Fact Families

This morning we were given a challenge for science. We had to build the tallest structure we could using only a sheet of tin foil. We were given some time to plan by sketching out what our tower would look like. Some of us found the actual construction of the tower difficult because of the tin foil. The towers ended up to be all shapes and sizes, however the tallest one was 54 cm tall. Ms. Binks was hoping that we would use our knowledge on secure and sturdy bases to help with the construction.

In math today we learned 2 more strategies to help with division. The first is fact families. Fact families are sets of numbers that can be used to create questions using only the numbers in the sets. If you know one of the questions, you should be able to create more questions. Today we used fact families to create 2 multiplication questions and 2 division questions. For example for the fact family: 3, 4, 12 I could create the questions:
3 x 4 = 12
4 x 3 = 12
12 / 4 = 3
12 / 3 = 4
Fact families help build off of our multiplication skills.
The second strategy we used was using our multiplication charts. For example for the question 80 / 8 we would go down the side of the chart to the 8, go across until we find 80 and then go up to find the answer which would be 10. Use the multiplication chart below to find the answers for:
a) 36 /6
b) 42 / 7
c) 60 / 12

In social today, we learned about the climate of Peru. We learned that there are 2 seasons: wet and dry. We learned that depending on the region, the weather can change. This is mainly due to the fact that the Andes Mountains block certain weather patterns. The coast region is very dry and cool. The rainforest stays warm and wet. Tomorrow we will be completing roadblocks based on the information we learned.

Today we were given a list of spelling review words. Students should have brought this list home. They will be tested next Tuesday. Ninja cats will be tested on 25 words, Blue Berry Bananas will be tested on 30 words, Fluffy Bunnies will be tested on 30 words. If you need another list please ask Ms. Binks.

Jump Rope for Heart prizes were sent home today. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Sadowsky

Reminders:
- Book orders are due on Thursday
- Flower fundraiser forms due next week
- No school on Friday and Monday
- Spelling review test on Tuesday