Mathematics

Fourth grade mathematics covers a variety of topics.  As we go through the year, topics are visited and re-visited to assist with mastery.  For this purpose, many resources are used, among them are Houghton Mifflin Math Central, Fourth Grade Math Minutes, Drops in the Bucket, and basic facts booklets and strategies.  Study guides are provided and discussed before major assessments.  These give parents a solid idea of the targets from class.

WHAT MATH SHOULD MY STUDENT KNOW BEFORE ENTERING GRADE 4?

No child should be given the impression that it's acceptable to say s/he is "bad at math."  As the blog address states, "All can succeed."  There are several skills that will make math success in Grade 4 easier for students.  Vital skills for incoming fourth graders are in red.

• Coming up with a reasonable strategy in an attempt to solve a problem
• Working productively with others to cooperatively solve a problem
• Basic understanding of how a calculator works
• Automatic recall (within 2 seconds) of basic addition and subtraction facts through 9s
• Addition and subtraction with regrouping
• Basic recall (may take some review) of basic multiplication facts through 9s
• Basic understanding of fact families (addition is the inverse of subtraction; multiplication is the inverse of division)
• Recognition of basic 2-dimensional geometric figures: square, rectangle, triangle, circle, pentagon, octagon, hexagon
• Recognition of basic 3-dimensional geometric solids: cube, sphere, cone, cylinder, prism, pyramid
• Practice with finding patterns in things (could be number sequences, like 1, 2, 3, ___, ___, or it could be patterns with geometrical figures)
• Whole-number place values through 100,000
• Creating fractions for given situations (knowing if I have 4 M & Ms and 3 of them are green, then 3/4 of the M & Ms are green)
• Knowing that multiplication is repeated addition (2 x 6 is the same as saying 6 + 6 or "2 sets of 6")
• Comparing whole numbers using symbols (<, >, and =)
• Be familiar with a number line that includes whole numbers and halfway points between those numbers
• Making change from $10
• Produce reasonable estimates
• Tell time on an analog clock
• Determine basic elapsed time (If the party starts at 2 and ends at 4, how many hours will it last?)
• Measure basic length with a ruler (inches and centimeters)
• Read a thermometer
• Basic understanding of perimeter and area
• Basic understanding of volume of a figure given its picture
• Break a larger figure into smaller, familiar figures
• Read and interpret a basic bar graph

A variety of websites exist to help students with reviewing math concepts.  Here are a few suggested sites:

Worksheets for practice:
http://themathworksheetsite.com
http://www.worksheetswizard.com/

Games:
http://www.funbrain.com/math/index.html
http://www.funbrain.com/osa/index.html
http://www.funbrain.com/tictactoe/index.html

Variety of help:
http://www.aplusmath.com/
http://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards.html