Perimeter and Area

Perimeter and Area

We are working on perimeter and area. We have focused quite a bit on the formulas that are used to find both. In fact, your kiddo might have come home talking about the 3 good Fs in math. This is a saying that we use to help us remember to use the formula when finding perimeter and area.

Find the formula and write it down.

Fill in the formula with the correct measurements.

Find the answer and label the unit.

Perimeter is the distance around a two-dimensional shape.

We focused on three formulas to find perimeter:

P = s + s + s (perimeter = side + side + side) - this formula can be used on any shape

P = 4 x s (perimeter = 4 x side) - this formula works for squares

P = (2 x l) + (2 x w) or P = 2(l +w); perimeter = (2 x length) + (2 x width) - this formula works for rectangles

Area is the size of a surface or the amount of space inside the boundary of a flat (2-dimensional) object.

We focused on one formula to find the area of a rectangle:

A = l x w (area = length x width)

Follow this link if you want more clarification on calculating perimeter and area:

Calculating Perimeter and Area

Here are a couple of songs we listened to in class:

Cat Perimeter and Area Song

Perimeter and Area Song

Here are some games that you can play to practice these skills.

Math Playground Area and Perimeter

Zoo Designer

Perim-Bots

Area Shape Game

Chicken Corral

Knights of Area and Perimeter

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

We are studying the slow changes to the Earth's surface. These processes include weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Weathering is the process of natural forces breaking down rocks into smaller pieces. Some of the causes of weathering include: moving water, ice, wind, plant root growth, burrowing animals, and temperature changes.

Erosion is the process which the broken pieces are transported, or moved, from one place to another. Some of the causes of erosion include: moving water, wind, glaciers (ice), and gravity (avalanches).

Deposition is the process of moved particles being deposited, or dropped off, in a new location. This process creates new land forms such as flood plains, deltas, sand dunes, and beaches.

Although we talk about weathering, erosion, and deposition as three separate processes, they often occur together. Over time, rocks are generally broken into smaller pieces (weathering), carried downhill (erosion), and deposited in a new location (deposition).

Here are some games to help further your understanding of WED:

WED Jeopardy

Shape It Up

Data Representations

Data Representations

We have been learning about three new ways to represent data. We have learned about dot plots, frequency tables, and stem-and-leaf plots.

A dot plot is a graphical display of data using dots. It is very similar to pictographs.

A frequency table is a table that shows a set of numbers/scores and their frequency (how many times each one occurs).

A stem-and-leaf plot is a plot where each data value is split into a "leaf" (usually the last digit) and a "stem" (the other digits). For example "32" is split into "3" (stem) and "2" (leaf). The "stem" values are listed down, and the "leaf" values are listed next to them. This way the "stem" groups the scores and each "leaf" indicates a score within that group.

Here are the basic steps to creating a stem-and-leaf plot:

Here are some videos about these data representations:

Stem and Leaf Plot

Frequency Tables and Dot Plots

Here are some activities that you can do to practice these skills:

Reading Dot Plots and Frequency Tables

Reading Stem and Leaf Plots

Creating Dot Plots

Creating Frequency Tables

Frequency Charts

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Ordering Fractions

Ordering Fractions

When ordering fractions you use the same strategies as you do when comparing fractions. You just add a few more fractions to compare. :)

Draw a picture. This strategy can work with smaller fractions, but starts to get complicated with larger fractions. It is also a strategy that can lead to many mistakes, so we have to be very careful with it.

Compare with like denominators. When the denominators are the same, you are comparing the numerator. The larger numerator will be the larger fraction.

Compare with like numerators. When the numerators are the same, you are comparing the denominator. The larger the denominator, the smaller the pieces will be. Therefore, the smaller denominator will give you the larger fraction.

Compare to a benchmark fraction like 1/2. Determine how the fraction relates to ½ and that can help determine the larger or smaller fractions. We have also put them on a number line to help us clearly see how they compare.

Compare missing pieces. The fraction with the smallest piece missing will be the largest fraction.

Change all denominators to a common denominator. This allows kiddos to then compare fractions with like denominators.

Here is a video that show some of these strategies:

Comparing and Ordering Fractions

Follow these links for ways to practice this skill:

Ordering Fractions Practice

Order Fractions

Drag to Order Fractions

Please let me know if you have any questions.