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Mr. McGinnis, Math, 5th Grade

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5th Grade Math Grades Update

Greetings Families,
 
We're about to complete our unit on multiplying fractions. In your child's Friday Folder you should find a packet of Reteaches and Enrichments for each of the 8 lessons from the unit. Your child's grades in math are reflected by quizzes for each lesson. The packet is NOT HOMEWORK, but if you or your child would like to improve the grade that corresponds with the lesson recorded in campus, complete the Reteach to improve a 1 or 2 to a 3 or complete the Enrichment to improve a 3 to a 4. Bring this in and I will upgrade the grade currently in Campus. If there is no grade for the assignment, your child hasn't completed the lesson in Big Ideas online. They can still complete this for credit. 
 
We'll be testing on the unit on Monday next week. You can also use this packet as opportunity to review with them and help them study and prepare for the test. 
 
Best Regards,
 
Mr. McGinnis

McGinnis Math Update February 15th

Greetings Families,
 
I NEED YOUR HELP! Many of our students are struggling in many math skills that they should already know.
 
The papers that are coming home in Friday Folders include some work that was done in class, partially completed, and blank for practice.
 
These papers are NOT HOMEWORK, BUT if you could please check in with them on their retention of skills and lessons taught in class, it would help them solidify the lessons.
 
One of the major challenges I'm trying to overcome is their struggle to remember from one week to the next, one day to the next, what we learned before. Practice should help this.
 
Included in the papers is a Reteach sheet for each lesson that week to show you how it was taught to them. If they complete this Reteach sheet accurately and bring it back to me, I will improve their grade for that lesson.
 
As of now, the majority of students are either scoring ones or twos on their exit tickets (the half sheets stapled to the Reteach Sheets). If your student scored a 3 on the Exit Ticket (which is visible in Infinite Campus) they can complete the Enrichment Extension Sheet on the backside of the Reteach to improve their grade to a 4 assuming it's accurate. 
 
I know that the problem is compounded by low self-efficacy in their ability to do the math. I've reinforced growth mindset language acknowledging that it is challenging, but that they can learn this. Often its hearing them say, "I'm not good at this," or "I can't do this," and asking them to rephrase it by ending the sentence with the word "yet." I believe their low confidence in Math is creating a block in their ability to receive the learning; plainly, they don't even try. They assume they're going to be wrong no matter what. 
 
Mrs. Cundari is in my classroom twice a week to support me as we work with students in small groups to give them more one on one attention on specific skills. I'm also attending a Math Professional Development that will have me out of the classroom for two days that I hope will equip me with newer methods to help students better internalize the learning and experience authentic growth. 
 
Thanks for supporting them at home by looking at the work they've done and helping them practice the skills recently taught or any other gaps they may show. For example, one of the challenges they have that make long-division difficult for them is their weakness in subtraction with regrouping. Taking time to check their work and practice, even if it's just for 10 minutes a day would be a huge support. 
 
I appreciate your partnership in helping me get them to grade level proficiency.  
 
Best Regards,
 
Mr. McGinnis

Week of Feb. 5th McGinnis Math

Greetings 5th Grade Families,

REMINDER

If you're checking your child's Friday Folder, you've seen a lot of math papers come home; some blank, some partially completed, and some with feedback. I want to reiterate that this is NOT HOMEWORK. I've received feedback that having work to practice at home is preferred. Many of our students would benefit from additional support and practice at home. I do want to honor the work students put in, so IF STUDENTS BRING BACK THE 'RETEACH/ ENRICHMENT EXTENSION ACCURATE AND COMPLETE, I will adjust their grade for that lesson. I haven't had many students take advantage of this yet but it's there if they would like the opportunity to improve their grade from classwork.

WHAT ARE WE DOING IN MATH? 

We've moved on from dividing multi digit whole numbers to dividing with decimals. The only real difference is that we're not using remainders but are now using what we know about decimal place value to get a complete answer.

