Getting Ready for the Decimals Test

Hello, all!

It feels like its been awhile since I last sat down to write about Math 6. Well, we've reached that time again. Test time.

It's all about the decimals this time. The test is THIS FRIDAY. Here's a list of what the kids should be able to do on this test:

• Identify the two parts of a decimal
• Identify the place value of a decimal up to the ten-thousandths place
• Read and/or write any decimal correctly
• Compare two decimals to see which one is bigger/smaller
• Put a list of decimals in order from least to greatest, or greatest to least
• Round decimals
• Add decimals
• Subtract decimals
• Multiply & Divide decimals

Today we took a "Mock Decimals Test" -- just to get a feel for what the test will look like. You too can see what this looks like by going to http://cfsmatthew.wikispaces.com/classdocs

Yesterday we worked primarily on dividing decimals, and you should have seen four problems come home for homework last night. Those answers are posted below (in a picture of the board).

Tomorrow we will NOT see each other--it's a funky block week... and we'll regather on Thursday for a final review.

On a side note, I began today by talking about attitude and how we see ourselves as students/learners of math. In my life outside of school, as well as inside, I've really started to realized that how I approach a day/conversation/topic/subject/person or what I think about a day/conversation/topic/etc. GREATLY influences just how well whatever it is will turn out. For example, "Gosh, I'm really worried about having a conversation with X and I'm pretty sure I'm just not going to be able to find the right words to express myself." Sure enough, lo and behold, there's the conversation... and it happened the way I thought it would, given the context that I have created.

This really hit home for me (again!) in my morning math classes when I found myself last week spending half of a period bucking the students up about themselves and their mathematical abilities. If, while we're learning something new or getting ready to take a test, you are saying to yourself, "I'm really bad at this... I don't get it... I'll never get it... This is horrible... I don't want to be here..." -- guess what you are creating for yourself??

I think of (and wrote on the board for the kids today) the Einstein quote:

Whether you think you can or you can't, either way you're right.

I'm hoping for Friday that your children will think they can!! (We tried a little today to choose how we were thinking and talking about the Mock Test... with a little more practice, who knows!)