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!