Absolute Value

Today we started a new topic in Math --- ABSOLUTE VALUE!  Check out this video to learn more about our new topic. :)

Math Test!

There will be a math test on Thursday!  Ask students about the Kahoot!  game we played in class today!

After the test, students who have finished with their squizzle may get an iPAD and click here.   You may browse any of the games on this site.

Activities for Thursday!

Here is the link to the survey to take during Math on Thursday!

Once you are done with the math problem solving and survey, click here and you may browse any of the games on this site while using an iPAD.

  

Opposite of an Opposite

Today we worked on a tricky concept...finding the opposite of an opposite!  Check out our screenshot from our investigation today!

So, if the opposite of 8 is -8, then the opposite of the opposite of 8 is 8.

Another way to write "the opposite of the opposite of 8" using an expression is - ( -8).  Math homework today is the "Opposite of an Opposite" worksheet.

Opposite of Number

Today sixth graders are working with finding the opposite of a number.  Numbers that are opposites are the same distance from zero, but on different side of the number line.  For example, 4 and -4 are opposites because they are both 4 units from zero---positive four is the the right and negative four is to the left.  Another way to look at it is the opposite of -15 is 15.  

Check out this slide from learnzillion.com for more information.

Working with Integers

Today we worked with positive and negative integers in our real life.  He is a snapshot of a review we have done on the Smarboard to review terms that could indicate positive or negative numbers.  We have been looking at banking and sport examples!

Then we also worked on writing events as integers.  

We are also working on creating more in depth story contexts when given a set of integers. 

Rational Numbers Unit

Here are some videos to review our lessons about Rational Numbers Thursday and Friday...just in case you need a reminder at home this week!

Go to learnzillion.com and type in the following codes in any search field:

LZ480

LZ697

LZ698

LZ699

More Mesopotamia Links

Did you finish your webquest and are you looking for Mesopotamia links?  Well, look no further--here they are!  

Click and browse any of the links below!

University of Chicago Mesopotamia Interactive website

More about Mesopotamia 

Online Dig for Artifacts

The British Museum link about Mesopotamia

Cuneiform Digital Library


A Jeopardy Game to test what you know!

You can also go to Quizlet and study your Daily Geography terms for the quiz on Friday!

Mesopotamia Link

Looking for the link for the Mesopotamia Webquest?  Click here!

Viking Power Battleship Game

Here is the link to the battleship game we will play in Viking Power.  Have fun and good luck!

Order of Operations

Here is a link to the Order of Operations (or PEMDAS) rap we will listen to in class on Thursday.  This is something students find tricky in Study Island, so we had a mini lesson about it today.  Also, you can ask a sixth grader about the new app we used today!  Most of them found it very interesting!

Has your knowledge increased?  Students, click here to take a survey so we can be sure these problems won't trick us up anymore!  

Lastly, for homework, students had an option between two puzzles!

Percent Quiz Wednesday

We will have a Math quiz over Percents on Wednesday.  Students will have a review sheet with 8 problems on it that they will get back Tuesday.  If students can do these types of problems, they will be good to go for the quiz!  Please email Mrs. Springer with any questions.  

Here are a couple more of the "tricky" problems like #8 on the review.

Have a great week!

Percent of a Number Game!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, students had time to play a version of Monopoly with a different gameboard.  In order to be successful in this game, students had to solve percent expressions correctly.  Ask you child what properties he/she was able to purchase!

Percent of a Number

Today we introduced a way to model finding percents of numbers.  This image shows a drawing we did to find out what 25% of $32 is.  We drew a bar to represent 100% (top one) and a bar to represent $32.  Then we saw that there are 4 groups of 25% in 100%.  So we divided the $32 bar into 40 groups.  Therefore each group would be $8.  So, 25% of $32 is $8.

Check out the drawing below!

We also discussed a way to solve the problems by setting up ratios.  Here is a problem we had in class and below are some students' methods used to solve the problem.  Notice the ones that use a "%/100 = is/of" strategy!  

Journal for Math Workshop

During Math Workshop on Monday & Tuesday, the journal station will be electronic!  Go to this link to complete the online journal.

When you are finished, play any of these games on the iPAD.
The Golden Path
Zoo Designer
Speed Math - You must choose multiplication or division
Pizza Order Fractions
Fraction America

Thank you for staying on task!

Quiz Wednesday!

We will have a quiz over direct proportions on Wednesday.  Students may use any strategy for their quiz problems (drawing it out, double number line, make a table/chart, or find equivalent ratios or fractions).  Today we did a Scavenger Hunt activity and students have those problems and answers to use as a study sheet for the quiz.  Please ask Mrs. Springer if you have any questions about the quiz.  Have a great day!

Problem Solving Day!

On Monday we had a problem solving day where students were given the following image and needed to determine what fraction of the whole quadrilateral each piece was.

Students did a great job preserving through the problem solving!  Ask your sixth grader to tell you how he/she could find the solution to our problem solving task! 

Social Studies Quiz

Happy October!

Students in 6K have a Social Studies quiz on Friday over the 17 terms in the Introduction.  These words can be found in their textbook on pages 6-13.  Students also wrote the terms and definitions in their 3-subject notebooks.  An interactive way to study would be to review the terms on quizlet. Families may create their own login and ask to be added to the "TVMS 6th Grade" class to see our sets.  Or, if you don't have a login, you can use our generic login below to access sets for Literature, Science, and Social Studies.  

