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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 3:

We have been learning about number sense and how to use decimals and fractions.

Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied. * Powers of 10 and scientific notation * Divisibility and prime factorization * Equivalent fractions and lowest terms

* Comparing and ordering fractions * Converting between fractions and decimals

Home Activities

Share with your child a few utility bills, such as for electricity, gas, or water. Have your child determine the average daily cost of the utility. To do this, divide the amount of the bill by the number of days the bill spans. Discuss why some utilities cost more than others per day. Find the monthly average for a utility over, say, a one-year period. Discuss why some bills are higher than the monthly average and why some bills are lower.

Another activity you can use is to speak in fractions that are not in lowest terms. For example, if the time is 8:30, you might say to your

child that it is 3/6 past the hour. If your child doesn’t correct you, ask if he or she understood what you said. Your child should be able to point out that you meant half past the hour. The following table provides you with some equivalent fractions, decimals, and percents.

Chapter 2:
We have been learning about equations and graphs.

Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.

* Understanding and writing equations * Equations and graphs ¿ Relating equations and inequalities * Integer addition and subtraction equations * Integer multiplication and division equations * Solving two-step equations

* Problem solving with integer equations

Home Activities

Try to speak to your child with phrases that can be interpreted as inequalities. For example, if your child asks how much longer it will be until dinner is ready, you can say, “Fewer than 10 minutes” or “More than 10 minutes.” Ask your child to write an inequality, using a variable, such as m, for the number of minutes until dinner (m < 10 or m > 10). If you are going somewhere in the car, and your child asks how long it will take to get there, you can say, “At least 15 minutes.” Have your child interpret your answer (15 minutes or more; m ≥ 15).

 

 

Chapter 1:

We have been learning about integers.

Here is a list of some of the skills and concepts we have studied.

* Comparing and ordering integers * Adding integers * Subtracting integers * Multiplying integers

* Dividing integers

Home Activities

With your child, look through a newspaper for examples of positive and negative integers. Ask your child to interpret the meaning of the integer. For example, if you look in the Business section at the stock listings, you might find a stock that has a net change of –2. This means that the value of one share of the stock decreased by $2. In the Sports section, a golfer might be –5 or +2 for a tournament. This means that the golfer is 5 under par or 2 over par. The golfer would prefer to be 5 under par. On the weather page, integers are used to describe the high and low temperatures. For example, the integer 82 means 82 degrees above zero (Fahrenheit). The integer –10 means 10 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). The difference between them is 82 – (–10), or 92°F.

In a table, record the high and low temperature every day for a week. Also include, in the same table, the record high and low for each day. Ask your child to find the difference between the high and low temperature each day. Discuss the variation in high and low temperatures, and how they compare to the record temperatures. Encourage your child to use addition and subtraction of the integers to form conclusions regarding the data.

Here are some helpful websites:

 

Purple Math

 

Internet4Classrooms