Math Unit 7

Hello Parents,

Here is an in depth look at our upcoming math unit.

This unit focuses on measurement and geometry.  They will begin the unit by learning how to tell time in hours and half-hours using a digital clock and an analog clock.

Later in the unit, they will work with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes.  They will learnt o distinguish between defining and non-defining attributes of shapes.  For example, rectangles have four sides and four square corners.  A square is a special kind of rectangle with all sides the same length.

They will then compose shapes to create new shapes.  They will also learn to partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares (the start of fractions).  They describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters.  They will generalize that partitioning a shape into more equal shares creates smaller shares: one fourth of the circle is smaller than one half of the circle.

Another concept in this unit is length measurement.  Children will order three objects by length.  They will also use same-size length units such as paper clips to measure the length of an object (i.e., the pencil is 6 paper clips long).  You can help your child practice these new skills at home.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns!

Learning for life,
Mrs. Vos

Inferring

Hello Owl Families,

Inferring is our reading strategy for the month of March.  Inferring is a skill we do all day long, similar to "reading" people or "reading" a situation.  If it has been snowing outside and some cars have snow on them and come cars do not, we infer that those without snow have been parked in the garage.  Inferring is not only about reading expressions, tones and body language, it is about "reading" text, often said as "reading between the lines" where the answers are not explicitly stated.

Inferences are more open-ended and often uncheckable, meaning that the reader is unable to truly know if an inference is correct.  When students read think and make an inference about a text they have just read they must use their schema and prior knowledge and cross-check it with clues and evidence from the text.

When students use inferring, they are making meaning of the text.  They are adding pieces that are not explicitly there, often sharing personal opinions and forming interpretations.  As children begin to make inferences out loud, they must be recognized for doing so and be told, "You just made an inference!".  When asking a student simple recall questions, some children feel like they are answering wrong if they don't use words that are exactly in the text when they are actually using inferring.

When you infer, you may say:
*I think that...because...
*Maybe it means...because...
*My clues from the text are...my schema is...so I infer that...
*It could be...because...

We always support our inferences with evidence from the text so it is a strong inference!