Welcome Back to Addition and Subtraction of Fractions

At the end of the last semester, students demonstrated the relevant data skills and concepts learned by conducting a survey of their peers, gathering and organizing the data, analyzing their results, and creating a video report. The first weeks of the semester your child will practice how to read a variety of contour-type maps, such as climate, precipitation, and growing-seasons maps. 

Additionally, fifth graders will explore addition and subtraction of fractions by using a clock face and fraction sticks. They will practice to find common denominators and apply this skill to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.

To work with your child on the concepts taught in this unit and in previous units, try these interesting and rewarding activities:

• Have your child design and conduct an informal survey. Help him or her collect and organize the data, and then describe the data using data landmarks. Challenge your child to create different ways to present the data. 
• Encourage your child to develop his or her own set of personal measures for both metric and U.S. customary units.
• Play the Fraction Capture game. (See Math Journal, page 198.) This is a game for two players and requires 2 six-sided dice and a game board. Partners roll dice to form fractions and then attempt to capture squares on a Fraction Capture game board. This game provides practice in finding equivalent fractions and in adding fractions.

Fifth graders will be working with the unit 6 checklist both at home and at school. Please, remind your child to bring it home everyday.