Mrs. Katy Pearson ~ 5-1 Aviators

Bonus packets were handed out Wednesday of last week.  These packets are NOT to be worked on at home until permission has been given.  The purpose of the packet is for students who finish early in class to have something math-related to work on.  I call it brain exercise.  The more they practice, the better they will become.  Bonus packets are due on December 14, 2009. 

Please do not work on the packets at home with your child.  These are for IN CLASS work only. 

This week is going to go by very quickly.  We are getting ready to move into fractions – YAY! )

NO homework this week.

Monday: Review of decimals, function tables

Tuesday: Study guide for Decimal Test

Wednesday: Study guide for Decimal Test – go over in class.

Thursday & Friday: No School!

Monday, November 9: DECIMAL TEST 100 points possible.

No homework this week!

Monday: Multiplication with decimals

Tuesday: Multiplication with decimals

Wednesday: Dracula play at CHS – alternate schedule – no math class

Thursday: Division with decimals

Friday: NO SCHOOL

Remember: Student-led conferences are Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00PM – 7:00PM.  See you at CMSS!

Occasionally, you will see a yellow star stamped on your child’s paper and no grade. This means they received a completion grade for this assignment (full credit). I do this on occasion when the whole team turns in their work on time.

After grading the tests from over 2 classes, I am not pleased with the scores on this assessment.  I will be taking a different approach with multiplication for the 2nd 9 weeks.  Students will be given a test on each of the multiplication fact families.  The test will consist of 60 problems involving ONE fact family only.  Students must make a 90%  (which means the most they can miss is 6) or above for it to be considered mastery.  If a student does not make a 54/60 or better, they he/she will re-take the test until the expected score is reached.  Upon mastering each fact family, the student will be given a sticker to place on the chart in my room.  The goal is for each student to MASTER his/her multiplication facts.  This skill is essential in every aspect of 5th grade mathematics, so I hope you will continue to help me at home.

We will start with fact families 2 & 3 the first week of the 2nd 9 weeks.  We will get through all fact families (2-12) by the end of the semester, and a final, TIMED test will be given before Christmas break.  Students should be able to answer 100 multiplication fact problems in 5 minutes – so that is my goal.

Stay tuned to the blog for more information.

Conference forms were sent home Monday, October 12.  PLEASE read the letter, fill out your conference time preferences, and return the form to school with your child.  Conference times are filled on a first-come/first-served basis.  Conferences are going to be held in 15-minute increments on both Tuesday & Thursday evenings from 4:00-7:00PM.

Thank you for your attention.

I have had several parents inquire about make-up tests.  I will be giving the make-up multiplication test on Thursday morning during Advisory.  The reason I am waiting is because it is a timed test.  You will see the grades posted for this test by Monday, October 19. 

All grades will be posted no later than Tuesday, October 20, 2009.  If a student has a “Z” recorded for a grade, he/she will have a chance to make-up that work by this FRIDAY, October 16.  The “Z” means the student has failed to turn in the assignment, so I “ZAP” them (see more on ZAPs on the classroom procedures page).  If that “Zapped” assignment is not turned in, then a grade of zero will be recorded.

The bonus packet I have referred to is yellow, and it is numbered.  Students have been working on it in class ONLY.  They have permission to work on it at home tonight before turning it in tomorrow (October 14).  Students will receive a new bonus packet for the 2nd 9 weeks on Monday, November 3.

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the Multiplication Tournament that was held on Friday, October 2, 2009.  Each student won an achievement pin for his/her lanyard.

Starfighters: Oriana Montoya

Tomcats: Audrey Pounders

Thunderbolts: Dalton Blackwell

Air Force One: Shelly Griebel 

Multiplication Tournaments are held in my class when time allows.  There is a bracket, and students are chosen in random order to compete.  Students are not paired based on speed or ability.  This is why students MUST know their facts!  At the end of the year, I will have a Tournament of Champions.  The overall winner will receive a trophy for being the Multiplication King or Queen of the Aviators.  Over the years, I have found that students benefit from the structure of the tournament.  We start out with 2-digit x 1-digit multiplication, and we end up with 3-digit x 2-digit multiplication towards the end of the school-year.

This week is the last week of the 1st 9 weeks.  ALL LATE OR MAKE-UP WORK IS DUE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15.

Monday: Pick up HW#5 – due Thursday. Students will complete an assignment involving addition and subtraction of numbers containing decimals. 

Tuesday: Multiplication of numbers with decimals

Wednesday: BONUS PACKET DUE. Continue with multiplication of numbers containing decimals

Thursday: HW#5 due. Introduce division of numbers containing decimals with whole number divisor – single digit

Friday: Continue division of numbers containing decimals with whole number divisor – double digit – with calculator

Looking ahead in math: Function Tables

This type of media has been my favorite tool for reaching out to parents and students for several years, but it has been ‘blocked’ by the state until recently.  I am happy to say I am back ONLINE!  On this site you will find posts about weekly lessons in my math class.  I will also upload handouts and study materials for you to view.  Sometimes your child may lose an assignment, and all you will have to so is go to the handouts section and print it.  I will accept printed copies of assignments from my blog.

You will find updates, archives, and much more as I am finally able to use this outlet again!  I am so excited to have my blog back!