Decimals!

We will be focusing on comparing, rounding, adding, and subtracting decimals.  Make sure to line up the decimal points!

You can help your student by having them add prices when you go to the store.  For example, $3.99 for cereal + $4.29 for a gallon of milk.  Then subtract the total from a 10 dollar bill!

   3.99                         10.00

+ 4.29                      –   8.28

 $8.28 ßTotal            $1.72 ßChange

Multiples

We will be focusing on multiples, common multiples, and the lowest common multiple (LCM) this week. A multiple is the product of a number and any whole number.  For example, multiples of 3 would be 3, 6, 9, 12… (3x1, 3x2, 3x3, 3x4…)

Common multiples are multiples two numbers have in common.  For example, 12 is a common multiple of 3 and 6 because 3 x 4 = 12 and 6 x 2 = 12.

 

A card game can be played with 2, 3, 4, or 5 players and each player always has an equal number of cards.  What is the least number of cards that can be in the deck? (LCM)

Factors

We will be focusing on factors, common factors, and prime factorization this week.  A factor is a number that divides into a whole number with a remainder of 0.  For example, factors of 12 would be 1 and 12, 2 and 6, and 3 and 4 (1 x 12 = 12, 2 x 6 = 12, 3 x 4 = 12).

Real-life example: Sally made 15 sugar cookies and 24 chocolate cookies for the school bake sale.  She made packages of sugar cookies and packages of chocolate cookies, each with the same number of cookies.  How many cookies were in each package?

Factors of 15: 1, 3, 5, 15                              Common factor: 3
Factors of 24: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24

*She could put 3 cookies in each package.

Integers in the Real World

This Wednesday we will be introducing integers (positive and negative whole numbers) and looking at how we use them in the real world.  You and your student can watch how temperature rises and falls throughout the day, examine your deposits and withdrawals from a bank account, or note the yards gained or lost in a football game.

For example, if the temperature dropped 10 degrees in the morning, your student could record -10.  If the temperature raised 15 degrees a few hours later, they could record +15.

We will also be wrapping up our study of equivalent fractions, converting fractions to decimals, and comparing and ordering fractions and decimals.  Your student should be prepared for a short test Friday.

Fun with Fractions

We will be focusing on fractions in math.  This will include reducing fractions to their simplest form, finding equivalent fractions, writing improper fractions as mixed numbers, and converting fractions to decimals. 

You can further this lesson at home by pointing out fractions in real life.  For example, order pizza and discuss the fraction of pizza each member of the family ate and the fraction of pizza left over.  Other ideas include examining fractions of a dollar when making purchases or fractions of an hour spent doing various activities, such as watching T.V.