Homework for Thursday, September 11

Easy Peasy Decimals (worksheet)

Due Friday, September 12

This assignment, if you believe the title, is meant to be an easy assessment of where each person stands in relation to a) adding and subtracting decimals, b) knowing what operation to use in relation to the given situation, and c) adding and subtracting decimals accurately. It shouldn't feel difficult, but if it does ...

How can you help?

*I have a decimal operation review sheet available in their math Google Classroom. They should feel free to use it for reminders. This is a copy of that sheet.  I will also put it in the resource tab of this blog for future reference. If they don't know how to line up their decimals for addition and subtraction, this will help them learn when to do that! Feel free to help them go over these steps.

*Do NOT let them use a calculator. Give them any other manipulatives your child needs, but calculators are not used for most of my assignments. Let them practice the arithmetic! It will make all other math work go much more quickly. Do you remember those days that you didn't have to pull out a calculator? Go there. ;-)

*Do not correct their work. You can certainly look it over and say, "You might want to check over problem 3 again," but it's also okay if they get it incorrect the first time so they learn the types of mistakes they make. Remember that they can redo the worksheet and fix their mistakes, so you can help them to learn from them that way! If you make too many corrections up front, they get overconfident as all of those 100%s drop into the gradebook. It can be tough to let those mistakes happen as you see them, but learning some restraint gives them a chance to accept that real learning has a curve. 

*They need to show ALL of their work on this assignment whether on the worksheet or their own piece of paper. Trust me, I have experience reading all levels of handwriting and seeing the work lets me follow their thought processes. If there is just an answer, I don't know HOW they reached their conclusion and I can't help them. Many will resist this because they love using just their brains, but if you recall calculus problems, showing your work is a good habit to get into. 

*If your child continues to struggle, ask them to set up a problem (line up the decimals in this case) and correct those steps. If they don't know how to borrow for a zero place holder, teach them that skill. 

Example:   10.45 
                 + 0.22 
               = 10.67 is just fine.

We are moving on quickly and my assumption will be that addition and subtraction of decimals is a mastered skill, so use this opportunity to make sure they are ready to roll!