News and Notes 12/6

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Mental Math

“Show your work.” “Find the exact answer.” These are the kinds of things that students are used to hearing in math class. This week, however, they were presented with a seemingly contradictory list of directives: “Don't write any work, and find the approximate answers.” In our latest math unit we are exploring addition and subtraction of whole numbers. As a piece of this unit, we are looking at how mathematicians can manipulate numbers in their heads and solve problems using different “mental math” strategies. The fourth graders were all very vocal about their concerns when they were asked to try to solve some addition and subtraction problems without showing any work. Adding to their confusion was the direction that their solutions didn't have to be exact. Skills like rounding and estimating to find sums and differences are essential to success in math. We talked this week about how a good mathematician will know how to solve problems using the paper and pencil methods, and will also know how to get an estimated answer in their head using rounding and other mental math strategies. These mental math strategies include things like breaking apart numbers into more user-friendly pieces, and adding or subtracting a small amount to make a problem more manageable. With each passing day, the fourth graders opened their minds up to the possibilities of trying to solve problems using mental math strategies. We will continue to practice these skills throughout the year, finding different opportunities when estimating, rounding, and mental math problem-solving will be helpful in real and practical ways.

Persuasive Arguments

Rhetoric, logic, and persuasive arguments were the topic for this week's writing adventures. The fourth graders have entered the world of persuasive writing and seem to be thoroughly enjoying the study. This week we just scratched the surface of this deep field of writing. We looked at the definitions of key words and identified the difference between arguing with someone and debating with them. We also discussed how a persuasive argument should be composed. We determined that we should have a strong opinion statement followed by multiple supporting details and ending with a strong restatement of the opinion in our conclusion. We practiced these skills both orally and in written form on various topics such as the best school events and the best kind of dessert. As we dig deeper into the world of persuasive writing, watch out for the persuasive skills of these fourth grade debaters.

Not So Simple

This week the fourth grade scientists continued with their exploration of simple machines. We did experiments to learn more about screws and levers this week and discovered that these simple machines aren't actually so “simple” after all. We identified how these machines make work easier by spreading the effort over a longer distance. From simple machine building toy sets to a life-sized book lifting machine, we have enjoyed creating simple machines in our classroom. We have also enjoyed being able to use different online resources to explore more about the physical science behind and practical applications of simple machines.