Multiplication

Dear Parents,

Multiplication is a HUGE part of third grade mathematics.  Our goal is for your student to become accurate and automatic with their facts, 0-12.  Mastery is vital to your child’s mathematical success.  Knowledge of these facts will affect them as they learn and work with decimals, division, fractions, word problems, and more!  I will give each student a multiplication chart with all of the facts, and we will be making flash cards most weeks in class - please practice these EVERY DAY!!!  You can take these cards with you and practice them wherever you go:  in the car, at the doctor, while cooking supper, before bed, during TV commercials, etc.

We will be working on 1 set per week (EXCEPTION:  0s and 1s will test together, 10s and 11s will test together).  The students will take timed tests daily.  These will not count as a grade.  Every FRIDAY we will take a timed test that will be graded.  Students will have 2 minutes to complete about 30-33 problems.  We will go in order (beginning with 0s and 1s), through the facts, but you can keep up with which facts we are on in the planners, on our newsletter, and on the blog.

Later this year, students will be introduced to and required to complete a math program on the computer called Math Facts in a Flash.  This is timed multiplication drills.  Throughout the year, students will have time in class to work on this.

In the spring, all students who have mastered their facts, 0-12, will be invited to an ice cream party!  Thanks for helping us work on this, and all of your support

Multiplication Update

Parents,

We have been working diligently on multiplication since August.  The time has come that hard work is really paying off for so many.  Last week we introduced multi-digit multiplication in Math (two, three, or four digits on top x one digit on the bottom).  We are continuing to work on this daily, however this website is great for creating your own/printing off extra practice, or you can make up your own!  Be sure to check your child's work.  We want to make sure we are not practicing anything the wrong way.

Those students who are still struggling with basic multiplication facts, will want to continue to study their 0-12 facts nightly, so that they do not continue to fall further behind.

Thanks for all of your help.  Practice at home reinforces skills that we have learned in the classroom!

Teacher Work Day

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a day off for the students.  The teachers will be involved in professional development all day.

On Friday I stapled notes in some of the students' planners concerning multiplication.  Our goal is to have 0s-5s mastered by this Friday.  *Mastered means 80% or above on classroom drill tests, as well as passing off the facts on Math Facts in a Flash (a computer program in our classroom).  Students who have not mastered will be retesting on those specific facts this week.

There will be a special prize for students who have mastered 0-5s facts by this Friday, October 19.

We will continue on with 6s beginning the week of October 22.

Keep up the great work, and enjoy the Monday off!