October 22 - Kahoot!

Assignment: Online Kahoot

Due Date - October 23, but the deadline is midnight, October 27.

Why a Kahoot? A Kahoot gives them immediate feedback on their answers. I create all of my Kahoots and set them to the standards they are expected to know by the test. Taking a Kahoot means they need a focused place to complete it and cannot get up for a long while and come back to it. In other words, it's about completing the math. 

Next week will be the first in-class math test for many of them. I encourage them to bring snacks, a pillow, a stuffie, or tea (as examples) so that they feel more relaxed and confident. They will have as much time as they need. They can get up and walk, run outside, or get a drink of water. It is still a stressful experience, but having some comforts does help. I remind them that I overteach the standards and I want them to walk away thinking, "that was easy!" That means they know their stuff. 

So what can you do now?

Have them close all of the tabs on their chromebooks. Focus on just the Kahoot with a paper and pencil or whiteboard. Space to work with no sibling interruptions. No checking work on a calculator. You don't want them to have a false sense of what they know or the test comes as a big, unwelcome surprise. Encourage them to see where they are so they know what they still need to work on. So, at this point don't help, but DO help them add notes to their Notes Book as this also reduces the stress of thinking there is a lot to memorize. I will remind them to take home their Notes Books after class, so thumbs up if they have it. 

Just help them to feel ready. It is checking to see where they are in these particular skills, but they can also retest! It's all good. ;-)

October 21 - Cockroach Runs!

Assignment: Cockroach Pride
Due: Thursday, October 22

So, today we did let our cockroaches loose for one minute! The students tracked their path across/around the table, then learned how to measure it. They turned these measurements into data and made a line graph.

Their homework is to complete the pieces above, then to answer questions about their predictions, learning, and teamwork. 

So how can you help?

This is the last of our line plots for a bit, so I am looking for clean/straight lines, accurate points, scale, and labels. Check out their graph and see if it's easy to read. Help them with those details if needed. 

This next part is easy! Have them read you their answers. Let them know if you think their descriptions are detailed and describe their cockroach specifically. Help them to be honest about why their predictions were close or not! Really, how would they have any idea?!?! Using things they know about crawling bugs in general may have helped, but if they felt they did not have enough information, encourage them to say that! But in addition, what information do they think could have helped them make a more accurate guess? Again with the estimates: collecting information helps! And finally, I do want to know how their random grouping dynamics worked. 

Encourage them to talk about it (which may include how icky or cool the cockroach was) and be supportive of their ideas.

October 20 - Cockroach pre-run

Assignment: Cockroach pre-run                          

          

Due: Before class on Wednesday                  

Cockroach running is an annual tradition at NOVA, and that activity will happen in class this Wednesday. Tonight's homework asks the students to think about what this will entail and what they might learn from it. Much like the balloon-popping dog assignment, I want them to make some estimates and then share what they are curious about. In this age of having immediate answers to our questions, having time to wonder and NOT know is an experience we need more of! So let them wonder ...

And how can you help?

Let them make the guesstimates on their own. This time there was no video preview, but they know how long the experiment will last and, maybe, approximately how big a cockroach is?

But you can help them think up good questions about the three statements at the bottom of the page. Make sure they have an accurate understanding of what an "assumption" is. And talk to them ... what do they THINK will happen?!?!? 

When you don't know something, there is something left to learn!

October 19 - Choice #4

 Assignment: Decimal Choice #4

Due Tuesday, October 20: self-corrected

Now that we have made it through conferences, hopefully more of you are realizing this as a source for what we are doing in class. Please ask questions so I can make this even more useful to you!

Note: I do not put copies of the assignments here because I want the students to take responsibility for that piece. At conferences we went over the options for "Choice" assignments like these: print your option off at school, print it at home, or write the problems onto a piece of paper, do the work, and hand it in!

The decimal test will be in just over a week. Students should be comfortable with adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing with decimals. They should know place values and be able to sort decimals in order from least to greatest. There will be a few application problems on the test as well.

