Multiplication Algorithm

This week we are warming up in math class by reviewing multi-digit multiplication. Students come to sixth grade with a variety of ways to solve multiplication problems. It's great that kids can break numbers apart and put them back together in different ways. It shows good number sense and that's important. In sixth grade we build on this knowledge and show them the most efficient strategies to solve problems. This week the students are learning the traditional algorithm for multi-digit multiplication. Simply put, it's probably the way you were taught how to solve the problem. Ask you child to show you!

Today we went over how to multiply a 2-6 digit number by one digit number. Once kids were shown the different methods side-by-side and could see how and why they worked, most quickly changed over to the standard algorithm. My Block B class didn't want to stop practicing on whiteboards today. They said they were having fun. Gasp! My Block A and C classes were asking to start multiplying by two digit factors (that's tomorrow). Most said they loved the way they were shown today and will never go back to the other ways while some still love their lattice method. Students don't HAVE to make the switch as long as they are efficient and accurate with their strategy.

Students will have some multiplication problems on their weekly quiz this week.

Fractions, Mixed Numbers

The students have been working on fractions & mixed numbers for the last couple weeks. They took the assessment on how to read, order, use, represent, and simplify fractions & mixed numbers before the Thanksgiving break. Now they are learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions & mixed numbers. We've been adding and subtracting fractions this week. Next week we'll work on adding and subtracting mixed numbers. These can be tough for some students because there are multiple steps to solving some problems. I will be staying after school next Thursday to help any student who wants some extra practice or help. The following week we will learn how to multiply and divide. I was hoping to finish fractions before winter break but we may need to continue work with them when we get back. I want to make sure the students have enough practice with word problems too. Time will tell.

Shamou drummer visits MAMS

Several of my homeroom students were asked to participate in today's assembly. Ask you child if they, or a friend, were on stage today.

Gulf of Maine Research Institute Field Trip, 3

Gulf of Maine Research Institute Field Trip, 2

Gulf of Maine Research Institute Field Trip

Here are a few pictures from my homeroom's field trip experience on Tuesday. Great stuff!

Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences

By now parents should have received their sign up sheet for parent-student-teacher conferences. Parents-Students who have not received confirmation of the appointment need to contact the student's homeroom teacher. Students should make every attempt to be present during the conference so that they may hear, first hand, their teachers' comments on their progress so far this year.

Conferences will be held with the student's homeroom teacher in their homeroom space. The homeroom teacher will share notes and information from the other classroom teachers, not just from the subject they teach. Each conference will last between 15-20 minutes. If a family thinks they will need longer to conference they are asked to contact the homeroom teacher so that an alternative time and/or appointment can be made. Out of respect for all families we ask that everyone be on time. One late family can throw the entire evenings schedule off.

We look forward to meeting with all our families.

NECAP Testing

Here we go again! Yes, the students are taking another round of tests called the NECAPS. This is the test that is required by the state to make sure no child is left behind and replaces the MEAs we used to take. Staff found out Tuesday that the testing will begin on Friday and be over next Wednesday, unless a child needs to take a make up test. The kids will be taking two 90 minute tests each day. Please make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep and eats a good breakfast before coming to school. Also, MAMS does have a breakfast program at school so students can buy breakfast if they miss it at home.

For those of you willing to donate snacks for the team, please try to send in enough for at least 25 children. If you would like some ideas for healthy snacks please see the list below.



Foods and Beverages to Fuel the Brain

* String Cheese & Triscuits

* Mini whole grain bagels and light cream cheese


* Little yogurts
with spoons

* Hummus and vegetables


* Focaccia bread


* Cold plain pizza


* Plain Popcorn


* Cut-up fruit in little baggies


* Fruit kabobs


* Dried fruit mixed with Cheerios


* Little sandwiches (sandwiches cut in quarters)


* Low fat, low sugar quick breads (banana, pumpkin, cranberry)


* 100% juice
 with cups or individual containers

* Cider
 with cups or individual containers

* Orange Juice
with with cups or individual containers

* Bottles of Water


* Yogurt Drinks.

Grading Breakdown for Sixth Grade Math 2010-2011

Summative (Assessments) 100%

Students entire letter grade is based on their ability to complete assessments independently and accurately.

Short weekly quizzes will assess the skill/s being learned and practiced each week. Unit tests, approximately seven, will ask students to show what they have learned during the entire unit of study. Both types of assessments will be graded using the following scale:

E or 4 Exceeding standards
Shows complete understanding and can apply them in new situations without explicit instruction

M or 3 Meeting standards
Shows understanding of goals taught by independently solving problems

P or 2 Partially meeting standards
Shows partial understanding of goals or complete understanding with some prompting

N or 1 Not meeting standards
Can only show understanding with help

0
Shows no evidence of understanding even with help


Each score will be averaged at the end of the quarter to reflect a letter grade. The new guidelines for these grades are outlined below.