Login:  TVMS6thgrader
Password:  govikings

Starting Ratios

On Monday we will investigate "part to part" and "part to whole" ratios with Lucky Charms cereal.  On Tuesday we will look more at "whole to whole" ratios and matching different representations. Here is a link to the video clip we will watch in class on Tuesday!  What a great week to be a sixth grader! 

Dividing Fractions & Test Next Week

Today is the day we discussed the "trick" way of dividing fractions.  Below is  a video to describe it too.  You may hear students calling it, "Keep, Change, Flip".  They can explain what each of those words stand for.  We have many tools to divide fractions!

Next week we will have our Fractions test on Wednesday.  Students get a paper of practice problems and answers they can do before the test.  While it's optional, it's a good review for those that are interested.  

On a side note...I'm not sure what is going one with the white background behind the text...my apologies!

Creating a Story Context

One new concept we are working on in Math this year is writing a story context (this is what some students call a "word problem") for an expression.  Today was the first day many sixth graders had done this.  Check out some of our great story contexts!!

The expression was:
 " 5 divided by 1/3"

Some story context answers were:

"I have 5 cups of pancake batter.  For each pancake, I will us 1/3 of a cup of batter.  How many pancakes can I make?"

"I have 5 pies.  I want to sell the pie in 1/3 portions.  How many pieces of pie can I sell?"

Common Core Math

As many parents know, this year we are focused on the Math Common Core Standards.  These standards focus on a shift from the students just know the procedure to the students also being able to conceptualize the math problem and apply it to real word situations.  Therefore some of the math homework or sequencing may seem different this year than it has been in the past.  We are working through quite a bit of problem solving this year!  Today we worked on the Popcorn Problem and students were dividing whole numbers and fractions to figure out how many servings of popcorn would be in different batch sizes.  Ask your sixth grader for more information about today or check out the link on the bottom right of this blog to see the 6th Grade Common Core Math Standards. 

Map Project

We are continuing our Social Studies deserted island map project this week.  Students have class time to work on their map projects Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  All maps are due by Friday.  We are very impressed by the amount of detail students are putting on their map!
  

Function Machine

At the end of some days, we have time to play the "Input/Output" or "Function Machine" challenge on the smartboard.  If you are looking for something like that to work on at home, try this link!  Good luck guessing the rule!

Another Way!

Looking for another way to add/subtract fractions with unlike denominators?  Check out this video!  This is the "trick" or "butterfly method" way we talked about in class on Wednesday.  It is just one of the ways that you can add or subtract fractions :)

Adding & Subtracting Fractions

This week we are working on adding and subtracting fractions.  We have also been reviewing how to reduce fractions into simplest terms and make equivalent fractions.  One of the TVMS math teachers' favorite game websites also has a great collection of fraction games - check it out!

Click here for the online board game to practice adding and subtracting fractions.  

Also, short clips on how to add/subtract fractions are below.

Math Quiz Tomorrow!

We will have a Math Quiz tomorrow over GCF and LCM.  There were be some word problems as well as an extra credit problem.  If you're looking for a way to study, ask your sixth grader about their yellow review sheet. 

Also, we had a GREAT assembly this morning!  Perhaps your child can explain one of the activities that went on. 

We are looking forward to a wonderful week in sixth grade! :) 

Least Common Multiple - LCM

Today we worked on finding the the LCM of two numbers.  We reviewed what multiples are and many students were familiar with the strategy of finding the LCM by listing multiples of each number.  So for our example today, to find the LCM of 8 and 12 we listed multiples of each number and then found that the first one they had in common was 36.  

We also explored a new strategy that involves writing the prime factorization for each number using exponents.  Then you put the factors for each (with exponents) in a tic tac toe grid...all the twos( with exponents) go in one column, then the threes, etc.  Lastly, choose the largest number in each column (that's why the 2 cubed is circled) and multiply them together. This strategy was effective for students who enjoy working with exponents and are fluent with the fact that 2 cubed is 2 x 2 x 2.

As always, students can choose the method they prefer.  There are options for solving problems! Either way will direct you towards the answer! 

Greatest Common Factor - GCF

This week we worked on finding the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) of two numbers.  Students already knew the strategy of listing the factors for each number and then finding the largest factor they both shared.  We also introduced another factor using prime factorization.  Here is a video Miss Holt found that shows the new way.  Students may use either way they would like!

First Day of Math!

It was so exciting to have our first day of Math today!  We had a number activity with the following steps:

- Pick a number between one and ten.
- Now multiply that number by 9.
- Add the digits (if you have more than one).
- Subtract five from your answer.
- Associate the number you have now with a letter. 
- What letter did you get?

We noticed that all students wound up with the same letter and some students figured out why that worked.  We didn't give the reason away as to why it works, so some students are still going to think about it this evening.  :) 

A Great First Day!

We had a great first day!  Today students had a chance to meet all the sixth grade teachers.  We also took a closer look at their Enrichment block and did a "practice run" of Thursday's Enrichment schedule--so the sixth graders are all ready for Enrichment first thing in the morning.  We are looking forward to a fun Math activity tomorrow!  Students, get excited!!  And parents, you can even ask your sixth grader about the math activity Thursday night!  I'm hoping they will share some interesting information!