In this chapter, your student is learning about division of decimals. The first lesson shows patterns for dividing by powers of 10. The next lesson uses compatible numbers to estimate quotients. Using models helps students to make sense of quotients involving decimals. Your student will learn how to place the decimal point in the quotient and how to work with zeros in the dividend. Finally, your student will solve multi-step word problems to apply what he or she has learned.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT LEARNING AT HOME

There are many situations that you can use to help your student understand division of decimals.

  • Measure the length and width of a room in meters. Multiply to find the area. Give your student the area and the length of the room. Then ask, “What is the width, in meters?” Have your student first estimate the answer and then divide to find the actual answer. Ask, “Does your answer make sense, based on your estimate?”
  • Use a grocery receipt as an opportunity to divide decimals when you buy apples or some other food by the pound. Say, “We spent $3.12 on apples that cost $1.98 per pound. How many pounds of apples did we buy?”
  • Have your student find the unit price of an item. Say, “A 64-ounce bottle of juice costs $3.87. What is the unit price?”
  • Divide money equally among people. Choose an amount of money, such as $5.73. Ask, “Can you divide the money equally among 3 people? If so, how much would each person get?”

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 use and practice the skills of dividing decimals routinely.

Have fun dividing decimals!

Please reach out to me with any questions or feedback you have regarding your student's math progress.

Week of 1/16 5th Grade Math

Greetings Families,

With a new year, we've jumped into a new chapter! Your student is learning strategies to understand dividing by one- and two-digit numbers.
 
FRIDAY FOLDER MATH SHEETS- What you should find inside:
  1. 6.1 and 6.2 Exit Tickets with feedback (Graded in Infinite Campus)
  2. Ungraded and Unfinished Practice Sheets for additional Practice
  3. A Reteach/Enrichment Extension: If your student would like to improve their grade from a 2 to a 3, have them bring back the Reteach Sheet accurately completed. If your student would like to improve their grade from a 3 to a 4, have them accurately complete the Enrichment Extension and bring it back to me. 
The lessons we're going through address estimating quotients using compatible numbers and using area models, partial quotients, and long division to divide with and without a remainder. The vocabulary word for this chapter is inverse operations. 

•    You can help your student practice dividing whole numbers while solving real-life sharing problems! Ask your student to divide a number of items equally among several people. Ask, “How many trading cards will each of 30 people get if they share 480 trading cards equally?” Encourage your student to explain more than one strategy for finding the answer. “How is 480 ÷ 30 related to 480 ÷ 3? 48 ÷ 3?” Have your student draw an area model and explain how it can be used to divide. “How is an area model related to partial quotients?”

•    Talk about items that come in cases with separate packages and a total that is a three- or four-digit number. Have your student write the total number of items per case. Then, use division to find the number of packages per case. For example, a case of rubber balls has a total of 108 balls that come in separate packages of 18. Ask, “What is the quotient of 108 ÷ 18? How can you estimate the first number of the quotient?” Continue by asking, “Can you find the number of packages in two cases? How many packages would there be in 2 cases of rubber balls with 6 balls in each package?”  

•    Ask your student to think of a scenario where there is a three-digit number of chairs. Have your student roll a number cube to randomly generate the digits of such a number, and then generate a two-digit number of rows that will have an equal number of chairs. Then, have your student choose a strategy to divide. Have your student use estimation or multiplication to check the answer.

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 think of other contexts for dividing whole numbers, such as finding how many hours there are in a given number of minutes.

Thank you so much for partnering with me in helping them master division. Have a great time practicing!

Week of 12/11

Greetings Families,
 
I sent home an incomplete Chapter Practice Sheets to review for the math test students will be taking on Tuesday (Tomorrow). Thank you for reminding them it's there. They all put it directly into their backpacks after Math class today. They may forget it's there. Please help them as best you can. I'll post the answer key to help save you some time checking their work. Thanks for supporting them. 

Week of Thanksgiving Break - 5th Grade Math

As we observe gratitude this upcoming week, I'm grateful for your support in helping your child master the Math skills I'm teaching them. 
 