4 Point Grading Scale for Academic Performance:

3.85 - 4.00 A+ Consistently Exceeding Standards
3.50 - 3.84 A Blend of Exceeding with Meeting
3.25 - 3.49 B+ Blend of Meeting with Exceeding
2.75 - 3.24 B Consistently Meeting Standards
2.25 - 2.74 C+ Blend of Meeting with Partially Meeting
2.00 - 2.24 C Consistently Partially Meeting Standards
1.00. - 1.99 D Not Meeting Standards
0.00 - 0.99 F Student Failed to Engage in Learning


Formative (Practice)

Classwork and homework are opportunities to practice skills being taught. These practice assignments will not count toward the subject letter grade. Feedback will be provided to students on these assignments and will be recorded in Infinite Campus using the marks shown below. Students will still be expected to complete and pass in work on time.

Teachers will keep track of work completed using:

Y Yes the work was completed/attempted
N No the work was not done or passed in

AND / OR

4 or E Exceeds - see description above
3 or M Meets - see description above
2 or P Partially - see description above
1 or N Not Meeting - see description above

*The actual grading for this work, however, will now fall under the Work Habits section of the progress report and report card. These grades will be entered every two weeks. Below are the Work Habits and the scale used:

Conducts Self Respectfully
*Completes Assignments On Time and Is Prepared for Class
Puts Forth Best Effort to Produce Quality Work
Engages in Class

4 Consistently / Independently
3 Usually
2 Inconsistently / Sometimes
1 Rarely


School Honor Roll

Students who earn As in all their SUBJECTS and 4s on all their WORK HABITS will be on High Honor Roll.

Students who earn As and Bs in all their SUBJECTS and 3s and 4s on all their WORK HABITS will be on the Honor Roll.

Letter grades below a B and/or work habits below a 3 will keep a student off the Honor Roll.

CET? CE? What?

What's going on with this period labeled CET? Or is it CE? CET is short for Community Enrichment Time. It will be a time when students in our school community are assigned to another class based on the scores of their NWEA tests.

Students who are not at grade level in reading or math will be assigned to a booster class that meets during the CET, or CE, time on their schedule. These students will meet in small groups lead by a teacher of the specific content area. They will work on skills and gain the knowledge needed to boost their scores and get them on, or closer to, grade level.

Students who score on or above grade level on their NWEA tests will be assigned to enrichment classe(s). Some students are already attending enrichment classes. Band and chorus are both enrichment classes and the sixth graders started meeting for these during the CET block this week. A few of the other enrichment classes that have been offered in the past included orienteering, cribbage, Math Olympiad, poetry, mummification experiments, bridge project, chemistry, book club, and writing workshop. Finalization of the enrichment classes for this year have yet to be finalized but we will let you know soon!

So, until we get all our data from NWEA, are able to sift through it and assign students (probably the beginning of October) we will be using CET in a variety of ways. We have been setting norms in our classroom and '6West' team, getting organized, participating in team building activities, getting some time outside to play and using it as a study hall. By the way, we call study hall "AST" at the middle school. But that's a different post!

Some photos from this week

MATH AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Let me think...

How does math relate to me?
What do I do well in math?



What is tough?
What is interesting?
What is fun about math?



When do I use math?
What do I want to learn?
How do I use it now?
What will I need to know in order to get my dream job?



Math isn't THAT scary! :-)

ROCKET MATH PRACTICE

After we took our pretests and set up our folders

we were ready to practice with our partners.

We each take turns practicing orally.

Then we are ready for our 1 minute test.

A New School Year, 2010-2011

Welcome to my class blog!

First let me thank you for donating the copy paper, boxes of tissues, and for sending in $5.00 so we can purchase things like the homework folders for our students. You're awesome!

Another school year has begun and I'm looking forward to a great year with this energetic group of sixth graders. Right now students are taking some pretests to show how they solve two and three digit computation problems as well as solve problems with Greatest Common Factors (GCF) and Least Common Multiplies (LCM). I think it is important to pretest students so I have a better understanding of what they know before I teach a particular unit. If a child meets the standard on the pretest, I need to find them something different to learn. If a child does not meet the standard on the pretest, then I will continue on with the unit I intended on teaching.

Students have also started setting up Rocket Math folders and will begin this daily activity, this week. Some parents may be familiar with this program and some may not. In a nutshell, Rocket Math is a way for students to practice and learn basic math facts. Some students may start with multiplication (through x12) and some may start with division. Students practice daily and work at their own pace. The goal for every student is to know their facts, multiplication and division, with automaticity. This isn't homework. It is a program we will use in class as our daily warm-up until Thanksgiving break. For more specific information about Rocket Math you can click on this link.

Speaking of homework! I usually assign nightly homework on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The homework should take between 15-25 minutes each night and is due the next day. Homework may come in the form of a worksheet, packet pages, or a page to be done out of a text book. It won't look the same every night so it will be important for students to use their homework agenda, or check the homework webpage. I rarely assign weekend homework. The only time I have assigned homework over the weekend was to students who did not meet the standard on an end of unit assessment and needed to study more before they took a re-take. If your child consistently takes longer to complete their math homework, or struggles and is frequently frustrated, PLEASE let me know. The intent of homework is to practice what we are learning or have learned, not to create anxiety or tears. I understand that some kids may need their homework modified so, again, please let me know so I can help.

I hope these blog posts help. Let me know by taking the survey to the right or by checking one of the boxes below. I welcome conversations.