How Many Ways

Wednesday and Thursday we worked on building numbers in different ways using place value blocks.
Wednesday, we built the number 52 as a class with base 10 blocks.  First we built the number with the least amount of blocks as possible - 5 tens and 2 ones.
Then we discussed other ways to build the number by trading in tens for ones.  We ultimately came up with 6 ways to build 52.

 Here is our chart where we kept track of our different ways.

Then we discussed any patterns we saw with the chart. We discussed how the the number of tens decreased by one and as the ones increased by 10.  We also discussed counting by 10 when not starting at zero as we did for this problem.

Thursday, students worked in their table groups to build the number 123 in as many ways as they could using base 10 blocks. They kept track of their work in their math journal on page 9.  They had 7 minutes to come up with as many ways as possible to build 123.  Most students only came up with a handful of ways by the time the timer went off.  I then told them, there were 16 ways (insert shock and awe!).  Their homework for the weekend was to find the rest of the 16 ways.

Here are all 16 ways to build 123.

This activity really focuses on place value as well as number patters using addition which are two of the standards we cover in this first unit.

Place Value Notes

Today we worked looking at a number in a place value chart to identify the name of each place and value of a digit within that place.

We have started taking notes in our math journals in the format we will use throughout the year. We do not use our math text books, so these math journals will contain all of the learning we do in class.  Students will use them to refer back to them and we will also have notebook quizzes. We completed these notes in our math journal today.

We have also been working to complete our math glossary in our math journals.  Students are organizing frayer cards with vocabulary words on the outside color coded by unit. We will fill these out as we get to the words in each unit.  

In social studies we are learning about the globe and its parts. We watched a short video on how globes are made. 

Welcome!!!

Hello Parents!

I am so excited to be your child's 4th grade teacher!

One of my goals for this school year is provide constant communication about what is going on in our classroom.  I have set up this blog as a way to tell you what is going on in our class, connect links to the websites and apps we are using in class, and provide a way for your child to catch up if they are absent.
I would highly suggest signing up for email updates, so you never miss any important information.

I can't wait to get to know your child and see them excel in all they do this year!