WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW
Students will advance in math to work with decimals up to the hundreds place. Students will also add, subtract, and multiply fractions, including fractions with unlike denominators. They will expand their geometry and measurement skills, learning the concept of volume and measuring the volume of a solid figure.
In English, students will read more challenging literature and articles and build vocabulary. Students will also be expected to understand and clearly summarize what they have learned from readings and classroom discussions, referring to specific evidence and details from the text. Students will write regularly and continue to develop their ability to gather, organize, interpret, and present information.
MATH
Place value
* Use place-value understanding to round decimals to any place
* Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1⁄10 of what it represents in the place to its left
* Read, write, and compare decimals based on the meanings of the digits in the tenths, hundredths, and thousandths place.
* Students use place value understanding to figure out that, based on where the digits are located within the number, 0.115 is less than 0.151.
* Recognize that a 5 in the thousandths place is only one-tenth the value of a 5 in the hundredths place:
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Fractions
* Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator (the top number) by the denominator (the bottom number)
* Add and subtract fractions with different denominators
* Multiply a fraction by a whole number or another fraction
* Divide fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by fractions
Understanding how to divide objects into equal shares prepares students for the division of fractions.
Students will use pictures such as this to see that 4÷3 is the same as dividing 4 objects equally among 3 shares or having 4 thirds (4⁄3).
Sample task: Stuffed with pizza
Tito and Luis are stuffed with pizza! Tito ate one-fourth of a cheese pizza. Tito ate three-eighths of a pepperoni pizza. Tito ate one-half of a mushroom pizza. Luis ate five-eighths of a cheese pizza. Luis ate the other half of the mushroom pizza. All the pizzas were the same size. Tito says he ate more pizza than Luis because Luis did not eat any pepperoni pizza. Luis says they each ate the same amount of pizza. Who is correct? Show all your mathematical thinking. (Answer below)
Helping children learn outside school
1. Use everyday objects to allow your child to explore the concept of fractions. For example: Use measuring cups so students see how many times you have to refill a 1⁄4 cup to equal a 1⁄2 cup or how many 1⁄3’s are in two cups. Have students describe two fractions that are equal using a measuring cup (filling a 1⁄4 measuring cup twice is the same as filling one 1⁄2 measuring cup).
2. Have your child write or describe fractions in different ways. For example: What are some different ways to make 3⁄4? Answers could include 1⁄4+1⁄4+1⁄4 or 3×1⁄4.
3. Ask your child to create and describe equal fractions. For example: Have students take a sheet of paper, fold the paper in half, and then unfold and shade 1⁄2. Then have students take the same sheet of paper and fold the paper in half again. Unfold the paper and have students discuss the number of parts that are now shaded. Encourage your child to talk about ways to show that 1⁄2 =2⁄4. (Students may continue this process creating other equal fractions.) 1. Use everyday objects to allow your child to explore the concept of fractions. For example, have your child divide a candy bar (or a healthy snack) between three people. Ask, “How much does each person receive?” (Each person would receive 1⁄3.) Suppose there are three candy bars that you plan to share with two friends. Have your child describe the amount that each person will receive.
2. Have your child explain how to write fractions in different ways. For example, what are some different ways to write 4⁄3? He or she could answer 4÷3, 1 1⁄3, 2⁄3 + 2⁄3, 2 x 2⁄3, 8⁄6, 4×1⁄3, etc.
3. Ask your child to give you a fraction equal to a decimal. For example, what are two fractions that can be used to represent 0.6? Answers could include 6⁄10, 60⁄100, 12⁄20, or 3⁄5.
ENGLISH
Reading literature
* Determine the theme of a story, play, or poem from details in the text, including how characters respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic, and students summarize the text.
* Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Reading for information
* Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
* Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
Writing
* Introduce a topic clearly, providing a general observation and focus, and develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information.
* Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
* Group related information logically and use formatting (such as headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful.
* Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (such as in contrast or especially).
* Use precise language and subject-specific vocabulary.
Sample task: Should the school day be longer?
Read at least two or three newspaper articles on extending the school day.
Assignment: “Select a point of view, and write an essay supporting your opinion. Your goal is to persuade the reader to agree with your opinion, using convincing evidence from the articles. Gather and organize facts and quotes for and against your point of view. You will revise and edit to complete your work.”
ANSWERS
Stuffed with Pizza: “Luis was correct because they both ate 1 1⁄8 pizza.” Student draws a diagram to determine the fractional part of each pizza Tito and Luis eats and adds the eighths of a pizza Tito and Luis eat for a total of 9⁄8 = 1 1⁄8. The student explains the fractions by linking them to decimals and percents and verifies that the fractions in her/his solution are correct. The student uses such terms as denominator, equivalent fractions, ratio.