Today marks the first day of our new classroom blog! I am really excited to share with you the work we are doing in our fourth grade classroom. Today in math we worked on comparing fractions. Students worked in groups to practice comparing fractions with like denominators as well as fractions with like numerators. As I heard students share important ideas with their groups, I recorded just a few to post here. The videos on this blog will be unedited, so don't be too harsh! It's hard to think on the spot with someone shoving a camera in your face. My students rose to the challenge, however, and did a GREAT job, especially with this being their first time being recorded. I encourage you to leave comments to our students to let them know what a great job they are doing. :) Thank you for stopping by!
Comparing Fractions Mentally
I put one of my students on the spot when I realized she was solving comparing fraction problems mentally and not using her fraction strips. I told her she could do this only if she was able to explain to me her reasoning...she did an awesome job!!!
Comparing Fractions with Like Denominators
Students make generalizations about comparing fractions with like denominators.
Comparing Fractions with Like Numerators
Students make generalizations about comparing fractions with like numerators but different denominators.
Please note: A child states that there are 11 folds with the twelfth strip and the teacher corrects him to say "12 folds". He was actually correct with his statement!
Why is 3/3 Greater than 1/3 and 2/3?
One of my students made a wonderful connection today! While putting fractions in order from least to greatest, he understood (without using his strips) that 3/3 would be the greatest in a group of fractions because it is equal to one whole while the others are were less than one whole. As soon as I heard him tell his group this, I ran over to him and begged him to repeat what he said for me. I LOVE it when students use our previous knowledge to help them figure our more sophisticated problems. I'm super proud of this student!
Today's Science--Fish vs Amphibians
Today in science we discussed how amphibians and fish are alike and how they are different by drawing on our prior knowledge, reading in our textbooks, and completing a Venn diagram. The photo to the right shows the ideas our students came up with! They did a great job with this lesson.