Happy Wednesday Folks! A number of you came to one of the Work Journal meetings and were able to join in our mini workshop about how to create varied and challenging math word problems. For those of you that were unable to attend, I wanted to give you the resources that we were working with. The first is a classification chart that shows all of the different types of addition and subtraction word problems that you can create for your child. I would recommend studying this chart, and trying some of these out. Obviously, these are just examples and can be changed to fit the student's skill level and interests. The other aspect of word problems that we discussed, was how to get children talking about math. This handout is full of questions to ask your child while they work on a word problem to help them build new strategies, share their thinking, and extend their thinking: I hope that these resources are helpful! I also want to touch on a type of word problem that we have started to work on in class. One of their geometry standards addresses the very important idea of partitioning. The first grade standard is: Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of,fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares. This is an important standard because it is a precursor to really understanding the concept of fractions. One way to work on building this concept, while also using the students prior knowledge is through partitioning word problems. Here is an example: 4 children want to share 5 candy bars so that everyone gets the same amount. How much candy bar can each child have? This type of problem creates a situation where the child is using a skill that they have already been developing (how to share something equally) to build the concept of partitioning a rectangle into quarters. The thing I noticed when working on this problem with the Tues/ Fri group is that it led right into interesting conversations about different ways to partition the candy bar, and ideas about whether all of the candy bars need to be partitioned, or just the last one. I recommend that you try this type of problem with your child, and see where the conversation leads :) Examples: Four children want to share 10 brownies so that everyone gets exactly the same amount. How much brownie can each child have? There are 5 tortillas for 3 children who would like to share so that everyone gets the same amount. How much tortilla can one person have? Let me know if you have any questions about math word problems! Announcements: Student Led Conferences are going to be held on March 18th and 19th. Here is the link to the Sign Up Genius where you can sign up for a time slot for your child. SLC's are an opportunity for your child to share their experience in the classroom, reflect on their learning, and set learning goals. Please sign up for one 45 minute block of time, there will be up to 4 families in each block. I hope you have a wonderful week, and please let me know if you have any questions!
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February 2017
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