This week, we will finish up our fractions unit and take our end of year assessment.

In this chapter, your student is learning about equal shares, halves, and fourths of two-dimensional shapes. The lessons address identifying equal shares, partitioning shapes, and identifying shapes that show halves and fourths. The vocabulary words for this chapter are: equal shares, unequal shares, half of, halves, fourth of, fourths, quarter of, and quarters.

There are many opportunities each day to talk about shares, halves, and fourths with your student. Here are a few ideas for the kitchen:

• Discuss cutting food items, such as a sandwich, into equal shares. Have your student explain what equal shares means, then have him or her tell you how many equal shares there will be if you cut the sandwich into halves and how many there would be if you cut it into fourths. Have your student tell you where to cut to make equal shares. Place the knife as if you were cutting unequal shares and have your student tell whether or not the shares would be equal if you cut there and explain his or her reasoning.
• Allow your student to model equal shares by cutting a soft item, such as a banana. Ask your student to cut the banana into two equal shares. Ask, “What makes these equal shares? What is each of the two equal shares called?” Although a banana is a 3-dimensional object, your student should understand that the two halves are the same size. Repeat with fourths.
• Point out items that are partitioned into equal shares, such as graham crackers. Ask, “How many equal shares does the graham cracker have? What is each equal share called? If we eat one fourth, how many fourths are left?”

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other items that represent equal shares, halves, and fourths, such as game boards or greeting cards that fold in half, dominoes that have two equal parts, or window panes that are divided into fourths.

Have a great time learning about equal shares, halves, and fourths together!

This week, we will start our final unit, Fractions.

In this chapter, your student is learning about equal shares, halves, and fourths of two-dimensional shapes. The lessons address identifying equal shares, partitioning shapes, and identifying shapes that show halves and fourths. The vocabulary words for this chapter are: equal shares, unequal shares, half of, halves, fourth of, fourths, quarter of, and quarters.

There are many opportunities each day to talk about shares, halves, and fourths with your student. Here are a few ideas for the kitchen:

• Discuss cutting food items, such as a sandwich, into equal shares. Have your student explain what equal shares means, then have him or her tell you how many equal shares there will be if you cut the sandwich into halves and how many there would be if you cut it into fourths. Have your student tell you where to cut to make equal shares. Place the knife as if you were cutting unequal shares and have your student tell whether or not the shares would be equal if you cut there and explain his or her reasoning.
• Allow your student to model equal shares by cutting a soft item, such as a banana. Ask your student to cut the banana into two equal shares. Ask, “What makes these equal shares? What is each of the two equal shares called?” Although a banana is a 3-dimensional object, your student should understand that the two halves are the same size. Repeat with fourths.
• Point out items that are partitioned into equal shares, such as graham crackers. Ask, “How many equal shares does the graham cracker have? What is each equal share called? If we eat one fourth, how many fourths are left?”

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other items that represent equal shares, halves, and fourths, such as game boards or greeting cards that fold in half, dominoes that have two equal parts, or window panes that are divided into fourths.

Have a great time learning about equal shares, halves, and fourths together!

This week, we will continue our Geometry Unit.

In this chapter, your student will learn about two- and three-dimensional shapes. The lessons address sorting and describing shapes, joining shapes to make new shapes, and taking apart shapes.

The vocabulary words for this chapter are: two-dimensional shape, vertex, side, trapezoid, rhombus, three-dimensional shape, curved surface, flat surface, rectangular prism, and edge.

There are many ways to have fun reviewing what your student is learning about two- and three-dimensional shapes. Try some of the following ideas.