REMINDER: Any Math work sent home is NOT HOMEWORK. Exit Tickets sent home have feedback written on them without a grade. Their grade for the lesson is in Infinite Campus. The Reteach Pages are coming home to communicate what I've taught them and how I've taught it. The reteach problems are there for them to apply the feedback given on their Exit Tickets.
 
NEW: Extra Practice sheets that are not finished do not need to be completed, but I sent them home because we worked on them in class after getting the results of the Lesson Exit Ticket. Again, work sent home is NOT HOMEWORK, but to communicate with you their progress and productivity in class. 
 
Some parents have requested additional work, please email me if you would like me to send resources home to support them. 
 
I wish you all the best over this holiday break. 

Week of 11/13 5th Grade Math

Dear Family,

WHAT WE'VE LEARNED

Chapter 1 focused on place value from thousands to thousandths and the base 10 pattern. Chapter 2 focused on Order of Operations. Chapter 3 focused on adding and subtracting decimals. Chapter 4 focused on multiplying multi-digit whole numbers. These chapters all build up to our next chapter of study.

WHAT WE'RE LEARNING

In this chapter, your student is multiplying decimals using models, place value, partial products, and the laws of multiplication. Your student will find products involving multiples of 10 and powers of 10. He or she will also learn to estimate products. Finally, he or she will solve word problems involving money.

Some review words for this chapter are: base, decimal, exponent, and power.

LEARNING AT HOME

I'll continue to send home the exit tickets from each lesson with feedback on it along with the Reteach Sheets that show how it was taught in Friday Folders. Starting with this last chapter, I sent home some Extra Practice samples from each lesson to offer additional practice at home to bring back to school to improve grades for that lesson in case they didn't do well on the Exit Ticket. You don't have to rely on worksheets to get mathematical practice in at home. 

Here are some situations you can use to practice multiplying decimals together.

  • Take a walk outside with your student or use a fitness tracker. Make a plan to walk for 1 mile, and increase the amount by 0.1 mile each day for three days. Ask, “How would you find the distance you walk on the second day? the third day?”
  • Go grocery shopping. Find something with a dollars and cents cost of less than $10 and ask, “How much will 3 of these cost?” Find something that is sold by the pound and ask, “How much will 2 pounds cost? How much will 2.5 pounds cost?” Find something in the produce section that is sold by the pound. Have your student weigh it, and ask, “How much will this cost to buy?"
  • When you pull up to a pump to get gas for your car, have your student identify the price per gallon for the type of gas you use. Ask, “How much will it cost to buy 2 gallons of gas?” Determine the amount of gas you are going to buy. Then ask, “About how much will it cost to buy that many gallons of gas?” Compare the actual cost and the estimated cost.

By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria on the next page. Talk about the many types of real-life situations when multiplication of decimals is used.

Happy multiplying!
 
Email me if this has been helpful or if you need additional supports to help your student master these skills. 

Week of 11/6

Greetings Parents,
 
What's in the Friday Folder?
Tomorrow (Thursday), you're going to find their Exit Tickets for each of the five lessons for Multiplying Whole Numbers Unit. It has my feedback on it. The grades are in Infinite Campus. Attached to the Exit Tickets are Reteach Sheets that will help you know how each lesson was taught to them and give you clarity on the directions of the Exit Tickets.
 
*NEW* Also attached to the Exit Tickets is a page of samples of Extra Practice for each lesson. Your child can improve their grade for those Learning Targets if they complete it accurately and bring it back to me. I know this is hard for some of them, and maybe even hard for you to help them when they feel like "You're not doing it the way the taught it," but my goal is to support you in supporting them as for some students these skills require more practice to master. Please email me if the Reteach Sheets are not clear on the methods we're using to teach multiplication. 
 
What We've Learned

In this chapter, your student learned about multiplication of whole numbers. Your student began by investigating multiplication patterns and estimating products. Then they multiplied to find partial products, regrouped when needed, and added partial products to find a product.

