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Rm 1 Maths Class
Dear Parents,
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I am teaching your child for maths this year. We are now in our third week of the 'Yr 3 Maths Interchange’. The
children have been grouped using information from 2014, PAT results, basic facts testing & numeracy
assessments. These interchange groups can change throughout the year. We will advise you of changes.
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There are children from Rm 1, 3 & 4 in my maths class. Maths is daily 9.55-10.40am. Our focus is 70% Number &
Algebra & 30% strand (Geometry, Measurement, Statistics & Problem-Solving). Presently on each Friday we
are learning coding (http://room1elmwood.weebly.com/hour-of-code.html)
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We have numeracy links on our class website: http://room1elmwood.weebly.com/numeracy.html. You can
also access this page through the Elmwood website. All links will support what your child is learning in class.
Our current maths learning intentions are:
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Know groups of 2, 5 & 10 within 100.
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Know the basic addition & subtraction facts.
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Know forward & backward counting sequences with whole numbers to at least 1000.
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Know how many ones, tens & hundreds are in whole numbers to at least 1000.
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Use simple additive strategies with whole numbers.
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Solve problems, using a range of counting, grouping & equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers.
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I would suggest purchasing the 'Dragon Maths 1’ book for home use. It is a Yr 3 Numeracy Curriculum (NZ)
activity book that is fantastic for using at home or during holidays. It supports what will be happening in our
classroom throughout the year. You can purchase it from Paper Plus, Merivale (they will order it for you if they
don't have it in stock) or online - http://www.sigmapublications.co.nz. I have a copy on my desk if you would
like to have a look through it. Dragon Maths 2 is for Yr 4 etc… I highly recommend it.
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Attached are some basic fact assessments for your child. These were completed in February. The green
indicates mastered (or on track to master) the orange indicates ‘learning/presently working on’. If you
could, it would be beneficial to get your child to work on these at home. For the green highlighted areas you
can still work on these with a speed and accuracy focus. There is a great site on our maths links page that
caters directly to these. The direct link is http://www.prototec.co.nz/maths.html Get the children to select
Stage 4 or 5. Another idea would be a small whiteboard you could write some equations on for your child to
solve or authentic learning opportunities i.e. shopping, cooking etc. Establishing basic facts is hard work &
needs to be a home/school focus.
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What are basic facts?
Possibly the first thing that springs to mind are ‘times tables’. There is far more to them than this. Everyone
should memorise simpler facts, like addition & subtraction facts. Basic facts should be automatic & random.
While strategies are important, students need to progress to the point where they the automatically recall the
basic facts. Students need to randomly access their basic facts rather than recover them sequentially. This is
especially so for multiplication, where students need instant access to 5 × 4 without having to recite the 4times table starting from 1 × 4 = 4, 2 × 4 = 8, etc. This means that rote learning has only a limited role to play.
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I have also attached a document ‘By the end of Yr 3 Number Knowledge’. Pop in and chat to me or flick
me an email if you have any questions. I am presently collecting the Rm 3 & 4 parents email address so I can
keep you informed via email. Every second Wednesday my release teacher Anna Engelbrecht will be
teaching the class. She will have a whole class basic facts focus for her lessons.
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Meg Feller (meganf@elmwood.school.nz)