• Point out examples of various shapes in the real world and ask your student to use the math vocabulary to describe the shape. For example, point out a yield sign. Ask, “What shape is that? How many straight sides does a triangle have? How many vertices?” Contrast the two-dimensional triangle with a three-dimensional traffic cone. Ask, “How are the shapes similar? How are they different? How many flat surfaces does a cone have? How many vertices? How many curved surfaces?”
• Make a game of incorporating the vocabulary in this chapter into your conversations. For example, refer to the round trash can as the “trash cylinder” or the soccer ball as the “soccer sphere.” You can even incorporate these words into your next game of “I Spy.”
• Collect examples of the three-dimensional shapes, such as soup cans, tissue boxes, and ice cream cones. Sit where your student cannot see your items and use them to build a structure. Then, describe your structure and have your student try to build an identical structure without looking at yours. For example, set a box of tissues on top of two soup cans. Say, “There are two cylinders beside each other. A rectangular prism is on top of them.” Then compare structures to see if they look the same.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to find other examples of the shapes in this chapter.

Have a great time learning about two- and three-dimensional shapes together!

This week, we will finish Time unit and start our Geometry Unit.  

In this chapter, your student will learn about two- and three-dimensional shapes. The lessons address sorting and describing shapes, joining shapes to make new shapes, and taking apart shapes. 

The vocabulary words for this chapter are: two-dimensional shape, vertex, side, trapezoid, rhombus, three-dimensional shape, curved surface, flat surface, rectangular prism, and edge. 

There are many ways to have fun reviewing what your student is learning about two- and three-dimensional shapes. Try some of the following ideas. 

• Point out examples of various shapes in the real world and ask your student to use the math vocabulary to describe the shape. For example, point out a yield sign. Ask, “What shape is that? How many straight sides does a triangle have? How many vertices?” Contrast the two-dimensional triangle with a three-dimensional traffic cone. Ask, “How are the shapes similar? How are they different? How many flat surfaces does a cone have? How many vertices? How many curved surfaces?” 
• Make a game of incorporating the vocabulary in this chapter into your conversations. For example, refer to the round trash can as the “trash cylinder” or the soccer ball as the “soccer sphere.” You can even incorporate these words into your next game of “I Spy.” 
• Collect examples of the three-dimensional shapes, such as soup cans, tissue boxes, and ice cream cones. Sit where your student cannot see your items and use them to build a structure. Then, describe your structure and have your student try to build an identical structure without looking at yours. For example, set a box of tissues on top of two soup cans. Say, “There are two cylinders beside each other. A rectangular prism is on top of them.” Then compare structures to see if they look the same. 

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to find other examples of the shapes in this chapter. 

Have a great time learning about two- and three-dimensional shapes together! 

In this chapter, your student is learning to tell time to the hour and half hour. We will start using only hour hands on an analog clock, then we will use the minute hand. Later, we will use digital clocks. The vocabulary words for this chapter are: analog clock, hour hand, hour, o’clock, half hour, half past, minute hand, minute, and digital clock.

Here are a few situations that you can use to practice telling time.  

• Guide your student to number a paper plate to look like the face of a clock. Start with 12 and 6, then label 9 and 3, and finally fill in the numbers between. Cut out hour and minute hands from paper and attach them to the clock using a metal brad or paper clip. Ask your student to show a given time on the clock. For example, say, “You have a piano lesson at 4 o’clock. Show the time on your clock.” Ask your student to explain how to set the clock. If your student confuses the hands, point out that “minute” is a longer word than “hour,” and relate this to the fact that the minute hand is longer than the hour hand.
• When getting ready for school, have your student watch the clock for given times. For example, say, “We need to eat breakfast at 7 o’clock. What will the clock look like at that time?” Then have your student tell you when the clock shows the given time. Repeat with other times, such as the time your student needs to leave the house.
• Throughout the day, ask your student to look at the clock and tell the time, then explain how he or she knows the time (to the hour and half hour only). If reading an analog clock, have your student tell what the time would look like on a digital clock, and vice versa.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for clocks and tell the time.

Have a great time practicing telling time together!

We will start unit 11, Data and Probability. 

In this chapter, your student is learning to show and interpret data using tally charts, bar graphs, and picture graphs. Your student will use these types of displays to solve problems involving data. The vocabulary words for this chapter are: data, tally chart, tally mark, picture graph, and bar graph.

