Math
In math, students will shift from using area models to demonstrate the distributive property. We will use a variety of place value strategies and properties of operations to represent and explain multiplication of a 3- and 4- digit number by a 1-digit number.
For example:
385 x 7 would be shown:
300 x 7
80 x 7
5 x 7
After students distribute the 7, they will solve for each place value. Then students will combine the partial products to find the final product to the equation.
A helpful video we have shown in class is:
https://mymcps-instruction.mcpsmd.org/sites/ICResources/Lists/Resources/dc52052e-5885-41cc-a6b6-b387fadf8352/CAMA03VLA-14_4/player.html
If you cannot access there, use www.learnzillion.com and search for videos on "breaking apart to multiply." Learnzillion is a great resource to find instructional videos for Curriculum 2.0
A helpful website that we will be using in class is:
Our goal is to have weekly quizzes that will assess student progress with each section of material taught. The day we have the quiz will depend on how far we get in teaching the concept. Quizzes will be announced and written in agenda books each week. Math homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday to reinforce concepts students are learning in their small groups that week. Some homework will be in written and at other times it will be on the computer. If your child is frustrated by the homework and unable to determine a strategy for completion, please write a note on the paper and we will review with him/her the following day.
In addition, students should be practicing their basic facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication) each night. Students must be fluent in all four operations by the end of this year. Each math class has a student practice page on www.xtramath.org that students should be going to each night. This sight is a way to practice the four operations to increase fluency with the four operations. We are finding that students are able to set up area models and distribute numbers correctly; however, they are making many calculation errors that impede their progress.
A few other great websites we use in class are:
www.multiplication.com
www.Khanacademy.org
www.thinkingblocks.com
Reading/Social Studies
Our focus will shift in social studies from the 1300s when native people inhabited "America" on their own to what happens from 1400 to 1600 when "The Three Worlds Collide." Students will examine geographic characteristics of the world at the time to determine why settlements were located where they were. We will read information about the people of Western Europe who colonized the Americas as well as the people from Western Africa who were removed from their homes to come to the Americas as slaves.
Each student will be assigned an explorer from Western Europe to gather research about. The research will include:
*dates of exploration
*sponsor country
*information about that person's life
*what was the goal of their exploration
*what regions did they explore?
*what was accomplished as a result of the exploration?
We will use this information to create a timeline of exploration of the Americas. We will then draw conclusions about the positives and negatives of this Age in history and the impact on the three cultures.
Science /Media/Writing
In Media students will research the plants, animals and technologies that effect and contribute to the pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. Students will gather information on a specific group, research and write about the contribution that their group has made on the Chesapeake Bay. Students will share their information with others as a triad. In addition to gathering research, students will use what they have learned about the Chesapeake Bay to craft a piece for writing. Each class will be be making a reef ball which will be used as a habitat for Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
In writing, students have gathered information and are ready to present an argument about their groups' impact on pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. They have examined the pro and cons of three solutions and will then choose the best solution to propose to the class. Our goal is to present material the week of January 13. Each class will have specific information on deadlines.
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