Dear Families,

This week in math, we are exploring different strategies for finding partial products in double-digit multiplication. Students will practice breaking apart numbers to multiply in smaller, more manageable steps—a foundational skill that supports deeper understanding of multiplication.

📝 Important Reminder:
Our Chapter 4 Test will take place on Thursday. Please help your child review their notes and classwork to prepare.

📚 Fall Break Review Packet:
I will be sending home an optional review packet for Fall Break. This is 100% optional, but it’s a great opportunity for students to keep practicing their skills during the break if they choose.

💡 How You Can Help at Home:

• Practice breaking numbers apart (e.g., 23 × 15 becomes (20 × 15) + (3 × 15)).

• Use real-life examples: Have your child help with doubling recipes or calculating totals while shopping.

• Use area models or grid paper to help visualize the multiplication process.

• Encourage your child to explain their thinking out loud—it builds confidence and reinforces understanding.

As always, thank you for your support!

Dear Families,

This week in math, we are exploring different strategies for finding partial products in double-digit multiplication. Students will practice breaking apart numbers to multiply in smaller, more manageable steps—a foundational skill that supports deeper understanding of multiplication.

📝 Important Reminder:
Our Chapter 4 Test will take place on Thursday. Please help your child review their notes and classwork to prepare.

📚 Fall Break Review Packet:
I will be sending home an optional review packet for Fall Break. This is 100% optional, but it’s a great opportunity for students to keep practicing their skills during the break if they choose.

💡 How You Can Help at Home:

• Practice breaking numbers apart (e.g., 23 × 15 becomes (20 × 15) + (3 × 15)).

• Use real-life examples: Have your child help with doubling recipes or calculating totals while shopping.

• Use area models or grid paper to help visualize the multiplication process.

• Encourage your child to explain their thinking out loud—it builds confidence and reinforces understanding.

As always, thank you for your support!

• I can use place value to tell the value of each digit in a number.
• I can write the partial products for a multiplication problem.
• I can add the partial products to find a product.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Next week in math, our 4th graders will begin learning how to multiply one-digit numbers by two-digit numbers using the distributive property and expanded form. These strategies help students understand the structure of numbers and build a strong foundation for more advanced multiplication. For example, instead of solving 6 × 23 all at once, students will break it into:
(6 × 20) + (6 × 3) to find the total.

Here's how you can support your child at home:

• Review basic multiplication facts (1–12) regularly. Quick recall of facts is a big help in multi-digit problems.

• Practice breaking numbers apart and solving in parts using real-world examples (e.g., "We have 4 packs of 16 juice boxes. How many do we have in total?").

• Let your child explain their strategy—talking through the process helps them better understand and remember the steps.

• Practice 6-digit addition and subtraction, especially problems that involve borrowing (regrouping). Many students benefit from ongoing review of this skill, and you can work on it through math games, apps, or practice worksheets at home.

🔢 Math Fluency with Rocket Math

This year in 3rd and 4th grades, we will be working hard to build math fact fluency. Our goal is to help students master these basics so they can be more comfortable applying their computational skills to more difficult and/or multi-step problems. This is in alignment with our school’s universal goals to improve our math instruction and performance.

We will use a system called Rocket Math that includes two parts: oral partner practice and timed written practice. Students will be working at their own pace through various levels. Their starting point is determined by a placement test, and their written goal is based on their writing speed. This whole process takes just 15 minutes a day.

There are no grades or punishments associated with fluency practice, but the class will work together to meet shared goals and celebrate success. Each time a student passes a set of facts, they’ll add a star to our class rocket. Once the rocket is full, the class will enjoy a celebration they’ve helped choose—like a pajama day or special math game day!

Students who need extra support will receive small group intervention instruction with Mrs. Cundari during fluency to build conceptual understanding before rejoining the class for Rocket Math. These students will have alternative ways to earn stars and will still take part in all class celebrations.

Thank you for your continued support as we build strong and confident mathematicians!

This week in math, we will be working on solving addition and subtraction word problems with numbers up to six digits. Students will practice applying their skills to real-world scenarios while continuing to strengthen their understanding of large number operations.