Here are a few activities that you can use in the kitchen with your student to practice the skills of this chapter.

• When putting groceries away, have your student practice using tally marks. For example, say, “There are six juice boxes in this package. How do you use tally marks to represent six?” Have your student describe the tally marks or write them on paper.
• When packing lunches or preparing dinner or a snack, have your student count how many items there are of different types. For example, ask, “What types of fruit are in the fruit bowl? How many do we have of each item?” Then, have your student make a tally chart or bar graph to display the number of oranges, apples, and bananas. Ask questions such as, “How many more apples than bananas are there? How many pieces of fruit do we have in all?”
• Have your student post a blank tally chart in the kitchen and ask each family member to record how many servings of fruits and vegetables they eat throughout the day. At the end of the day, have your student use the data to make a picture graph. Ask, “Who ate the most fruits and vegetables? How many fruits and vegetables did our family eat in all?” Encourage your student to think of questions to ask you about the data as well.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other opportunities to represent and interpret data.

Have a great time practicing tally charts and graphs together!

We will start unit 11, Data and Probability. 

In this chapter, your student is learning to show and interpret data using tally charts, bar graphs, and picture graphs. Your student will use these types of displays to solve problems involving data. The vocabulary words for this chapter are: data, tally chart, tally mark, picture graph, and bar graph.

Here are a few activities that can be used in the kitchen with your student to practice the skills of this chapter.

• When putting groceries away, have your student practice using tally marks. For example, say, “There are six juice boxes in this package. How do you use tally marks to represent six?” Have your student describe the tally marks or write them on paper.
• When packing lunches or preparing dinner or a snack, have your student count how many items there are of different types. For example, ask, “What types of fruit are in the fruit bowl? How many do we have of each item?” Then, have your student make a tally chart or bar graph to display the number of oranges, apples, and bananas. Ask questions such as, “How many more apples than bananas are there? How many pieces of fruit do we have in all?”
• Have your student post a blank tally chart in the kitchen and ask each family member to record how many servings of fruits and vegetables they eat throughout the day. At the end of the day, have your student use the data to make a picture graph. Ask, “Who ate the most fruits and vegetables? How many fruits and vegetables did our family eat in all?” Encourage your student to think of questions to ask you about the data as well.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other opportunities to represent and interpret data.

Have a great time practicing tally charts and graphs together!

We will wrap up chapter 9 this week.  In this chapter, your student is learning various strategies for adding two-digit numbers. The lessons address adding tens and adding ones, using a number line to add, and making a 10 to add. There are no new vocabulary words introduced in this chapter.

There are many situations that you can use to model adding two numbers. Pointing out real-world situations that use addition is a great way to help students connect math with real life! This will help reinforce the importance of addition, and answer the question, “When will I ever use this?” The maximum sum in this chapter is 99. This aligns well with many daily activities.

Use the following strategies to practice with your student:

• To model adding tens and ones, point out the number of items needed for an activity. For example, point out that you will buy a package of 25 plates and a package of 36 cups for a birthday party. Then ask, “How many ones are there? Are there enough ones to make a 10? How many tens are there? How many plates and cups are there in all?” Encourage your student to make a quick sketch of the tens and ones if needed.
• To practice adding tens and ones on a number line, point out the day’s low and high temperatures. Say, “It is 57 degrees now. Later, it will be 74 degrees. How many degrees will the temperature increase?” Or say, “It is 57 degrees now. The temperature will increase 17 degrees this afternoon. What will the temperature be then?” Ask your student to explain how to use a number line to find the answer.
• To practice using addition strategies to solve problems, point out how many miles you will drive for an event. Say, “We will drive 18 miles to Grandma’s house, then 24 more miles to the zoo. We have enough gas in the car to drive 50 miles. Do we have enough gas, or do we need to stop for more along the way?” Have your student explain how to find the answer.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other opportunities to use addition, such as finding the total number of minutes needed to get ready and travel to school each day.

