Last week, we got started on our unit on multi digit addition and subtraction. Below is the family letter for you to see!

 

Dear Family,

In this chapter, your student is learning various strategies for adding and subtracting numbers with up to six digits. The lessons address estimating sums and differences, using estimates to check whether an answer is reasonable, choosing a strategy to add or subtract, and using addition to check subtraction. The vocabulary word associated with this chapter is estimate.

You and your student can practice addition and subtraction and review geography at the same time! Have your student think of places you have visited, cities where friends and family live, or landmarks they find interesting. Then, use the Internet to learn about these places while practicing math.

• Have your student find the distance between your home and a chosen location. Then, have your student add to find how many miles it would be to travel from home to that location and back. Ask, “Did you have to regroup any place values? Which ones? Why did you need to regroup?” Extend this by including another location and finding the total distance. Say, “Suppose we travel to Chicago, then to Atlanta, then come home. How could you find how many miles we travel in all?”
• Have your student find the distances to two different locations. Have them estimate the difference in the distances, then subtract and see if their answer is reasonable. For example, “Aunt Gwen lives 540 miles away. Grandma lives 172 miles away. How can you estimate how much farther Aunt Gwen lives?” After subtracting, have your student explain why their answer is reasonable, then use addition to check the subtraction.
• Have your student read about interesting landmarks, then think of and solve addition and subtraction word problems related to the information. For example, “Mount Fuji is 12,388 feet tall. Mount Everest is 29,029 feet tall. How much taller is Mount Everest?” or “How many feet would you climb if you climbed both mountains?” Ask your student to explain how to use compensation and counting on to subtract, or partial sums and compensation to add.

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 opportunities to add and subtract multi-digit numbers throughout the day.

Have a great time practicing math and geography!