Here’s what we’ll be focusing on:

• Adding and subtracting 6-digit numbers, including problems that require borrowing and regrouping

• Estimating and rounding 6-digit numbers to check for reasonableness in their answers

• Solving word problems that require critical thinking and step-by-step problem-solving strategies

To wrap up the week, we will be taking our Chapter 2 math test on Friday. This will give students a chance to demonstrate what they’ve learned and practiced throughout the unit.

You can support your child at home by encouraging them to:

• Review math notes or completed classwork

• Practice problems involving rounding and estimating

• Solve a few word problems together and talk through the steps

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child succeed in math!

Hello Parents!

This week, we are kicking off Unit 2 in math, which will focus on estimating sums and differences and practicing multi-digit addition and subtraction. Here's a breakdown of what we'll be working on:

• 2.1 Estimate Sums and Differences:
  Students will learn how to use rounding to estimate sums and differences, and they'll explore how rounding to different place values affects the estimates.

  • I can use rounding to estimate a sum.

  • I can explain what happens when I round to different place values.

• 2.2 Add Multi-Digit Numbers:
  Students will practice adding multi-digit numbers and checking whether their sums are reasonable.

  • I can use place value to line up the numbers in an addition problem.

  • I can estimate a sum to check whether my answer is reasonable.

• 2.3 Subtract Multi-Digit Numbers:
  We will focus on subtracting multi-digit numbers, with regrouping as needed. Students will also learn to check their answers.

  • I can use place value to line up the numbers in a subtraction problem.

  • I can estimate a difference or use addition to check my answer.

• 2.4 Use Strategies to Add and Subtract:
  Students will learn different strategies to add and subtract multi-digit numbers efficiently.

  • I can use strategies to add multi-digit numbers.

  • I can use strategies to subtract multi-digit numbers.

• 2.5 Problem Solving: Addition and Subtraction:
  Finally, students will work on two-step word problems using the problem-solving plan.

  • I can understand a problem.

  • I can solve a problem and check whether my answer is reasonable.

We’ll focus on building solid foundational skills that will help students gain confidence in working with larger numbers and understanding the importance of estimation. Feel free to ask your child to show you some of the strategies we are using—they love sharing what they’ve learned!

This week, our mathematicians will be diving deep into the world of place value and exploring how it connects to comparing and rounding multi-digit numbers. By the end of the week, students will be able to confidently identify, compare, and manipulate numbers in ways that will support all of their future math learning.

Learning Targets & Success Criteria

1. Identify the values of digits in multi-digit numbers

   • Identify the first six place value names.

   • Identify the value of each digit in a number.

   • Compare the values of two identical digits within the same number.

2. Use place value to compare two multi-digit numbers

   • Explain how to compare two numbers with the same number of digits.

   • Correctly use the symbols <, >, and = to compare numbers.

3. Use place value to round multi-digit numbers

   • Explain which digit is used when rounding and why.

   • Round a multi-digit number to any place value with accuracy.

Vocabulary Focus:

• Place value chart

• Period

• Ones period

• Thousands period

Assessment:
On Friday, August 15, 2025, we will be taking our Chapter 1 Test to demonstrate our mastery of these skills. This will be a great opportunity for students to showcase their understanding and growth.

We begin our math instruction on Wednesday with an engaging unit on place value concepts. Students will learn to:

• Identify the value of digits in multi-digit numbers

• Read and write numbers in standard, word, and expanded forms

• Use place value to compare and round multi-digit numbers

Key vocabulary:
Period, ones period, thousands period, place value chart

Here are some fun activities you can do at home with your student to reinforce place value skills:
🎲 Card Game: Write the digits 0–9 on two sets of index cards. Use them to create and compare 4–6 digit numbers, write numbers in different forms, and practice rounding.
📚 Real Life Rounding: Ask your student to round prices at the grocery store, numbers on book pages, or even license plates while driving!

By the end of this chapter, students will feel confident identifying, comparing, and rounding numbers using place value.