Hello everyone!

This week we have been focusing a lot on math, particularly fractions.

For Dynamath this week, we learned how to convert a decimal into a fraction with a denominator of 10 or 100. We practiced this by making visuals to help us determine what fraction each decimal represented. We also practiced this skill by using money. The students were given cards that had coins on them. The students were tasked with counting the money on each of the cards, writing that amount in decimal form (the way we typically write it) and then convert that to fraction form. This activity allowed the students to practice multiple skills at once, making it a great challenge for them. They loved the opportunity to use so many skills in one task. We also reviewed the concept of a fraction by doing a fraction puzzle. The students were asked to match the fraction in number from with the word form and the way it is visually represented. This activity really helped the students see how the numerator and denominator relate to each other.

For Mindset Math, the class was asked a very challenging question: if you were to walk 10,000 steps, how far would you go? The students were responsible for coming up with how we would solve this problem. At first, the groups seemed a bit lost. However, they soon realized that they could measure a small number of steps and then multiply that number to figure out how far they’d go. Since the groups measured their steps in inches, they decided to convert their measurements to miles, using lots of advanced math. We ultimately discovered that 10,000 steps would be about 3.5 miles, but the answer is different for every person since we all take different sized steps.

We also continued working on our space exploration. We expanded on what we learned last week about the phases of the moon. This week, we took that knowledge to create a tool to help us determine what phase the moon is on. The students took one cup with the full moon on it, and a second cup with the phases of the moon colored in. With the cups on top of each other, they can turn them and make each of the moon phases to see which one matches the current shape of the moon. Making this tool required determining where each phase of the moon belongs on the cup, as well as problem solving and learning to handle our mistakes.

This week we also reconnected with the buddies in Ms. Anna W’s class that the students had last year. To get everyone back into the swing of working together, the classes played their favorite math and word games together. We all had a blast!

Along with all of these awesome activities, we’ve continued reading George’s Secret Key to the Universe and working on our Ashes of Roses play. The students are having so much fun with those stories!

Finally, here are some of the amazing snow creations the students made this week. They were so proud of their hard work.

Looking ahead: Next week we will have our normal library visit on Monday and bank visit on Friday. Please remember to send students with $10 or less. Wednesday will be an early dismissal.

Have a wonderful weekend!