Term Two Week Five

Hi everyone,
Our Maths learning this week has revolved around exploring some of the "Big Ideas" of Addition and how understanding these can help us solve Addition problems.

First Big Idea:  That it doesn't matter which way around the numbers are when you add, the answer will be the same (In Maths speak it is called the "Commutative Property" of Addition.)
For example   9 + 27 = 27 + 9.
It was very interesting that the children wanted to put an "Answer" after the = sign, but we discussed and explored what the = can mean. One of the meanings can be that it shows that what is on the left of it balances with what is on the right, like 1 + 2 = 2 + 1

The children also wondered if the commutative property for Addition also worked for subtraction. After some investigation and trial they decided it did not work for Subtraction. This understanding is very important.
The children have asked me if I could add another Basic Facts site to the blog, so I have put up the NZ Maths site Basic Facts section to trial out
Have a great weekend everyone.

Term Two Week Four

Hi everyone, exciting news, Mrs Lauridsen will be working with the group of Year 4 girls from the start of Week 6. We have begun using our number knowledge to solve addition and subtraction problems using some different strategies. We have used our understanding of Basic Facts and Place Value to help solve problems like 37 + 29

The children realised that any easy (or efficient) way to solve this problem was to add 30 then subtract 1
So the problem now became  37 + 30 - 1.
They used their understanding of Basic Facts and Place Value to say 3 tens + 3 tens is 6 tens, so 37 +30 = 67, Then 67 -1 = 66.

We have added some photos of one of the Basic Facts activities we do called "Bubble Puzzles". They are like jigsaw puzzles , but with number sentences.

Term Two Week Three

Kia Ora whanau, Week 3 has seen a continued focus on number knowledge as we build up exploring a range of strategies to solve maths problems. We have been looking at, and talking about the place value system we use, how it works and what the numbers mean depending on where they are. The BIG IDEA here is that our place value system is based on 10. When we have 10 ones we have to bundle them up and move to the next column (the tens)  and they become 1 ten. We have used the analogy of a bucket being full, we have to empty it into the next bucket beside it which is ten times bigger.
Coupled with this is how the place value columns are structured: ones, tens, hundreds then ones, tens, hundreds (of thousands), then ones, tens, hundreds (of millions) etc.
The 2 place value gadgets(Place Value Ones, Tens, Hundreds and Reading Numbers to Thousands) we put on the blog help support this learning.
:))

Term Two Week Two

Hi everyone, for part of our time this week we explored some of the gadgets we wanted to add to our blog. The children particularly liked the Tutpup website link. This is a Basic Facts practice website where you compete against others from around the world. The children are currently learning their addition and subtraction facts so when you go to the Tutpup website select "Maths 101", then "Add" or "Subtract". You will find that there are levels of challange available with "Easy Peasy" being the simplest and "Area 51" the most difficult. The children should be working at levels 1 to 3 initially. Whanau, you might want to really challange yourself with Area 51!
We also added a Youtube link to a Place Value song about Ones, Tens, and Hundreds. This is just another we are looking at supporting our learning in Place Value. We will look at adding further songs and raps about Place Value as we build up our knowledge. Thank you Whanau for the support you give your tamariki in their Maths learning and remember we appreciate your feedback when you click the "Comments" button on the blog.
Ka Kite

Term Two Week One

Hi everyone,
Week One has come to an end and the children in Central Maths Stars have had an excellent start.
We have spent a mojority of the week focussing on the language -number- visual links.
For example 67, or 6 tens and 7 ones, is said as "Sixty-seven". The sixty tell us it is 6 tens because the "Ty" part of the word means tens and the "Six" at the start tells us how many tens.
During the next week we will trial some games/activities related to these ideas and extending place value understanding.
We encourage you to share these activities with your whanau and to post comments on our blog.
Have a great week.

Here are some examples of how we linked a visual representation of numbers with numbers on the hundreds board.



47   4 tens and 7 ones



57   5 tens and 7 ones



67   6 tens and 7 ones





Welcome Everyone

Tena kotou and welcome to Central Maths Stars for 2012. We are a group of Maths learners from Central Normal School in Palmerston North. We invite whanau, parents and children to contribute to our blog. We look forward to your comments as you follow our progress this year. You will see that as we progress through the year we will add a range of "Gadgets" to our blog. These are added at a time when the children need them as they will match what we are doing at school.
Whanau and parents, we really encourage you to join in with your children as they engage with the activities on this site and we encourage you to talk with your children about the Maths they are learning. The blog will include photos and explanations of the maths we are learning.
We look forward to your feedback :)