Author: Jessica Miller

During conferences, I talked to many of you about working with you child to help them improve their ability to solve math word problems. I have included the problem solving worksheet that we use in class. This worksheet requires students to do a close read (multiple reading of the text) to identify essential information. It is a great resource to use if your child seems to be struggling on any type of word problem!

You will notice that this problem solving worksheet asks student so identify “magic math words” and the operation that goes with it. We want students to look for this vocabulary to help them understand what they are trying to do. Below, you will find a list of many of these words. Please notice that the multiplication and division words are often the same. In this case, it’s important for students to ask should my answer be bigger (multiply) or smaller (divide) than the number I already know.

At this point, reading comprehension becomes just as important to math as the actual computation. Students need to understand what is happening within the word problem before they are able to begin the calculation process. If you are looking for addition resources to help you child at home, this is a fantastic article:

3 Effective Strategies for Kids to Solve Math Word Problems

3 Effective Strategies for Kids to Solve Math Word Problems

Now that we are in the full swing of things, the homework routine should become more consistent. Your child should also be bringing home a planner page everyday with the learning objectives and the homework listed. On this page, you will see: X___________; this indicates the place for a your initials or signature. Please sign this nightly noting that you have seen the planner page and what was expected for the day.

I am really trying to minimize the amount of homework your students are doing this year and you may notice that your child has less homework than those in other fourth grade classes. There is still a lot of contradictory research about the effectiveness of homework, therefore anything that is assigned as homework has been deemed essential for helping the student attain mastery.

What to expect:
1. Spelling Practice (Ask your child about the sort activity we do in class if you’re not sure how to help.) If your child forgets his or her list, I always update the weekly study skills on the blog and they can be found here: https://missj.school.blog/language-arts-weekly-overview/
2. Math Practice Buddies or Homework Pages from the book: Students are given time to work on these in class, but if they need extra time for any reason, they are asked to finish it at home before returning to school the next day. These practice buddies are a computer-based assignment that can be accessed on the Pearson Realize platform: https://www.pearsonrealize.com/
User name: (student’s900number)csd/ Passwork: core@csd
I understand that not all students will have access to technology for this, so the alternative is the homework page from their math book. That being said, if at all possible, please have your student do the computer-based program, as it provides them with instant feedback, a help option, and prepares them for test taking.
3. Reading of their choice for 20 minutes – this allotted reading time will help students with their 40-book challenge.

This week in class, we focused on developing a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. Dr. Carol Dweck popularized the concept that we are not born with a fixed intelligence, but instead, our brains are capable of growing and changing. The research supports that people with a growth mindset are more likely to become successful. As a class, we came up with some phrases that we can say instead of “I can’t.” Here is some more information if you are interested: https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/.

Please join me and the Sunrise community this Friday for a Meet & Greet! Principal Swanicke will be addressing the school at 2:00 p.m. and then the classroom will be open at 2:30 for you to come get a sneak peak of the exciting things we have to look forward to this year. I cannot wait to meet you all!