Converting Customary Units of Measurement

We have been working on converting Customary Units of measurement this week in Math. In problems which involve measurements such as width, length, height, weight, capacity or temperature, it is often necessary to convert from one measurement unit to another.

Basic Conversion Rule:

To convert from a LARGER unit to a SMALLER unit...MULTIPLY

To convert from a SMALLER unit to a LARGER unit...DIVIDE

We have a rhyming saying that helps us remember this rule:

Complicating matters a bit is the fact that in the United States we have two different sets of measurement units.

Our basic system is the "customary" or "English" system.  In this system units include: inch, foot, yard, mile, ounce, pound, pint, quart, gallon and the Fahrenheit scale for temperature.

However, as we do business in the global community, the metric system is also a necessary system to understand. This system uses units such as: meter, centimeter, kilometer, gram, kilogram, liter, milliliter and the Celsius scale for temperature. We will delve into working with the metric system in the coming week.

Homework next week will consist of practicing these conversions. Here is a video you can watch if you want to see an example of a conversion.

Conversion Example

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Benchmarks Next Week

The time has come for our District Benchmark Tests in Reading and Writing. We will administer the Writing test next Tuesday and Wednesday. Reading Benchmark will be administered in a couple of weeks. Please have students get to bed early and have breakfast so they may be at their best! Thank you for your support!
Tuesday- 50% editing/revising and prompt 1
Wednesday- 50% editing/revising and prompt 2

***Early Release on Wednesday, February 4th. Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm. 

Perimeter and Area

Last week we worked on perimeter and area. We focused quite a bit on the formulas that are used to find both.

Perimeter is the distance around a two-dimensional shape.

We focused on three formulas to find perimeter:

P = s + s + s (perimeter = side + side + side) - this formula can be sue on any shape

P = 4 x s (perimeter = 4 x side) - this formula works for squares

P = (2 x l) + (2 x w); perimeter = (2 x length) + (2 x width) - this formula works for rectangles

Area is the size of a surface or the amount of space inside the boundary of a flat (2-dimensional) object.

We focused on one formula to find the area of a rectangle:

A = l x w (area = length x width)

Follow this link if you want more clarification on calculating perimeter and area:

Perimeter and Area

Homework this week will have your kiddo calculating perimeter and area. I expect them to write down the formula that they choose to use before they solve. Ask them about the three F's in math.

Please let me know if you have any questions! I am happy to help in any way I can!

Data Representations

This week we have learned about three new ways to represent data. We have learned about dot plots, frequency tables, and stem-and-leaf plots.

A dot plot is a graphical display of data using dots. It is very similar to pictographs.

A frequency table is a table that shows a set of numbers/scores and their frequency (how many times each one occurs).

A stem-and-leaf plot is a plot where each data value is split into a "leaf" (usually the last digit) and a "stem" (the other digits). For example "32" is split into "3" (stem) and "2" (leaf). The "stem" values are listed down, and the "leaf" values are listed next to them. This way the "stem" groups the scores and each "leaf" indicates a score within that group.

Here are the basic steps to creating a stem-and-leaf plot:

Last week, we created these three data representations using data from final scores of the Dallas Cowboys games. They did a great job on this assignment and really seemed to enjoy it!

Homework this week will consist of something similar. Your kiddo will need to research some data (height of people, scores of game, age of friends, etc.) and create a dot plot, frequency table, and stem-and-leaf plot to represent this data. They will then need to come up with three questions that can be answered using this data. An example question might be: How many more students scored 80% or greater on the test than 70% or lower? This assignment will be due on Monday, January 26th. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Decimals

We have been working on decimals this week. 

                                  

They tie in perfectly to fractions and the transition was smooth!




We are able to illustrate decimals,



Add and subtract decimals,

                           

Compare decimals,
                                            

And relating decimals to money.
                                                      

We have also been practicing writing them in standard form, word form, expanded form, and expanded value.

Standard form: 31.25

Word form: thirty two and twenty-five hundredths

Expanded form: 30 + 1 + 0.2 + 0.05

Expanded value: (3 x 10) + (1 x 1) + (2 x 0.1) + (5 x 0.01)

Homework this week will have us practicing all these skills! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great week!

Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions

Mixed Numbers

A mixed number is a combination of a whole number and a fraction. For example, if you have two whole apples and one half apple, you could describe this as 2 + 1/2 apples, or 2 1/2 apples.


Writing Mixed Numbers as Fractions

This mixed number can also be expressed as a fraction. Each whole apple contains two half apples. Your two whole apples are also four half apples. Four half apples plus one half apple is five half apples. So you have 5/2 apples.

To put this another way: to turn a mixed number into a fraction, multiply the whole number by the denominator (the bottom part), and add the result to the numerator (the top part).

2 1/2 = ?
  Multiply the whole number by the denominator.
    The whole number is 2.
    The denominator is 2.
    2 x 2 = 4.
  Add the result to the numerator:
    The numerator is 1.
    4 + 1 = 5
  The numerator is 5. The denominator remains 2.
2 1/2 = 5/2

More Examples:







Proper and Improper Fractions

A fraction in which the numerator is smaller than the denominator, like 1/3 or 2/5 is called a proper fraction. A fraction in which the numerator is larger than or equal to the denominator, like 5/2, 17/3, or 6/6 is called an improper fraction. (To put it another way, a fraction with a value less than 1 is a proper fraction. A fraction with a value greater than or equal to 1 is an improper fraction.)

As shown above, mixed numbers can be written as improper fractions. Similarly, improper fractions can be written as mixed numbers.


Writing Improper Fractions as Mixed Numbers

To write an improper fraction as a mixed number, divide the numerator (top part) by the denominator (bottom part). The quotient is the whole number, and the remainder is the numerator.

How would you express 17/4 as a mixed number?
  Divide the numerator by the denominator:
  17 ÷ 4 = 4, with a remainder of 1
  The quotient, 4, is the whole number. The remainder, 1, is the numerator. The denominator remains 4.
17/4 = 4 1/4

More Examples:









Here is a comparison of the conversions side by side.




Homework this week will have your kiddo practicing this concept. It will be due on Monday December 12th. Please let me know if you have any questions!