Have a great time practicing addition!

We have started chapter 9.  In this chapter, your student is learning various strategies for adding two-digit numbers. The lessons address adding tens and adding ones, using a number line to add, and making a 10 to add. There are no new vocabulary words introduced in this chapter.

There are many situations that you can use to model adding two numbers. Pointing out real-world situations that use addition is a great way to help students connect math with real life! This will help reinforce the importance of addition, and answer the question, “When will I ever use this?” The maximum sum in this chapter is 99. This aligns well with many daily activities.

Use the following strategies to practice with your student:

• To model adding tens and ones, point out the number of items needed for an activity. For example, point out that you will buy a package of 25 plates and a package of 36 cups for a birthday party. Then ask, “How many ones are there? Are there enough ones to make a 10? How many tens are there? How many plates and cups are there in all?” Encourage your student to make a quick sketch of the tens and ones if needed.
• To practice adding tens and ones on a number line, point out the day’s low and high temperatures. Say, “It is 57 degrees now. Later, it will be 74 degrees. How many degrees will the temperature increase?” Or say, “It is 57 degrees now. The temperature will increase 17 degrees this afternoon. What will the temperature be then?” Ask your student to explain how to use a number line to find the answer.
• To practice using addition strategies to solve problems, point out how many miles you will drive for an event. Say, “We will drive 18 miles to Grandma’s house, then 24 more miles to the zoo. We have enough gas in the car to drive 50 miles. Do we have enough gas, or do we need to stop for more along the way?” Have your student explain how to find the answer.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other opportunities to use addition, such as finding the total number of minutes needed to get ready and travel to school each day.

Have a great time practicing addition!

Math: We will take our chapter 8 posttest on Tuesday and start chapter 9.  In this chapter, your student is learning various strategies for adding two-digit numbers. The lessons address adding tens and adding ones, using a number line to add, and making a 10 to add. There are no new vocabulary words introduced in this chapter.

There are many situations that you can use to model adding two numbers. Pointing out real-world situations that use addition is a great way to help students connect math with real life! This will help reinforce the importance of addition, and answer the question, “When will I ever use this?” The maximum sum in this chapter is 99. This aligns well with many daily activities.

Use the following strategies to practice with your student:

• To model adding tens and ones, point out the number of items needed for an activity. For example, point out that you will buy a package of 25 plates and a package of 36 cups for a birthday party. Then ask, “How many ones are there? Are there enough ones to make a 10? How many tens are there? How many plates and cups are there in all?” Encourage your student to make a quick sketch of the tens and ones if needed.
• To practice adding tens and ones on a number line, point out the day’s low and high temperatures. Say, “It is 57 degrees now. Later, it will be 74 degrees. How many degrees will the temperature increase?” Or say, “It is 57 degrees now. The temperature will increase 17 degrees this afternoon. What will the temperature be then?” Ask your student to explain how to use a number line to find the answer.
• To practice using addition strategies to solve problems, point out how many miles you will drive for an event. Say, “We will drive 18 miles to Grandma’s house, then 24 more miles to the zoo. We have enough gas in the car to drive 50 miles. Do we have enough gas, or do we need to stop for more along the way?” Have your student explain how to find the answer.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to look for other opportunities to use addition, such as finding the total number of minutes needed to get ready and travel to school each day.

Have a great time practicing addition!

We will be finishing up Chapter 8 this week.  In this chapter, your student is learning to add and subtract tens. Students will begin by finding 10 more or 10 less than a number. They will then add and subtract tens using various strategies including number lines, quick sketches, and using addition to subtract. The vocabulary phrase associated with this chapter is open number line.

We played some math games on Friday.  Ask your student to show you how to play poison and top it.  These are great games to help build mental math awareness.

To practice adding and subtracting tens with your student, use everyday items found in packages that contain multiple items, such as straws, paper clips, or toothpicks.