The vocabulary words for this chapter are overestimate and underestimate.

 
How You Can Support the Learning
  • When you go to a theater, ask your student to estimate how many rows of seats and how many seats are in each row. Then ask, “How many seats are there in all?” If a movie theater is a multiplex, ask, “If each theater has the same number of seats, how many seats are in the multiplex?”
  • Grocery shopping provides another opportunity for your student to multiply whole numbers. When you see a display that has the same number of items in each row, ask, “How many items are in the display?” Encourage your student to multiply the number of items in each row by the number of rows to find the answer.
  • Going to a restaurant provides another opportunity to practice multiplying whole numbers with your student. If the restaurant has booths that seat four people, ask, “How many booths are there? How many people can sit in the booths?”

By now, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria. Encourage your student to think of other real-life situations to use multiplication of whole numbers, such as estimating the number of spaces in a parking lot.

Thanks for checking in and supporting your student in the math growth this year. 
 
And also, I apologize for the late post. This should have been communicated to you last week. I'll try to do "All the Things" better. 

October 16 - 20

McGINNIS MATH UPDATE!
(If this is the first time you're receiving an email me from me for Math, I apologize it's taken me a quarter to fix this. I've been missing your contact in the Edlio system that notifies you of the updates made on the school webpage>Academics>ClassPages>5/6th) 
 
We are finishing up adding and subtracting decimals this week. I will be sending home Reteach Sheets attached to their lesson quizzes (the half sheets with feedback on them.) You can use the Reteach Sheets to see how I've taught them each learning target. Please let me know if you would like additional resources sent home for your child to practice on at home. 
 
Also, if you're getting this email for the first time, you can find my previous posts with ways to support your child's math skill at home. Thanks for partnering with me.

Week of 9/25

Greetings Fifth Grade Families,
 
Hopefully you've seen all the math work your student has completed for this past quarter. I've sent home their tests along with reteach sheets to help you understand how it was taught to them and to allow them to work through some problems if they got it wrong on the test. Please let me know if you would like extra practice sheets to support them at home. These past two units have been challenging for many. I think practice would help them work through their misunderstandings. Email me if you would like practice sheets sent home to support them. We'll be revisiting these skills throughout the year, but the more practice, the better. 
 
We've just begun the third chapter focused on adding and subtracting decimals. Your student will use estimation to check that sums and difference of decimals are reasonable. 
 
There are many real-life situations that involve adding and subtracting decimals.
  • When balancing a checkbook, (which they'll learn later this year in personal finance), you need to know how to add and subtract decimals. Show your student your checkbook or a sample checkbook. Leave the balance column blank. Ask, "Do I add or subtract this entry to find the balance?" Then have your student find the sum or difference.
  • Go to the grocery store with your student and a small list of items to purchase. Have your student record the cost of each item on your list. Ask your student to estimate the total cost of the groceries and then find the exact cost. Next, tell your student that you want to remove an item from the list. Ask, "What is the new exact cost?"
  • The next time you are at a restaurant, ask your student to estimate the total cost of the meal before tax and tip. Then have your student find the total cost. Ask, "How close was your estimate?" Tell your student you have a coupon for $5 off the total. Ask, "What is the new total cost?"
By the end of this unit, your student should feel confident with the learning targets and success criteria you'll see on their exit slips in their Friday Folders. Encourage your student to think of other situations that involve adding and subtracting decimals, such as buying items from an online store. 
 
Enjoy grocery shopping and eating out! 
 
Please reach out to me with any questions so we can partner together in growing your child's math skill.

Week of 9/5

This week your student will be bringing home their first Unit Test. It will come with Reteach Sheets and Extra Practice to help you help them improve in the areas they need to still grow in. These sheets are not homework assignments, they are at home supports to extend the learning and improve mastery of the content and skills.
 
