This weekend you have math plans…that’s right…math! Take a bit of time and review your three math benchmarks - rework the problems and see if you can get them correct. Remember to use all your strategies!
Secondly, please review those math vocabulary words. Play a game with a friend or review them yourself.
*Reminder: Math TAKS - Tuesday, April 8!
Today we reviewed measurement in a new way….
We took different size boxes and found a lot of ways to measure them.
First, we located the base of the box. (The base is what it sits on.) Next, we measured the length, the width, and the height. (If it was a fraction, we rounded up.) Then we were able to find the volume (l x w x h). After that, we found the perimeter of the base (s + s + s + s) s= side. Finally we found the area of the base (l x w). After we completed one box, we all switched and measured our second box. The boxes were all different sizes - some with lids, some with out. We discussed that having a lid didn’t affect the measurements. After working with 5 boxes, we all had a chance to use our customary rulers and practice finding different measurements.
Words to remember:
* area - length x width (l x w ) - it’s like putting down carpet or tile on the floor, covering the base
* volume - length x width x height (l x w x h) - it’s like filling up the shape with water or blocks all the way to the top (that’s why you need the height measurement)
* perimeter - side + side + side + side (s + s + s + s) - all the way around the sides
That’s right, you already have a great study tool, vocabulary cards! Just look over them each day and your brain will have a super boost. This is a great way to learn any information. You can use these cards alone or with a friend. Try playing a game with them:
* place them “word” up and see if you can say the definition
* place them “definition” up and see if you know the word
* time yourself and see how long it takes you to complete 10 cards - see if you can go through them faster
* place cards you know really well in one stack - place the other cards you don’t as well in another stack (try to get the stack of words you don’t know as well to be less and less)
That’s right, we have a countdown to the math TAKS test. It will be Tuesday, April 8, only a few days away. Here’s what you can do to prepare yourself:
*study your vocabulary words…look them over each evening
*review your past benchmark tests…can you still work those problems?
*read through your red math folders…do you remember making all those pages?
Studying a little each night will really help you to remember all that we’ve learned this year.
I’m not sure who’s more excited about Spring Break… it will be here very quickly…March 17-21. During this time off, it’s important to rest, but don’t forget anything you’ve learned so far this year! You’ve worked so very hard all year long, we don’t want to lose any information that is in your brain!
What are your plans? Send me a reply!
Welcome parents, grandparents, and students to another wonderful week in Texas! That’s right, it’s Texas Public School’s Week. This is a special week set aside to showcase our schools, a chance to brag on all the amazing things that our students are learning. We have it all here at DPE. Whether it’s academic or extra curricular, our children are our first priority. “Whatever It Takes!” is our motto and we mean it. We work diligently to help all our students become the best they can be. We have high expectations for all and we strive to help them meet their goals. Take a look around the school this week. You’ll see amazing things! Be sure to check out the following areas:
gym - activities that promote strong bodies
computer lab - latest technology available
cafeteria - fostering nutritious meals
library - showcasing a spectacular “Book Fair”
hallways - variety of student work displayed
classrooms - activities that promote strong minds
Here at DPE you’ll meet an exceptional staff - caring and loving. DPE is a great place to learn, play, and grow!
We concluded our metric study with mass. We discussed that the smallest measurement was a milligram with the mass of a grain of rice. Boy is that tiny! Using different objects around our classroom, our pan balances, and gram stackers, we discovered the mass of various things. What a great time we had! Most things measured in grams - some more than others. We used a small paper clip to remind us the mass of one gram and our math textbook as the mass of a kilogram.
What was your favorite object? What was the mass?
After our reading test, we had a bit of extra time to squeeze in a fun art project. And guess what?… It was also math! We used two different colors of construction paper, folded them, and drew half a face on the top sheet. Putting all sheets together, we cut out the half face and when we opened it up, we had a whole face. The fold made a perfect line of symmetry. Symmetry is having the same things on both sides - like a mirror reflection. Next, we cut half a nose and mouth from the top sheet, flipped it to the other side and made a reflection! Cutting out the eyes and eyebrows was a bit more difficult, however everyone took the challenge. The eyes and eyebrows showed translations - it’s like the shapes were slid across the face. Check out these creations!
We’ll it’s the last day of February and that means we had another calendar month full of learning! This month, we focused on geometry and 3D (three dimensional) figures -figures that have a length, a width, and a height. We discussed the attributes of 6 shapes: cones, spheres, rectangular prisms, cubes, cylinders, and square pyramids. Their attributes included their faces, vertices, and edges. With these shapes, we were also able to find patterns on the calendar. They were in diagonals and in various multiples. Using the calendar numbers on the shape pieces, we found the least common multiples (LCM) and the great common factors (GCF).
We continued our count of school days and today we were at 1.13. How is that written in word form? Send a comment.
This month also focused on customary measurement. We covered length with a “giant inch”, marking off each section from sixteenths, eighths, fourths, halves, and finally the entire inch. We were able to see equivalent fractions, such at 4/8 = 1/2.
What is an equivalent fraction for 12/16? Send a comment.
We also covered capacity. Using a gallon divided into cups, pints, and quarts, we were able to discover which measurements were equivalent. For example, we could plainly see that two cups were equivalent to one pint. We even took it a step further by finding the smallest unit, a fluid ounce.
What is equivalent to 1 quart? Send a comment.
We also worked with weight. Using Play-Dough, we formed ounce pieces for each day on the calendar. When we reached day 16, we had one pound. Our scale said so! Using graph paper, we tracked our progress and were able to make fractions up to a pound. After day sixteen, we could make improper fractions like 1 4/16.
Do you know the definition of an improper fraction? Send me a comment.
Today was a very special day, February 29. It only comes around once every four years. Each year, the earth loses approx. 6 hours in the revolution around the sun. So after four years, we’ve lost 24 hours. Twenty-four hours makes a day, and that day needs to be made up. Today is that extra day!
Do you know how many hours in a day? Days in a week? Weeks in a year? Days in a year? Send a comment.
Today we continued our study on metric measurement. Using a pipette, water, and a measuring cup, we just spent some time discovering with water and our measuring tools. Most people filled up the measuring cup, milliliter by milliliter. Others poured water into their cup and read the measurements. Others were just fascinated with the pipette and how much water it could hold…all in a days work!
1 milliliter - about a drop of water
1 Liter - 1000 milliliter
