Math Playground with 4th Grade

I am collaborating with Mrs. Velasquez in 4th grade this week to help students visualize multiplication & division word problems with digital models. We're using Thinking Blocks. Check it out!

5th Grade Learns Financial Literacy

5th grade is starting their unit on Financial Literacy this week. We're going to study different forms of payment, like credit/debit, cash and paying online. We're going to learn the different kinds of taxes we pay (payroll, property, sales & income) and also start learning about net vs. gross income, what it means to have a budget, and how to keep it balanced. We're going to pay this game- can you make it through a month with limited funds?

5th Grade Orders Decimals

Today I'm excited to show 5th grade why putting numbers with decimals is a super important part of my life- because we use numbers with decimals to keep all of our nonfiction library books in order! We'll be playing Order in the Library to practice our skills. Check it out ... get it... library joke?

Digitally Modeling Fraction Word Problems with 5th Grade

Mrs. Fournier and Mr. Martir are teaming up today to practice fraction word problems with all of 5th grade! We'll meet 3 times today with each homeroom to practice how to build digital models of fractions to solve word problems.

We're using Math Playground as a resource! Check it out and learn with us!

Using Models to Solve Multiplication & Division Problems in 4th Grade

I am collaborating with Mrs. Velasquez in 4th grade this week to help students visualize multiplication & division word problems with digital models. We're using Thinking Blocks. Check it out!

4th Grade Studies Place Value

4th grade is studying place value with Mrs. Velasquez & Mrs. Fournier this week in the library. They are focusing on how multiplying by ten moves any digit one place value to the left, and dividing by ten moves any digit one place value to the right. We are going to use this game to practice, and then assess our learning with a Kahoot!

4th Graders Compare Fractions on Ipads

4th graders had fun in the library today comparing fractions with the help of an app called Quizizz. They did a great job, worked hard, and had fun doing it! In Mrs. Velasquez' class, one student had to leave midway through the competition, and Mrs. Velasquez jumped onto her iPad and beat the whole class! Way to keep your skills sharp, Mrs. Velasquez! Students had unlimited time for each question, but the game was scored on how many questions they got correct, and how quickly they got each correct answer. We studied comparing fractions, improper fractions, and mixed fractions too, and students did a great job.  We also discussed converting fractions to the least common denominator as well! 

3rd Grade Multiplication Bee

Yesterday 3rd grade had a multiplication bee in the library!  Each student is paired up with another, and the fastest one to answer a fact gets to move on to the next round.  It's a fun way to practice that's way more interesting than worksheets.  We will do more bees later this year, but in yesterday's bee, Kanishk was the winner! He clearly has been practicing his facts, because he knew the answers so quickly and stayed cool under pressure.  

Congratulations & way to go, Kanishk.  You must be so proud of yourself!

Multiplication Bee Winners!

You may remember my previous post about the fast-approaching 4th Grade Multiplication Bee!  Thirty five adventurous 4th graders participated yesterday in an ultimate battle of facts.  We had so much fun, and I think that when we do the spring rematch, we will have many more participants.  We started off with a visit from Noah in 5th grade, who won 2nd place last year, to tell us all about why multiplication is so important, and why participating in the bee was fun to him and helpful as he learned his facts.  The students loved hearing from him and it was fun for Mrs. Talley to get to hear from one of her former students!

We then explained how the bouts would work, and showed them our single elimination bracket.

When we got to our Elite 8, Final 4, Terrific 2 and our Champion, we took a quick photo break.  Check out these amazing mathematicians.  Congratulations to all of our participants for having the courage to do math in front of an audience.  We know it isn't hard, but you were all outstanding! We hope to see more of you participating in our rematch in the spring!

4th Grade Multiplication Bee is coming!

The 4th Grade Multiplication Bee is coming, Eagles!  Get your facts memorized and be prepared to battle it out to the final winner on October 21st, 2014.  Make sure your permission slips are submitted to your classroom teacher by October 20th, so that Mrs. Fournier can get your name on the bracket!  This is a great event each year.  I can't wait to see who reigns supreme as King or Queen of the Bee! 

Multiplication Bee

Third grade was excited to show off their math skills in a Multiplication Bee right before we left for Thanksgiving break. All students were invited to compete one-on-one in a race to answer single digit multiplication problems up to 12x12. Students were encouraged to practice their facts and improve efficient strategies in problem solving ahead of time, and many students used a variety of different techniques to improve their efficiency at solving multiplication facts.

Students competed in a double-elimination bracket tournament style similar to the NCAA March Madness bracket. We kept the special names of the NCAA tournament to show our finalists. Here are 7 of our ELITE 8 CONTESTANTS! Congratulations to Ethan (not pictured), Bhavana, Ashwati, Cameron, Ryan, Dylan, Sebastian & Isaiah! They were cool under pressure as they multiplied their way through the competition.

After we got to the Elite 8, students competed another round to get to the Final 4. Here were our Final 4. At this point, the competition was so intense, the first student to answer was sometimes only a fraction of a second ahead of the other student. It was great to watch and set a great example for other students. Great work, Eagles. Our Final 4 were Bhavana, Ashwati, Cameron and Sebastian.

Our final two competitors left for the Championship round were Cameron and Ashwati. At this point, there were already murmurs in the crowd among students and teachers of a second bee this spring to try again for the championship. Cameron and Ashwati weren't intimidated- their quick math skills and mental repeated addition were ready for the challenge!

Our final champion was Ashwati. Ashwati, I was personally amazed at your dedication, and so proud of you. Your practice clearly paid off, and you prepared so well for this competition! Hard work is its own reward. Way to multiply! Ashwati will be defending her title later this spring against her grade level again. Other students will need to practice, practice, practice their strategies to get as efficient as Ashwati in solving these math problems as quickly as her. She's up to the challenge- it's going to be a great rematch. See you in the Spring, Eagles, and until then, keep multiplying!

Math and Science Books and Kits!

Help your child succeed!

Forest North is proud to announce our new collection of science books and kits and math kits specifically for parents to help their children. Explore our solar system, experiment with force and motion, or learn zany animal facts together. It’s a great way to be involved in your child’s education and will familiarize you with our curriculum.

Our science Activity kits include vocabulary cards, ideas for experiments, and all the supplies needed for the experiments. They also include fun stuff like rubber stamps, stopwatches, balloons, magnifying glasses and electric circuits! Here are the kits we have available:

Animals
Electricity
Force & Motion
Insects
Matter
Plants
Properties of Earth
Rocks & Soil
Solar System
Weather

These books and activity kits can be checked out and taken home. We have special library accounts just for parents, so come by to set one up! The library is open to parents before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays or at our monthly Library night (next one is 11/17 4:30-6:00). Parents can check out anything from our regular collection as well as from our special parenting section. Our parenting section includes books on being a parent and helping your child become a successful, contributing member of our community both socially and academically. Help your son or daughter succeed through the library today!