Math Newsletter

Dear Families,

Thank you so much to all of you who attended Math Night on October 21st! The evening was filled with interesting thinking about math. For those of you who couldn’t make it, the time began with the students introducing their families to some of the games that we have been playing in math class, and then, after the students left the room, the adults participated in a workshop about Investigations Math. We discussed what a typical math class looks like, the rational behind the Investigations activities (especially behind the games), and how an Investigations math classroom can meet the needs of all learners. During the workshop, many of the participants generated interesting questions, and I’m going to be answering some of those questions right now.

Does Palouse Prairie School pay as much attention to math and science as it does to literacy?

Especially in the primary grades, literacy is certainly one of our top priorities; math and science, however, are also extremely important. By using the Investigations Math program, we are ensuring that all of our students are learning what is developmentally appropriate for them in math. About an hour each day is devoted to this subject. We focus on science in our actual expeditions; one expedition a year will focus on a science topic, and the other expedition on a social studies topic (assuming that there are two expeditions in a school year).

How does Math Investigations teach place value? (The following information is taken directly from Implementing Investigations in Grade 1, 2008, Pearson Education Inc.)

Work with place value concepts begins in early elementary school. First and second graders focus on work involving tens and ones, and third graders work on hundreds and thousands. As Investigations puts it, “Instead of having students simply be able to tell you that 217 ‘has 2 hundreds, 1 ten, and 7 ones,’ students must learn to visualize how 217 is built up from hundreds, tens, and ones, in a way that helps them relate its value to other quantities. Understanding the place value of a number such as 217 entails knowing, for example, that 217 is closer to 200 than to 300, that it is 100 more than 117, that it is 17 more than 200, that it is 3 less than 220, and that it is composed of 21 tens and 7 ones.”

How will Math Investigations/the first grade math classroom challenge my child?

There are a number of ways that students will be challenged in math this year. First of all, Investigations often includes games/activities that take learners to different levels. For example, a game may include game boards A, B, C, and D, with A being the easiest and D being much more challenging. Game board A may be just right for most of the class, but some students will be ready to play the game on a higher level and may start out on game board C. If a student shows mastery of a skill at a certain level, yet Investigations does not include a more challenging activity, then I will make those games or activities myself. If a student continues to perform above and beyond the majority of the class, then they will be pulled into a small group to work on a different activity that is at their skill level.

I hope that this addresses any lingering questions that you may have had. If you had a specific question regarding your child, then I will be contacting you to set up a conference.

Thanks so much for supporting your child’s learning!