Hello 4EH Parents,
This is just a quick note to explain our math program and to inform you about math materials. Our Curriculum, Everyday Mathematics, uses many terms that you may be unfamiliar with. These terms will be abbreviated in student planners. It may be helpful to familiarize yourself with these:
SMJ– Student Math Journal- This is their workbook.
SRB– Student Reference Book- This is their math textbook. Students are instructed to take these home every night there is math homework and bring them back to school the following day.
SL- Study Links Book- This is another workbook which is composed of single homework pages for each lesson. You will not see this book, but you will see pages from it that have been torn out. These always have a house icon in the upper right hand corner of the page.
Mathboxes- A regularly occurring SMJ page that is comprised of review problems from that day’s lesson, previous days’ lessons, previous units of study, and concepts covered in previous grades. Each question is in its own box and sometimes there is a book and page number icon in the upper right hand corner of the box. These icons direct students to corresponding pages in their Student Reference Books. If a student is struggling with a question or cannot recall a concept or a math vocabulary word, they can read about the concept in age appropriate language in their reference book. This enables students to be self-advocating learners. This also helps parents familiarize themselves with the vocabulary and methodology of our math curriculum. If you are helping your child with math homework, this is an excellent resource and should be the first step taken in helping your child. 4th graders are making an important shift from learning to read to reading to learn and this book is a strong example of this idea.
Mathbox Collection/Check– Two times in each unit of study, I will “collect” a random sampling of questions from these pages. I want to know if students can answer questions that reflect what we have been learning and practicing. These questions also align with SAS mathematics standards. This is a way of ensuring that students are retaining key concepts from the current and previous units of study. This is also a way for parents and myself to monitor the quality of work being produced.
We had our first collection yesterday and I shared with the class that this was practice. I had a discussion with each child individually about how they did and kids had a chance to set goals for improvement. If a child does poorly, it is usually one of two things:
- Student did not complete the mathbox pages in class or for homework as directed.
- Student did not do their best. The work was rushed and/or the Student Reference Book was not consulted for clarification on confusing concepts or problems.
Your child will be bringing these home regularly this year.
End of unit tests are sent home at the end of each unit of study. I ask that parents sign the letter on the front and review the test with their child. Thank you! Please contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.
