Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Multi-Digit Multiplication: 3 Strategies

There are many ways to solve multi-digit multiplication problems. Choose the strategy that works with your brain! Here are three of them...







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No matter which strategy we use, the solution remains the same!

427 x 24 = 10,248


If you do not have your X Facts memorized, 5th grade math can take a long time to calculate. I would suggest gluing a Multiplication Chart onto the inside of your Math notebook cover. That way you can refer to it all year.



  
Here are a few sites that may help with multiplication...

X GAMES!


Keep up the great work, kids!

Thursday, October 16, 2025

The Power of Ten

Using exponents is an efficient way to write numbers that have a few too many zeeeeeros.

The exponent (or power) tells us how many zeros are in the number when the base number is 10.

The image below has a place for everything with everything in its place. The base can be any whole number, but today we are only focusing on the POWERS of TEN!

Here are the vocabulary words for this lesson: 
powers of ten
base number 
exponent










Click the image below for a catchy Powers of 10 song! 


Powers of 10 Song Lyrics:

Chorus
To find the power of ten
Look at the exponent
Take your pencil and then
and write that many zeros, let’s do it again
To find a power of ten
Look at the exponent
Take your pencil and then
Multiply that many tens
The base number is 10
2 is the exponent
10 to the second means 10 x 10
This power of ten is 100
Again the base number is 10
but now 3 is the exponent
it equals 10 x 10 x 10
The third power ten is 1000
The base number is 10
4 is the exponent
it's 10 x 10 x 10 x 10
The fourth power is 10,000
Again the base number is 10
5 is the exponent
write five tens and multiply them
and you’ll get 100,000
With a power of ten we can multiply or divide
Dividing slides left, multiplying slides right
The powers the number of places…
Slide the point that number of spaces
One hundred five and nine thousandths
Times ten to the third, the three represents
The decimal point sliding right three times,
The products one hundred five thousand, nine.
Now let’s divide by ten to the third
Slide three places left, or in other words
This number is now one thousand times less -
POWERS OF TEN ARE THE BEST
Using powers of ten is the norm
When writing numbers in expanded form
Split the values apart bit by bit
To see the value of every digit.

Friday, October 3, 2025

October STEM Challenge

This month we are going to design catapults that will FLING autumn-ish projectiles 6 feet or more!

Catapults use weights and levers to send large rocks or other things into the air. They were commonly used as weapons during the Middle Ages. Catapults do not throw as far as modern weapons do and are not useful in modern warfare.



During the Medieval Period, catapults were used as weapons to throw rocks or other things such as hot tar, that would cause damage to something else. Often, catapults were set on higher ground or on castle towers to let them shoot farther. They shot rocks to break castle walls or hot tar to set the target on fire.

Let's design mini-catapults!









Use items from around your house to design a free-standing mini catapult that will launch October themed projectiles farther than 6 feet! Projectiles can be anything related to fall - apples, mini pumpkins, acorns, fall-colored pompoms, Halloweeny stuff, etc.

Send Mrs. Sol pictures or movies of your experiment to share in class.

DUE OCTOBER 18





Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Compare & Contrast

 








A Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer you can use when brainstorming 
similarities and differences between 2 or more stories, events, poems, 
creatures, people, poems, science data, shapes, etc.





 
To create a Venn Diagram, draw overlapping circles. 
Each circle represents something that you want to compare and contrast. 
Where circles intersect, you would write traits that the two things have in common. 
You can create a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast ANYTHING!


How are Elmo and Cookie Monster alike?
How are they different?


[click on the diagram above for a closer look]

We can use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast their physical traits, character traits, actions, feelings, etc. 


[click on the image above to view and download the notebook pages] 

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Order of Operations

This week in math we're learning about the Order of Operations.

Numbers 
and Operations
in a Formation...

Watch this video and you'll see what I mean!




Do NOT blame me if that song is stuck in your head until 2034.



Many things in math are not up for interpretation. We need to agree on certain math rules in order for  for humans to calculate numbers and communicate accurately.

For example, if you are ordering new carpet and the guy at Carl's Carpet Center asks you what the square footage of your bedroom is, you should both have an understanding of area. If you calculate differently, you may end up with too much or not enough lime green wool shag. (I had lime green shag carpet in my bedroom when I was your age, so don't laugh.)

"The Order of Operations is very important when simplifying expressions and equations. The Order of Operations is a standard that defines the order in which you should simplify different operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

This standard is critical to simplifying and solving different algebra problems. Without it, two different people may interpret an equation or expression in different ways and come up with different answers. The Order of Operations is shown below." (algebrahelp.com)




What's the difference between parentheses and brackets?

Sometimes parentheses are called "round brackets" because of their shape.

( )


Square brackets remind me of staples that hold the numbers together.

[ ]



When dealing with parentheses and brackets...












For more information, games and other resources, click the links below!


Watch this video for a review!