What is this Mealworm Thing That my Kid keeps talking about???

This is a mealworm!!!

We are studying the life cycle of a beetle.

1st stage it's an egg

--> 2nd stage it's a larva mealworm

-->3rd stage it's a pupa

(turning into a beetle in a cocoon like a butterfly)

--> 4th stage it's the adult beetle

Then, the process starts over again.

Stay tuned for the pupa stage.

snow, Snow, SNow, SNOw, SNOW!!!!

We ventured out for a few minutes to check out the snow today!!

Funny Snow pic!

Serious Snow pic!

Winter is here! Good Times!

Allyson Teaches Dot Math AND How to use this Strategy

Dot Math is a way for students to visually see how much each number represents without counting with their fingers!!

I have taught your students how to draw a picture to solve addition and subtraction problems up to two digit by two digit with regrouping (carrying to the tens place, or borrow from the tens place) and without.

Now, I am starting to teach them how to add and subtract abstractly which is the adding and subtracting that you are familiar with.

HOWEVER,

I am finding that the students don't know that 9  +  6  = 15 without drawing a picture, using tallies, or counting on their fingers.

DOT MATH IS A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM!!!

Your student will NOT have time to draw tallies OR count on their fingers in third grade. The numbers are just TOO big. They will not finish their work and they will become frustrated.

Please help me teach and reinforce this strategy at home.

Eventually your student will not have to draw the dots instead they will just touch the place on the number and then just be able to do this visually.

See the video's below to learn how to use Dot Math:

Dot Math

How to Add Using Dot Math

***Stay tuned for how to subtract using Dot Math***

Miss Matt

Winter PARTY!!!

Good times were had at our class winter party!!!

Waiting their turn in the mitten race...

Designing their mitten ornament...

Snowman water bottles...yes!

I gotcha smiling!



Putting on the mittens was difficult!




ALL SMILES!!!



I hope everyone is enjoying their winter break!!! I am enjoying sleeping in and catching up on the shows I have missed.

See you all on January 3, 2011!

Happy New Year!!!

Miss Matt

Game Day!!!

We had a great time playing games with our friends!

 We will have to do this again!!

Daniel teaches Addition with Regrouping!!

Parents,

The video below shows you how we add with regrouping (carrying) in 2nd grade in 2010. For adding, we are putting two numbers together to find the total so this is why we draw both numbers and then put the ones place together first and then the tens place.

To regroup means to trade a ten for 10 ones (borrowing to subtract) or trade 10 ones to the tens place (carrying to add). Your students are not used to the terms carrying and borrowing. We use the term regrouping.

This video clip is about 2 minutes long.

Daniel teaching Addition with Regrouping

The error that Daniel made in his recounting of the ones place is a typical mistake. Please help me encourage your students to check their work carefully to make sure they did what they meant to do.

Daniel crossed out the four, but that is not needed. Just simply add (carry) the one to the tens columns(this is what we did with our picture).

This is another hard math skill in 2nd grade as well that you can work on with your students.

Way to go Daniel!!! This is exactly how it is done.

Stay tuned for adding and subtracting using dot math instead of fingers!!!

Miss Matt

Allyson Teaches Subtraction with Regrouping!

Parents,

Allyson is teaching you how to draw a picture to subtract with regrouping! This is how we regroup (borrow) in 2nd grade in 2010, which is very different from when we were kids. The video clip is about 2 1/2 minutes long. She is a great teacher and went step by step.

Subtraction with Regrouping

Way to go Allyson! That is how it is done!! =)

This is a very hard math skill that you can work on with your students at home.

**Addition with regrouping is coming soon!! Stay tuned!**

Miss Matt