Math 6
Math 6
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Here is a brief overview of what we have been doing in class and ways to help your child succeed.
Chapter 6:
We have been learning about ratio, proportion, and percent. Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.
* What is a ratio? * Equal ratios * What is a rate? * What is a proportion? * Solving proportions using cross products * Solving proportions using unit rates * What is a percent? * Estimating percents * Connecting percents to fractions and decimals * Finding a percent of a number
Home Activities
Here are some activities you can do with your child that use these math skills and concepts.
Keep some of your shopping receipts—grocery receipts are particularly useful for this activity. Use the receipts to find the unit rates of some of the items listed on the receipt. For example, your child may find the unit rate of some favorite food, such as cereal. Your child can find the cost per ounce of a box of cereal. Then your child can estimate the number of ounces consumed in a bowl of cereal and find the cost of a bowl of cereal. Next your child can estimate the percent of the total box that is in one bowl of cereal. Other possibilities include finding the unit cost of a serving of soup or the cost of a single slice of bread.
If a 15-ounce box of cereal costs $3.29, the unit cost is $3.29/15 = $0.21933 or about $0.22. If your child eats about 1/2 ounce of cereal, the cost for each bowl of cereal is about $0.22/2 = $0.11. If one serving of a 15-ounce box of cereal is 1/2 ounce, there are 15 × 2 = 30 servings in a box. To estimate the percent of the total box in one serving, solve 1/30 = x/100 or 30x = 100. Then x = 100/30 or 3.33 and one serving is about 0.0333 or 3% of the total box. Extend the activity by having your child find the better buy between two brands of the same item. Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of buying the better buy.
Chapter 5:
We have been learning about multiplying and dividing fractions. Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.
* Multiplying by a whole number * Multiplying by a fraction * Dividing whole numbers by fractions * Dividing fractions by fractions * Solving fraction equations using multiplication and division
Home Activities
Here are some activities you can do with your child that use these math skills and concepts.
Find the recipes for some of your child’s favorite foods. Have your child find how much of each ingredient would be needed if a recipe is doubled, tripled, or used to make enough servings for 50 people. Then have your child find the amount of each ingredient needed to make one half of the recipe(s) or one serving of a recipe.
Extend the activity by discussing how to measure ingredients with non-standard measures. A measuring cup may not have 5/8-cup or 1/6-cup marks. Have your child suggest ways to accurately measure these amounts. Also discuss measurement conversions when appropriate. For example, have your child explain
how to easily measure 50 1/2-cups of milk. In addition, have your child suggest ways to measure very small fractional amounts that may arise, such as 1/16 teaspoon of vanilla.
Your child can use multiple conversions to find easy ways to measure large amounts. For example, 2 cups = 1 pint, 2 pints = 1 quart, and 4 quarts = 1 gallon. So 4 cups = 1 quart and 16 cups = 1 gallon. Then there are 48 cups of milk in 3 gallons. For small amounts, such as 1/6-cup, your child could suggest ways to measure 1/2 of a 1/3-cup measuring cup.
Chapter 4:
We have been learning about adding and subtracting fractions. Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.
* Adding and subtracting with like denominators * Adding and subtracting with unlike denominators * Solving fraction equations using addition and subtraction * Estimating sums and differences of mixed numbers * Adding and subtracting mixed numbers
Home Activities
Here are some activities you can do with your child that use these math skills and concepts.
Estimate and record the distances of some of the places that your family visits. You may use the odometer on a car to find the exact distance, but it should be sufficient to estimate the distances to the nearest fraction of a mile. Then pick a route and have your child estimate and then find the sum of some of the distances. You can keep the sums simple, such as a round-trip to school, or increase the level of difficulty by including other destinations in the route from a beginning point to an ending point.
For example, if the distance from school to the library is 1 3/4 miles and the distance from the library to your home is 4 1/2 miles, the total distance from school to home with a stop at the library is 1 3/4 + 4 1/2 = 1 3/4 + 4 2/4 = 5 5/4 = 6 1/4 miles.
Extend the activity by recording distances that the family has traveled in a chart for a week. Have your child find the total distance traveled at the end of the week, as well as some of the differences between distances recorded in the chart. Discuss ways that the chart could be used within your family. For example, you can use the chart and the corresponding sums and differences to discuss car mileage versus walking or an alternate means of transportation.
Chapter 3:
We have been learning about patterns and number theory. Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.
* Divisibility * Prime factorization * Understanding fractions * Fractions in lowest terms * Improper fractions and mixed numbers * Converting fractions and decimals * Comparing and ordering fractions
Home Activities
Here are some activities you can do with your child that use these math skills and concepts.
Use food items around the house to quiz your child on fractions. Allow your child to quiz you, too. Select a food such as fruit, and have your child describe a fraction of the group. For example, find the fraction of a bowl of fruit that is apples. Record the fraction in simplest form. Repeat the activity several times, each time recording the fraction in simplest form. After recording several fractions, your child can order the fractions from least to greatest.
To order fractions, your child can find a common denominator and then order the fractions by comparing the numerators.
Vary the above game by playing a simplest form version and having a fraction race. In this version, the fraction must be named immediately in simplest form from the beginning. You can also include mixed numbers by looking for wholes and fractions.
Discuss methods and strategies for choosing fractions in the game. Did you try to stump each other with fractions with odd denominators or did you look for fractions that could be simplified to slow the other player down? Devise methods to play similar fraction games.
Chapter 2:
We have been learning about connecting arithmetic to algebra. We have learned to make sense of large numbers, about number sense and operation sense, and we have had an introduction to algebra. Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.
* Reading and writing large numbers * Exponents * Numerical patterns * Variables and expressions
* Solving equations
Home Activities
Here are some activities you can do with your child that use these math skills and concepts.
Look through a department store catalog and ask your child to select several clothing items that he or she would like to purchase. Have your child estimate the total cost to buy these items by rounding each amount to the nearest dollar.
Extend the activity by setting a limit on the total amount of the purchase. For example, ask your child to select at least three items that will not exceed a total of $40. Then ask your child to find how much money would be left if these items were purchased.
If your child selects items that cost $19.49, $11.50, and $4.55, the sum can be rounded to $20 + $12 + $5 = $37.
Another variation of this activity is to have your child select three items that total more than a designated amount. For example, your child would pick three items that would total more than $50.
Chapter 1:
We have been learning about decimals. Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.
* Decimal notation * Comparing and Ordering decimals * Estimating with decimals * Adding and subtracting decimal numbers * Multiplying a whole number by a decimal * Multiplying a decimal by a decimal * Dividing with decimals
Home Activities
Here are some activities you can do with your child that use these math skills and concepts.
Keep the sales receipt after shopping for some groceries. Select several items that were purchased specifically because your child likes them or requested them. Have your child compare the costs of the items by finding the differences between the items. Then have your child find the total of the items. If tax is applicable, have your child compute the tax. What is the difference between these items and the total grocery bill?
Change the focus of the activity by finding the unit cost of the items. The item cost is listed on the store receipt. Your child will have to divide to find the unit cost.
To find the unit cost of some gummy fruit snacks,
divide the total cost by the number of packages in a
box. If a box of 6 gummy snacks costs $1.99, the unit 1.99
cost is $1.99/6 = $0.33.
Encourage your child to look over the sales receipt and comment on particulars. For example, weights are often recorded as decimals of a pound for fruits and vegetables. Do the totals seem reasonable?
Is the grand total reasonable? Discuss how estimating quotients and products would be useful at the supermarket.
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