday - Motivational Monday
Tuesday - Magic Show Assembly, Art
Wednesday -Bridge Building Awards (homeroom)
Thursday- Music, Science Chapter 2 Vocabulary Quiz
Friday-Reflections deadline
**I will be listing homework on the website under homework assignments until I can share the students assignment calendars.
Upcoming Events for you Calendar:
10/15 Campus Clean Up Day
10/17-21 Haunt Spirit Week
10/20 Great Shakeout
10/21 8:30 AM LCHS Marching Band
10/22 10-4 Halloween Haunt
11/2 Pali Informational Night 6-7pm in the school cafeteria
11/7-11/10 Conference week- Early dismissal all week
Pali Mountain
Please know that this year Pali Mountain will be the week of December 12-16, 2016 and is in Running Springs, CA. We depart the morning of December 12, 2016 from LCE and return to LCE the afternoon of December 16, 2016.
I will be sending home information in your Thursday Folders in the coming weeks about the Informational Night in our school Cafeteria on November 2, 2016 from 6-7pm.
If you are unable to attend, never fear- we will make sure you have all the information you need and have all your questions answered so you feel safe and secure sending your child out into the woods with us for a week! (with heated cabins and delicious meals and engaging science curriculum of course!)
Thursday Folders
Updated Progress reports
Math
Division of Fractions, Multiplication and Division of Decimals
We are rounding out the 3rd chapter in our textbooks, and this week will see our Third Chapter Test.
Students seem very clear on some of the standardized algorithms they have been using in the past. However, in this unit, I have been working with them to make sense of situations posed in problems and to use models to understand what exactly is happening conceptually.
Why?
First, many students are coming to me telling me they do not know what to do with word problems- the majority of the time, the student is looking for the problem to tell them if they divide, multiply, subtract, or add directly. This isnt the case, as the mathematical problem solving that happens in our every day lives does not come with and step by step directions.
Once students make sense of what is happening in the problem (talking about what they know, what they dont know, what they need to find out etc) they can easily see what needs to be done to solve the problem. Each of the problems they are working on this week have simple computations- the difficult part is making sense of what is happening without being told- as one student excitedly said today - "Its not the math thats hard- its the thinking thats hard!'
Many students are not accustomed to sitting with a problem and making sense of it on their own- it takes time, the thinking can be exhausting at first- but with time and practice it gets much easier.
Second, students often make common mistakes when they use algorithms in which they do not understand the reasoning or logic behind them. This ties back to the need to understand mathematics quantitatively. When students have a clear understanding of what is happening in the problem or what the problem is asking, can make sense of it, and create a representation, they are less likely to make simple error and much more likely to detect when an answer is unreasonable due to a small miscalculation or the misuse of a decimal.
Once they have mastered the concept, I am happy for them to use the standardized algorithms- after all those are time saving, and intended to be used for that purpose. In the meantime, I ask that they use representations, unless otherwise stated.
For Example, when dividing fractions, students come to me with the knowlegde of KFC or 'Keep flip change' however, when they dont know why they have done that or why it works, or why it makes sense, they are often prone to simple mistakes, and an inability to properly examine whether or not their answer makes sense- the math simply is reduced to what feels like a magic trick, and they come to school with fingers crossed hoping for the right answer, and their dreams of mathematical bliss are sometimes busted when they get it wrong and have no idea why-
When students can make sense of what they are doing, they really are able to own and it feel good about it because if they do get an answer wrong, they are able to look over it and find that wrong turn on their own and why they took that turn and how to veer back towards a reasonable answer- they feel empowered and in control. I want to give them back that control and that power to reason mathematically.
I am attaching some photos from the problems we have been working on in class in hopes of giving some insight.
I know this is a huge adjustment and can be very frustrating for both parents and students- I am always happy to work out some math problems and attach them if you would like that!
If you made it all the way to the end of this, I would give you an A!
Thanks for reading and thank you for all your continued support!
Bridge Building
See more pictures on the classroom blog!
Science
Homework Information and Overview
Each night students have three tiers of homework to choose from. They may choose to complete the assignment for ONE of the following tiers (they may choose to do more, however, I cannot give them extra credit for doing so as it is not equitable for students who may be struggling on a certain topic, however, other extra credit assignments are available to everyone throughout the year).
The tiers are (and this is what is listed everyday on google classroom, however the assignments next to the descriptions change)
Choose ONE of the following options:
1. Feeling good about the concepts covered and want more practice with them to ensure mastery. (choose Option One - Link to the online textbook pages 37 1-27 Odd Only)
2. I have the concepts mastered and want a challenge where I apply the information I learned today to new activities (Choose Option 2 and complete page 6 )
3. I feel like a review of the material we covered today would ensure my mastery of the concepts we learned today. (Choose Option Three - Complete All)
I encourage students to choose the assignment that feels right for them, and work with them daily to remove the stigma of doing the enrichment activities or not. I believe that removing this stigma is healthy for all students in that it allows students who have struggled, to apply themselves in spite of struggling and feel empowered to do so. I also think it allows the students who may have not struggled in mathematics to seek help and assistance if they do hit a point where they find a concept difficult.
However, this is a process for all students, but want you to be aware, that if your student is struggling with the math homework to inquire about which assignment they have chosen and encourage them to choose another, more appropriate one, or if you notice they are breezing through the homework, to encourage them to choose a more challenging assignment.
And again, I am always happy to differentiate according to your students needs, and encourage them to communicate with me consistently.