Week of Nov. 5th - 9th

Week of Nov. 5th - 9th


5th Grade:
We will be testing on factors, factor trees, prime and composite numbers on Thursday.  The students will also be quized on the "G" gallon study guide.  They will simply have to draw out the "G" and all its components!  This will be an easy grade! They were begging me to quiz them on Friday.  Continue to review multiplication facts!


6th Grade:
We really enjoyed our new "Hands on Equations" app for pre-algebra on Friday.  I have walked the students through the app, and am encouraging them to work the problems on their own.  Please encourage this!  They said it was fun!  I am sure that at some point it will tell them they have gone as far as they can on a "free" version, and if you would like to purchase a full version that would be great!  I will not require the app to be purchased or worked for homework, because not everyone has an i Pad. But I do hope you will ask your child to complete the problem sets!

We will test on simple equations ( +, -, x, / ) on Thursday.  The students will be expected to solve by isolating the variable.  They should be more than ready for it!  The sixth graders will also test on the "G" gallon study guide. 

Week of October 29th

I feel like my fifth and sixth grade students had a great first nine weeks in math!  Thanks for all of your hard work and for practicing those multiplication facts.  The second nine weeks for both grades is truly dependant on those facts for division, factors, common multiples and Pre-Algebra!

This week in fifth grade we will be discussing factors, factor trees, prime numbers, composite numbers, and greatest common factor.  Please keep reviewing multiplication facts!  Signed papers go home on Tuesdays for viewing and re-working! 

This week in sixth grade we will be beginning our new unit.  Unit 4 covers the basic foundations of Algebra.  We will be learning how to cancel out specific sides of an equation to isolate the variable.  The students will need extra practice at these new skills, so make sure they complete the homework!   Signed papers will go home on Tuesday. 

Mean, Mode, Range, Median, Circumference, Perimeter, Area, Diameter, Radius, metric conversions... all of these things are being reviewed daily in math class.  I have also taught your child cheers and songs to remember formulas.  Ask them to show you one or two!  We have also made flashcards for these things, so please remind your child to review them often!  Its a lot to remember all at once, so it helps if it is done consistently over time!!

Week of Sept. 10th

Hello parents! 

Homework:
I had a surprising amount of kids not do homework over the last week!  Let's make sure you are holding them accountable!  Math is one of those subjects that takes lots of practice!  We move quickly, so we can't chance falling behind on a specific skill!  Your student has a homework sheet (usually placed at the front of the binder in a clear sleeve) that you can check daily to see what he/she is to be doing for the evening.  If I assign iXL homework, I usually put a time limit on it, like 15 minutes.  As discussed on Parent Open House Night, your child has a homework grade factored into his/her final grade.  Each time a student does not complete the homework assignment, he/she is taking 5 points off of that grade!!!

6th Grade Test:
This week sixth grade students will test on Friday: order of operations, evaluating/solving exponents, and properties of addition and multiplication.  A great way to review is to find worksheets that have been done in classwork or for homework and re-work various problems!  A study guide will be provided on Wednesday.

5th Grade Test:
This week fifth grade students will test on Chapter Two.  A study guide will be provided on Wednesday.  A great way to review is to find worksheets that have been done in classwork or for homework and re-work various problems!

Multiplication Mad Minutes:
     The students will complete timed-multiplication tests on EVERY Wednesday.  You really need to require your child to work through flashcards daily to improve his/her multiplication skills.  Grades are recorded on these timed tests after the third attempt!  Your child has downloaded a free iPad app called "My Math Flashcards"  You can designate which facts your child can study on this app!  Don't wait until Tuesday night to review the facts... that puts way too much pressure on your child!  Memorization takes small amounts of practice over a period of time!  Your child will know what he/she is testing on each week, meaning the 4's, the 6's, etc. 

Math August 22nd

Hello Parents,
We are moving through the place value and decimal unit for both 5th and 6th grade classes.  Both classes will have a test on all material covered this coming Monday, August 27th.  A study guide will go home on Friday, for the students to complete... I will also send home the answers for you to check their study guide for errors. 

Our involvment with ixl is becoming smoother!  Thank you all for your patience! If you would like to check your student's progress on ixl, at any time, you may go to your home computer/laptop (it won't pull up the reports on the ipad)  log into ixl with your child's username and password.  Once you are in the site, you can click on the exact skill under each practice section to see how they did on that skill (there is tiny picture of a bar graph to the left of the section number/letter that will give you a detailed report)  if the "bar graph" icon is faded, that means your child has not attempted that section yet.  You can also pull up your child's rewards tab at the top of the page and see what he/she has mastered there.  Your students should have the username and password memorized or written in the binder.

Ixl gives your student immediate feedback if he/she misses a problem, so make sure they are skipping through the explanations of why they missed a problem.  If they miss one, they need to read below it what went wrong, and then move on!

Mad-Minute Multiplication is going well! Ask your child what "set" they are one, and require them to do flashcards on their iPad app.  You can set the app to just give you a specific range of times tables so that your child is getting the exact practice he/she needs!

Subscription To My Math Blog

Hello parents of 5th and 6th grade math students!
I have already entered your email addresses into the "follow my blog" link.  An email should have been sent to you from "FeedBurner Subscriptions".  Please find this email in your junk folder and open it.  Once you have opened the email, you can click the link to "activate and subscribe to my blog".  Once you have completed this step, each time I update my blog, a copy of it should be emailed directly to you!  Add me to your contact lists!!!
lissa.artlady@gmail.com
lissaortego@hotmail.com

blog: lissaortegobds.blogspot.com

Thanks,
Lissa

2012-2013 School Supply List

Master Supply List – 2012-2013

3rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th Grades

Art Supplies

24-count Crayola crayons

8-10 count Crayola washable markers

1 box of Crayola colored pencils

3 packs of Elmer’s glue sticks

1 bottle of Elmer’s school glue

1 pair of Fiskar’s scissors

1 roll of painter’s tape

Office Supplies

24 Ticonderoga pencils

1 package of cap erasers

1 ream of white copy paper

1 package of card stock

1 pack of colored printer paper

3 packages of wide-ruled notebook paper

Boys: 2 packages of index cards

1 package of Expo dry erase markers (any colors) & eraser

1 package of post-it notes

1 package of sticky tabs

1 1 ½ inch binder

7 dividers with pockets

1 package of sharpies

1 package of highlighters

Math Supplies

Girls: 1 package of graphing paper

1 protractor (4^th, 5^th, 6^th)

1 compass (4^th, 5^th, 6^th)

1 ruler

Household Items

2 bottles of antibacterial soap

2 large containers of Lysol sanitizing wipes

1 box of gallon size Ziploc bags

1 box of Force Flex trash bags

1 package of toilet paper

6 rolls of paper towels

1 box of Kleenex

1 bottle of hand sanitizer

Reusable water bottles for daily use