WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW
In math, students will develop their understanding of rates and ratios, using tables, graphs, and equations to solve real-world problems involving proportional relationships. Students will also work on solving multi-step problems involving positive and negative rational numbers—any number that can be made by dividing one integer by another, such as 1/2, 0.75, or 2. Students will also delve deeper into geometry and apply the properties of operations to solve real-world problems involving the measurement of multi-dimensional objects.
In English, students will develop the ability to cite relevant evidence when interpreting or analyzing a text or supporting their points in speaking and writing. Your child will also build academic vocabulary while reading more complex texts, including stories, plays, historical novels, poems, and non-fiction books and articles.
MATH
Expressions and equations
* Rewrite an expression in different forms to show different solutions to a problem, or how quantities are related
* Use variables to represent quantities and construct simple equations and inequalities (for example, 5x +2 > 10) to solve problems
* Solve multi-step word problems involving positive and negative numbers
* Understand that solving an inequality or an equation, such as 1⁄4 (x+5) = 21, means answering the question “What number does x have to be to make this statement true?”
Sample problem:
In expressing the number of one foot square tiles needed to border a square pool with a length of y (where y represents a whole number), students might write 4y+1+1+1+1, 4y + 4, or 4 (y + 1). All are different ways to express the same value.
Ratios and Proportions
* Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world problems
* Calculate the unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, such as the ratio of 1⁄2 a mile for every 1⁄4 of an hour
* Recognize and represent proportional relationships in various ways, including using tables, graphs, and equations
* Identify the unit rate in tables, graphs, equations, and verbal descriptions
Sample problem:
Problem: After a 20% discount, the price of a skateboard is $148.
What was the price before the discount?
Solution: After a 20% discount, the price is 80% of the original price.
So 80% of the original price is $148. Students use this information to find the value of 20% and 100% of the original price.
Students will also learn to write and solve the equation representing this situation as 0.8x = 148
Help kids learn outside school
1. Ask your child to calculate the unit rates of items purchased from the grocery store. For example: If 2 pounds of flour cost $3.00, how much does flour cost per pound?
2. Use store advertisements to engage your child in working with numbers. For example: If a store advertises 30% off, have your child estimate the dollar amount of the discount, as well as the sale price of an item.
3. Have students use four 4’s and any of the four arithmetic operations to write the numbers from 0 to 20 (for example, 44-44=0; 4•4-4•4 = 0. How do you get 1? 4/4+4-4=1).
ENGLISH
Reading literature
* Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text. Students also provide an objective summary of the text.
* Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.
Reading for information:
* Cite several pieces of evidence from the text to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
* Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (such as how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).
Writing
* Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow, and develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information.
* Give a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
* Organize ideas, concepts, and information using such strategies as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect.
* Use transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
* Use precise language and subject-specific vocabulary.
Sample task: Non-fiction understanding
In a 2- to 3-week unit, students read a chapter in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan.
Assignment: Write an informative/explanatory essay of approximately one page in which you analyze how the author organized and developed his argument. Begin by introducing Pollan’s argument and previewing what will follow in your essay. Cite textual evidence, including how the chapter’s major sections contribute to the reader’s overall perspective and how the chapter sections help readers develop their understanding of the argument. Use transitions to help the reader clarify relationships among the ideas you are explaining. End your essay with a concluding statement or section.