Math Update!

Our focus in math during these early days of school will continue to be number sense and numeration skills! 

• basic operations such as addition, subtraction and multiplication 
• math word problems where we SHOW our math thinking AND provide a complete answer to the question asked in the word problem
• expressing numbers in various forms such as standard form (e.g. 353), expanded form (300 + 50 + 3), words (three hundred fifty-three). When reading numbers aloud we are reminded not to use the word and (e.g. three hundred fifty three as opposed to three hundred AND fifty three).  
• comparing numbers by using the correct symbols (<  >  =) and the words greater than, less than and equals. To help us we remember that the open mouth of the crocodile always wants to eat the LARGER number! (e.g. 33 <  45....thirty three is smaller than forty-five.......or 45  > 33......forty-five is greater than 33) 
• mental math strategies to add up larger numbers such as: looking for benchmark numbers (e.g. 5's and 10's), rewriting each number in an equation in expanded form in order to better SEE the groups of 10 and be able to combine numbers to make groups of 10 (e.g. 23+32+21+19.....change it to 20+3+30+2+20+1+10+9......then add up the 10's and rewrite it as....80+3+2+1+9......then think 80+5+10....then add them up to get 95), using number lines as a strategy to help us use benchmarks and solve equations (have your child show you what this means!!!)
• rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000 (grade 4) and to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, 10 000 (grade 5). This poem is one tool to help us remember what to do:  

Mark your place,

Look next door.

5 or greater, add 1 more!

4 or less, let it rest!

Numbers in front, stay the same. 

Numbers behind, Zero's their name! 

We have also been using the following code to add up words. This week we added up word wall words!