When you notice such a package, either at home or while shopping, ask questions like these.

• To practice using mental math to find 10 more or 10 less, have your student find the number of items in the package. Then ask, “How many crayons are in that box? What is 10 more than that number? What is 10 less than that number?”
• Show your student the number of items, then say that you need a certain multiple of 10 more (20, 30, 40, etc.), not exceeding a total of 100. For example, point out that there are 12 eggs in a carton. Ask, “How many eggs would there be if I bought 50 more?” Encourage your student to explain the strategy used to find the total. Repeat, using subtraction. Say, “There are 75 beads in this package. If we use 30 for a project, how many will be left? What if we use 60?”
• To reinforce the connection between addition and subtraction, ask your student what addition equation can be used to solve a subtraction problem. Ask, “There are 60 party cups in this package. We need 20 for tomorrow’s picnic. What addition equation can you use to find how many cups will be left?”
• Model other scenarios and have your student discuss how to use an open number line, quick sketch, or mental math to find the sum or difference.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to think of other opportunities to practice adding and subtracting tens.

Have a great time adding and subtracting tens!

We will be starting Chapter 8 this week.  In this chapter, your student is learning to add and subtract tens. Students will begin by finding 10 more or 10 less than a number. They will then add and subtract tens using various strategies including number lines, quick sketches, and using addition to subtract. The vocabulary phrase associated with this chapter is an open number line.

To practice adding and subtracting tens with your student, use everyday items found in packages that contain multiple items, such as straws, paper clips, or toothpicks.

When you notice such a package, either at home or while shopping, ask questions like these.

• To practice using mental math to find 10 more or 10 less, have your student find the number of items in the package. Then ask, “How many crayons are in that box? What is 10 more than that number? What is 10 less than that number?”
• Show your student the number of items, then say that you need a certain multiple of 10 more (20, 30, 40, etc.), not exceeding a total of 100. For example, point out that there are 12 eggs in a carton. Ask, “How many eggs would there be if I bought 50 more?” Encourage your student to explain the strategy used to find the total. Repeat, using subtraction. Say, “There are 75 beads in this package. If we use 30 for a project, how many will be left? What if we use 60?”
• To reinforce the connection between addition and subtraction, ask your student what addition equation can be used to solve a subtraction problem. Ask, “There are 60 party cups in this package. We need 20 for tomorrow’s picnic. What addition equation can you use to find how many cups will be left?”
• Model other scenarios and have your student discuss how to use an open number line, quick sketch, or mental math to find the sum or difference.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to think of other opportunities to practice adding and subtracting tens.

Have a great time adding and subtracting tens!

This week, we will wrap up Unit 7, comparing numbers within 100. We will use the phrases equal to, greater than, and less than. We will use the symbols =, >, and <. We will also find one more, one less, ten more, and ten less than a given number.

The vocabulary words associated with this chapter are: compare, greater than, and less than.

Sporting events and other games are a great place to practice comparing numbers. Your student is comparing two-digit numbers, so any two scores from 0 through 99 can be compared.

When playing or watching a game, use the following activities.

• Have your student identify the score of the game. Ask your student which team or player has the most points. Then ask, “How can you tell?” Remind your student to compare the tens first, then compare the ones. Encourage him or her to use the phrases equal to, greater than, and less than to compare the number of points each team or player has. You also can use this strategy when playing board games or video games together at home.
• Have your student choose a player and tell you the number on the player’s jersey. Ask, “What number is one more than that number? One less? Ten more? Ten less?” You also can use this strategy with the number of points a certain player or team has.
• To compare numbers on a number line, state how many points you each have during a game. Ask, “Who has a greater number of points: you or me?” Then ask, “On a number line, is your number of points to the left or to the right of my number of points?”

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Encourage your student to think of other reasons to compare numbers, such as page numbers in books or distances listed on road signs.

Have a great time comparing numbers!