For this assignment, students will select  oneworksheet, complete the problems, then correct it using the key for this assignment in the Google Classroom.

Honesty is the only policy!

Students will then self-score their assignment on the assignment as follows:
Points will be determined by:
3 points - completed worksheet without help and were all correct.
2.8 points - half correct or better and/or got help from a tutor, parent, or someone else. 
2.5 points - fully completed worksheet, but fewer than half correct
1 point - incomplete; did not finish but got at least half done.
0 points - not completed and turned in prior to Wednesday morning, October 28.

*there are no redoes on this assignment

Their options are:
*Division with Decimals: Ready!  (repeat assignment)
*Decimals All Ops TL Review  (repeat assignment)
*Decimal Test Preview - All Pieces
*Applications - Kyle D
*Extension: Guess the Numbers (decimals)

So, how can you help?

Well, don't help with the initial assignment (or they will lose 0.2 points), but do help with the corrections and their final scoring. Encourage them to take notes in their Notes Book as those can be used when they take the test. Reassuring notes ease nervous minds!

October 14: Coffee Prices

Assignment: Coffee Prices (line graph)

Due Date:  Friday, October 16

Today we continued our work on line graphs in class. Students made predictions about a line graph with no labels or title and tried to guess what it was. Learning how to read a line graph and critique the details is a valuable way to understand what is being represented ... and what is not!

On tonight's homework, students are to accurately plot the given points, draw the line graph, and provide any labels and markings. Even more importantly, students are asked to notice trends and make assumptions about the graph. There are a LOT of correct, defendable answers, but there can be incomplete answers too. 

So, how can you help?

Help with accuracy. If your child has trouble identifying where the point goes or connecting the points with a straight line, help them. Grab a ruler or straight edge. 

Ask them what the graph represents. Have them talk to you about it. Listen, ask questions about their ideas, and have them show you the proof of why they made their assumptions. They should know what "trend" refers to in a graph, but have them explain it to you. They need to convince YOU they are on a good track!

October 13: 3 impressions

 Assignment: Three Different Impressions

Due: Wednesday, October 14

Today was another shift into graphing. In class we had fun guessing what a graph represented and talked about misleading graphs and how they can transmit a message to a viewer who is not alert. The students learned how the scale of a graph can skew their impression even with real data.

The assignment for tonight reflects these concepts as well. For this assignment, they are given two scales to graph as line plots. For the third graph, they will select a third scale and draw a graph that "proves" their position. 

So, how can you help?

*Make sure they use as much of the third grid as possible, as well as a scale that dramatizes their given message. They should go out of their way to be convincing while still having a legitimate scale and accurate points.

*Remind them there are two scales: both the x and the y axis. They could increase the scale of the time AND the cost if they so desire. 

*Have them adjust their scale(s) if it is too compact or fails in the drama department. They want to hit the viewer over the head with their message and not leave room for other interpretations. 

*Have them mark their points clearly and connect those points with straight lines. They need to be able to read their graph accurately.

*Talk about it with them! What does the graph tell you? What is emphasized? What is hidden beneath the dramatic scale? 

*There are two goals here: 1) can you create a graph to convey a message while using actual data and 2) can you read between the lines to understand the actual data that is being represented.

Thursday Assignment: Decimal Choice Form

Due: Friday, October 9

This is an online practice quiz that will self-grade. The first one they complete will be the one for a grade. 

The quizzes will appear in the resource section of their Google classroom next week and students may use them any time thereafter to practice the skills needed for this test. 

How can you help? 

*Have your child bring their Math Notes book home and help them fill it with reassuring reminders. 

*Have them take as many of the Google form quizzes as they/you feel will help them; only one will count as their grade, so they do not need to "complete" all of them. 

AND ...

Friday, October 16:  Our first Quiz Bowl!

This is our 6th grade questions (some trivia included) game. It is a lot like team Jeopardy and fun to watch. We will begin around 9:00 and you are welcome to attend for any or all of it!

