Math and Science Week of December 9th

Dear Parents,

Last week in third grade we introduced division.  The kids learned the "Octopus Method" in order to solve simple division problems.  You should have seen your child use this strategy to solve their HW last week.   These problems consist of a larger number to divide and the students are given the number of groups to divide by.  They are looking for  the number IN each group.

This week we are still focusing on division, but learning a new strategy called the "Cookies Method."  These types of problems are worded differently.  Instead of giving the number of groups to divide by, these types of word problems give the number IN each group.  The students then have to figure out the number of groups. 

Later in the week we will tackle Multiplication and Division Fact Families to see the relationship between the two.  For instance, if 4 X 6 = 24, then 6 x 4 = 24, then 24 / 4 = 6, and 24 / 6 = 4.  The key to writing these correctly is to remind the kids that when they are writing the multiplication equations, the smaller numbers go first.  When they are writing the division equation, the larger number is always written first.  Fact families is usually a concept that students catch on to rather quickly.

This will be our last fast facts of the nine weeks this week.  It will not be recorded into the grade book.  Start getting ready for multiplication fast facts next semester!!  We start with 0's, 1's, and 2's in January.

In Science we have been diving into our unit on Weathering and Erosion.  The kids learned the week before last that there are slow land changes to our Earth due to weathering and agents of weathering such as wind, running water, people, animals, sand, etc... Last week we studied a few Natural Disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and land slides that cause fast changes to the Earth's surface.   This week we will continue studying other Natural Disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes!  The kids are getting to see some excellent footage of these changes happening to the earth and are really quite interested in this unit.   A study guide will be coming home late in the week, meaning that an assessment is scheduled the week of December 16th before we get out for the holidays.

Love, 
Ms. Skrivanek