3rd Grade Math in Focus
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August 2013
We have new curriculum maps that have more information, Common Core Standards on the document, as well as coding to match the PARCC Content Frameworks. The links to the right are the word documents. We will continue to build these maps. |
2012-13 School Year
February 2013
Discussed the pacing for Math in Focus units. We rearranged units in the 3rd grade to get to area and perimeter earlier. We moved the multi-digit chapter to the end of the year. This is not a major cluster to align to common core. We worked out several of the examples for multiplying multi-digit numbers. The basic is to understand distributive property. We would be using several tools –number line, bar models, boxes or matrix methods. Multiplication is an easier tool to do computation with. Repeated addition is way to slow! For next week, we will focus on solving problems with different methods and strategies, move into mental math strategies and then use the tape diagrams.
Mental math strategies we will be working with are making tens or base ten units, using doubles, and compensation. We had a times table to help color code and find out how many facts we really need to learn. This table has multiplication and addition tables, plus the puzzles. Students can create their own puzzles also. However, they should check their answers not just by skip counting, but looking for the patterns in the table. In the puzzle at the top of the page, students can check the 6 column by adding the 1 and 5 column. More patterns can be used to check!
Reminder, focus on fractions as numbers less than one that are represented by a part to a whole. The unit fraction is an important concept to build understanding of comparing fractions. Students must be able to compare fractions with the same denominator and fractions with the same numerator. They should be able to reason using the unit fraction, not change all fractions to like denominators. The fractions for third grade Common Core are denominators of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8.
January 2013
Students either have the fact fluency or they are struggling. We need to focus on the thinking strategies to learn the facts. The program comes with a fact fluency book. Different pages provide the strategies for learning different sets, as knowing my 2 facts. There are timed drills so students can practice.
We discussed the need for the number talks to develop fluency in students. The students have not been taught the strategies for learning their facts and computation.
50 Fact Times Drill - Students do not worry about how many, but practice using the strategies to complete this timed drill. There are one minute and three minute sections on this drill. One minute must follow down the columns sequentially with no skipping. Then
students switch to a different color pen or pencil. They now have 3 minutes to hop around and use their strategies to aswers problems.
Times Table - is a Excel workbook with different sheets to help students learn the strategies for multiplication. One
is to fill in the multiplication table. This is to be used with the Strategies sheet. Students record the strategies and how many facts that relates to. This activity is to show students that there are not 169 facts to memorize, but much less when we learn out strategies. One sheet has different sets of times tables that students have to fill in using their strategies.
·
Multiplication strings will help build fluency and use strategies of doubles and making tens to help build fluency. The visuals of arrays, area model, and dots build understanding.
For our after school training, this is the PPT that I used with reference to Chapter 7 and Chapter 9 lesson. We went through a lesson on Multiplying with Regrouping and then using Bar Models to solve problems. Remember to keep using concrete, pictorial, abstract strategies.
November 2012
The students have a hard time on the assessment, as it tests not only procedures but concepts and applying these to new situations. Students are misunderstanding the equal sign. Here are some problems that can help.
1 hundred + 4 tens = _______
4 tens + 1 hundred = _______
14 tens = 10 tens + ______ tens
14 tens = _______ ones
7 ones + 5 hundred = ___________
8 hundreds = __________
Remember during the teach/learn section, students should be working with the blocks and also writing the equations, symbols, etc. also. Engage the students in partner talk, short, quick writes or discussions during this tyime also.
October 2012
Number bonds have been used in previous grades. This shows the part/part/whole of composing and decomposing numbers. Bringing some of the work from the previous grade would be beneficial. Remember to integrate the partial sums, differences algorithms. These can be found on the link "Let's Stick to Math" above.
The problems can be written out in expanded notation to show the regrouping. With subtraction, students can do all the regrouping first, then still move left to right in the operation.
September 2012
Students may need some extra time and instruction with the vocabulary. Front loading the vocabulary on the transition day would help. Remember to have students explain using appropriate vocabulary.