Quiz Bowl happens about every 5 weeks. If you cannot make this one, there will be others. Hope to see you there! ;-)

October 7 - Tug-of-War

Assignment: Mathematical Tug-of-War

Due Thursday, October 8

Today in class we wrapped up our weeks of the marshmallow relays where we practiced communicating details with a team. They have tried being in different parts of the communication chain and learned how important it is to be clear and specific. Ask them about this experience and how they learned from week to week!

Tonight students will partake in an algebraic puzzle. They need to read the scenario, imagine how the changing combinations balance, and show their thinking towards a solution. The answer is less important than the work they put into understanding and explaining the problem itself. Express it!

So how can you help?

Feel free to help them work through the story. Making visuals of each step should help them think about how each of those steps gives clues to the next. Don't finish the problem with them, but you can help build the bridge! This problem came from an old book called, "Math for Smarty Pants," which channels the solving math for fun mentality, so enjoy it!

Oct. 6 - Decimals Choice 3

 Assignment: Decimals Choice #3

Due: Wednesday, October 7

We are at the point now where they should be finishing up multiplication practice and focusing on division. However, there is still one worksheet with just multiplication. I will also be releasing some online practice sets at a later date.

Their worksheet options are listed in the order of difficulty. There is no rush, so encourage them to select a worksheet that they feel comfortable with, but is not too simple. Division is typically the most difficult, but the applications are multi-step and more difficult than will be required on this test.

Decimal Multiplication TL: Last chance to practice a worksheet with multiplication only!

Decimals W2 (basics): More practice dividing by whole numbers; last chance for this level as an assignment!
Decimals A (almost): Not quite up to test level, but a little bit of both whole number and decimals to divide by. 
Decimals TL: Test level practice with decimal division
Challenge: Decimal Applications with multiple steps.

How can you help?

My sense is that the decimal test will either be the week after conferences or the following week. They have all of the test information now, it's just a matter of mastering each skill set: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, place values, ordering, and applications.

Be sure they are writing out their work and understand where to place their decimals. They should be turning in this work along with their answers.

If they have not brought home their Notes Book yet, have them bring it home soon to update any skill area they might appreciate extra notes in. Tests, especially if they are new to them, are stressful and that stress can cause them to panic. Notes can be reassuring and let them know they are on the right track. 

Again, do not correct their work. Let them turn in the work with mistakes, then redo the problems they miss and make note of those mistakes in their Notes Book. 

The exception to this is if they are doing something completely wrong, like not lining up their decimals in addition and subtraction. Provide that instruction reminder, then let them carry on. 

October 5 - Kyle B

 Assignment: Kyle B

Due Tuesday, October 6

Kyle has returned with some trickier problems and more information to sort through. I have appreciated hearing how some of you are working with your child to focus on important information and get to the root of the problem. Highlighting important information for each question (maybe a different color for each?) is another way to bring their attention to the right places.

What can you do to help?

See above! Have them identify each question and the information needed to answer it. 

Sometimes the language in these types of problems is unfamiliar to students. Things like work hours and round-trips don't necessarily resonate with every student. 

The main mistakes in the first Kyle assignment were things like not biking home from the park, not catching that he was doing a task twice, or not buying all of the food items he purchased. 

Therefore: Refrain from telling which operations to use, but do give helpful Kyle hints like - 

*Kyle does not live where he works, so he needs to come back home every day.
*Kyle works a set number of hours per day, but that changes when he works overtime.

*How would you convert parts of hours to decimals, not fractions?
*Kyle is an avid bike rider. His training routes take him in a loop back home.
*Kyle changes employment often ... hence everything will continue to change.

They should take their time solving Kyle's problems.  Does their answer make sense? The best approach is often to ask if they think their answer fits what could happen. Example: If Kyle lives one mile from work, does it make sense he would only ride his bike one mile that day? Or less?

Helping them to think through what a reasonable answer might be is a great way to get them on the right track. Carry on!