This is the math page we begin with each day. Today we shaded in the 2nd square of the 100 table. Then we represented this model as a decimal and its equivalent decimal. Once we had determined the model's fraction we discussed the need to simplify that fraction in order to find the equivalent fraction. This led us to a discussion of factors. We determined that the number 1 has only 1 factor.... 1. Then we found the factors of 2... 1, 2. We noted that from our spelling list this morning, we had defined a prime number as a number that has only two factors, one and itself. So we looked more closely at the number 1. It has only one factor, therefore it cannot be prime AND it cannot be composite (a number that has more than two factors). We made note of this UNIQUE fact at the top of the page. We also noted that 2 must be prime because it has only two factors.
This led to a new journal page where we will be keeping track of prime and composite numbers. You will notice that the 1 is blacked out, that is because it is neither prime nor composite (which we noted at the bottom of the page). We also decided to color our prime numbers orange and our composite numbers purple (my two favorite colors).
We went back to our warm up page where we solved an elapsed time problem. We will do this type of problem once a week since many students forget that we are working with time. When you work with time and borrow from an hour, you are borrowing 60 minutes.... not the 10 they are used to carrying over!
Next we went and visited the bar graph that was created using the student's birthdays. (I do have to admit .... shamefacedly.... that two students were accidentally left off the graph... I am so sorry!) While at the graph we gathered the data of the number of birthdays in each month and wrote it on our warm up page.
I explained that we were going to work with the data and find the range, mean, median, and mode of the data collected. My students usually know how to find the range, mean, median, and mode by the end of the year.... they just forget which is which. Luckily, I found this poem on Pinterest and decided to give my students a copy for their journal:
We used this riddle to help us determine the range, mean, median, and mode of the data:
It was quite a mathematical day! We were introduced to and reminded of all kinds of mathematical words: equivalent decimal, simplifying, equivalent fraction, products, factors, prime, composite, range, mean, median, and mode. These will all be added to my word wall tomorrow!
To finish off our day, I asked the kids to write down 10 math facts about themselves to use in a project. Examples that I gave were:
- My birthdate is 6-16-69
- I have the only prime number of daughters: 2
- I have 9 + 3 + 8 letters in my name.
- I have cross stitched 17 Christmas stockings!
- I have attended the First Class Titanic luncheon 7 times!
- I have 3 humans and 1 dog that live in my home.
- I have been married 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 years (24)
- I have taught approximately 1,200 students
- I live on 4(11) acres: 44
My favorite discussion today was when a student asked what year the Mayflower landed. I have to admit that I needed to Google the answer (1620). I asked how this was a math fact that related to him. He explained that his great, great, great, great, great (I may have missed one or two more greats) grandfather came over on the Mayflower! What a "great" mathematical fact! I did get tickled when another student told him he might want to use the word "ancestor" instead of having to write so many greats!
Have a "great" night!
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