Models can help students with understanding. Use the number line and tape diagrams. Students could benefit from the grid for some of the strategies.
Again, the number talks can help students build fluency.
Discussed the pacing for Math in Focus units. We rearranged units in the 3rd grade to get to area and perimeter earlier. We moved the multi-digit chapter to the end of the year. This is not a major cluster to align to common core. We worked out several of the examples for multiplying multi-digit numbers. The basic is to understand distributive property. We would be using several tools –number line, bar models, boxes or matrix methods. Multiplication is an easier tool to do computation with. Repeated addition is way to slow! For next week, we will focus on solving problems with different methods and strategies, move into mental math strategies and then use the tape diagrams.
Mental math strategies we will be working with are making tens or base ten units, using doubles, and compensation. We had a times table to help color code and find out how many facts we really need to learn. This table has multiplication and addition tables, plus the puzzles. Students can create their own puzzles also. However, they should check their answers not just by skip counting, but looking for the patterns in the table. In the puzzle at the top of the page, students can check the 6 column by adding the 1 and 5 column. More patterns can be used to check!
Reminder, focus on fractions as numbers less than one that are represented by a part to a whole. The unit fraction is an important concept to build understanding of comparing fractions. Students must be able to compare fractions with the same denominator and fractions with the same numerator. They should be able to reason using the unit fraction, not change all fractions to like denominators. The fractions for third grade Common Core are denominators of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8.
January 2013
Students either have the fact fluency or they are struggling. We need to focus on the thinking strategies to learn the facts. The program comes with a fact fluency book. Different pages provide the strategies for learning different sets, as knowing my 2 facts. There are timed drills so students can practice.
We discussed the need for the number talks to develop fluency in students. The students have not been taught the strategies for learning their facts and computation.
50 Fact Times Drill - Students do not worry about how many, but practice using the strategies to complete this timed drill. There are one minute and three minute sections on this drill. One minute must follow down the columns sequentially with no skipping. Then
students switch to a different color pen or pencil. They now have 3 minutes to hop around and use their strategies to aswers problems.
Times Table - is a Excel workbook with different sheets to help students learn the strategies for multiplication. One
is to fill in the multiplication table. This is to be used with the Strategies sheet. Students record the strategies and how many facts that relates to. This activity is to show students that there are not 169 facts to memorize, but much less when we learn out strategies. One sheet has different sets of times tables that students have to fill in using their strategies.
·
Multiplication strings will help build fluency and use strategies of doubles and making tens to help build fluency. The visuals of arrays, area model, and dots build understanding.
For our after school training, this is the PPT that I used with reference to Chapter 7 and Chapter 9 lesson. We went through a lesson on Multiplying with Regrouping and then using Bar Models to solve problems. Remember to keep using concrete, pictorial, abstract strategies.
November 2012
The students have a hard time on the assessment, as it tests not only procedures but concepts and applying these to new situations. Students are misunderstanding the equal sign. Here are some problems that can help.
1 hundred + 4 tens = _______
4 tens + 1 hundred = _______
14 tens = 10 tens + ______ tens
14 tens = _______ ones
7 ones + 5 hundred = ___________
8 hundreds = __________
Remember during the teach/learn section, students should be working with the blocks and also writing the equations, symbols, etc. also. Engage the students in partner talk, short, quick writes or discussions during this tyime also.
October 2012
Number bonds have been used in previous grades. This shows the part/part/whole of composing and decomposing numbers. Bringing some of the work from the previous grade would be beneficial. Remember to integrate the partial sums, differences algorithms. These can be found on the link "Let's Stick to Math" above.
The problems can be written out in expanded notation to show the regrouping. With subtraction, students can do all the regrouping first, then still move left to right in the operation.
September 2012
Students may need some extra time and instruction with the vocabulary. Front loading the vocabulary on the transition day would help. Remember to have students explain using appropriate vocabulary.
Models can help students with understanding. Use the number line and tape diagrams. Students could benefit from the grid for some of the strategies.
Again, the number talks can help students build fluency.