With this next Unit, your student is learning about number properties and order of operations. Your student will learn about the Commutative Property, 
Associative Property, Addition Property of Zero, Multiplication Properties of 
Zero and One, and Distributive Property. These properties are helpful in 
writing equivalent numerical expressions. The vocabulary terms for the chapter 
are: evaluate, numerical expression, and order of operations. 
Numerical expressions can be evaluated using a set of rules known as the order of operations.
 
These rules are: 
1. Perform operations in grouping symbols. 
2. Multiply and divide from left to right. 
3. Add and subtract from left to right. 
Your student will write verbal statements as numerical expressions. Your 
student will also interpret the meaning of numerical expressions. 
 
Please help your student practice these skills using real-life situations. 
• Have your student find ticket prices for different events in your area. 
The ticket prices should have multiple prices (e.g., adult/child prices, 
sections with different pricing). Have your student write an expression 
to represent the cost for your family to attend the different events. 
Create additional scenarios by having your student invite different 
numbers of friends or by changing the prices. 

By the end of this unit, your student should feel confident with number 
properties. Your student will also have an understanding of evaluating numerical expressions using the order of operations and writing numerical expressions. 
 
Have a great time working with numerical expressions! I'll be sending home more supports as we go.
 
Please know that grades are not averaged, they are standards based. If your student's latest grade demonstrates that they understand the concept and skill, that will be their grade on the report card. So please know that as the first grades come in, you don't have to advocate them retaking the test because you fear it will hurt their overall average. Please email me to let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or affirmations.

Week of 8/13 and 8/21

Greetings Parents,
 
What's in the Friday Folder?
The blank Extra Practice sheets attached to their lesson exit tickets are NOT homework. I'm sending them home to show you the work they should be able to do. If there exit ticket feedback shows corrections, you are welcome to work with them and support them in practicing the skills and concepts. They do not need to bring these back to me when completed. If they want to get my feedback on their practice, I'm willing to look at it. 
 
 
What We're Learning
The skills and concepts we are starting the year focus on Place Value Concepts. Your student is learning about place value concepts and patterns of numbers as they relate to place value. Your student will explore decimals to the thousandths. They will compare, order, and round decimals. 
 
The vocabulary terms for this chapter are: period, base, exponent, power, thousandth, and thousandth place. 
 
How You Can Support the Learning
  • You can help your student see how these concepts are relevant when looking at population data. Help your student find the population of your town, city, or country then write down the number in word form and expanded form. Compare the population with another city or town. 
 
  • Decimals can be found in measurements and prices. Help your student find gas prices for one gallon of gas from three different gas stations in your area. Have your student write each price in word form and expanded form. Ask your student which form they pefer to use when comparing prices. 
 
  • You can also find the results of a local or national race. Compare the finish times of the top three finishers. Round the finish times to the nearest hundredth of a second. Then round the finish times to the nearest tenth of a second. Determine if using rounded times would affect the first, second, and third place winners. 
 
By the end of this chapter, your student should feel confident with place value for whole numbers and decimals. Encourage your student to practice these skills in the real world. 
 
Thanks for checking in and supporting your student in the math growth this year. 
 

Week 8/14 Math 5th Grade

Last week may have scared them, but I gave them a pre-course test to help me know what they already know about 5th grade math. Thankfully, I have much to teach them this year. I also introduced them to discussing logic problems with peers, something that seems to be new to them as I convince them that math is more than operations and word problems, but that's it's also a way of thinking. 
 
This week we'll be taking a snap shot of their math skills with MAP Testing and begin lessons using a workshop style that I use to help students get the supports they need while giving them the opportunity to excel at their own pace. There will be more to come on this in detail so that you can support them at home in conversation and as they bring home their progress each week in Friday Folders.
 
My goal is to give you enough guidance to work with them at home as needed to help them embed the learning. No, there won't be any work assigned to be completed at home, (homework) but there may be work that wasn't completed that they can bring home to complete if the time at school wasn't adequate or used efficiently. I look forward to partnering with you in your child's math growth.