Learning basic facts is an important skill for children in order to be successful in mathematics. It helps them to estimate, perform operations using larger numbers and quickly see patterns in a variety of math situations.
This year, to assist students in memorizing their basic facts, we will be using an excellent program called Xtramath. This website has students answer basic fact questions and "remembers" which facts they seem to know and which they continue to have difficulty with. In order to achieve full mastery in Xtramath, students must answer all the facts with 3 seconds correctly. It starts with addition facts, then subtraction, multiplication and finally division. Students cannot move from addition until they have mastered all the facts. Some students move very quickly through this program, while others can have a difficult time. It is important to work on it daily to improve. The program only lets you work for 5 - 10 minutes and then it asks the student to stop. Practice makes perfect!
To get into Xtramath, students need my email address and a PIN number. They have written down both of these in their agendas. Once in, they just need to follow the program to proceed.
Some students in the past have had difficulty hitting the correct keys on time in order to progress. They know the facts, but can't press the buttons fast enough! If your child has this difficulty, please feel free to have them tell you the answers and you or an older sibling can type the answers in. Encouraging your child to try and enter the numbers on their own is a good idea however, because it will improve their typing skills as well as their recall of basic facts.
If you have any questions about how Xtramath works, please feel free to contact me at school and I will do my best to assist your child in accessing the program. Thank you!
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
How to Set up an Edmodo Account
Part of our homework this year is going to be using a service called Edmodo. It is a lot like Facebook, but geared for schools. It will only allow students to interact with other students in our classroom. It is very secure, and there is a code for parents to access their child's account and oversee what they are doing. I will be moderating every post on Edmodo as well. Posts cannot be seen on the main page until I have read them, so it will be very safe.
To set up an account for a student, first go to www.edmodo.com, and click on "students".
There is some information that students need to fill in to sign up for the service. First, they need to enter a "Group code", which they have written down in their agendas. Next, they enter their first and last name, and then a username. I have asked students to make a username that includes their first name so that it is easy for me to identify them when they are posting. Finally, they need to enter a password. Please make sure that your child has written their username and password in their agenda so that they can remember it if they forget. Thank you!
That is it for signing up for Edmodo! Easy! If you have any difficulty, please let me know and I will assist your child at school in setting up their account. Thank you!
If you would like to set up a parent account, you can do so by going through the same process, except you sign up as a parent. You will need your child's personal code in order to access their information. In order to get it, have them sign in and you will see their code on the bottom left hand corner of the home page. Good luck!
We will be using Edmodo mostly to complete Literature circles, and to have an online "book club" throughout the year. Every four weeks students will read a new book and interact with their group in talking about their reading. They will have a specific job each week, and then I will also ask them to answer a few of the discussion questions as well. Literature circles will be explained in more detail as we progress through the year. We will begin by doing the tasks as part of a read aloud book we are reading together in class, "Fantastic Mr. Fox".
Thank you for assisting your child with getting set up with Edmodo. If you have any questions, please contact me at school and I will assist you in getting set up.
To set up an account for a student, first go to www.edmodo.com, and click on "students".
There is some information that students need to fill in to sign up for the service. First, they need to enter a "Group code", which they have written down in their agendas. Next, they enter their first and last name, and then a username. I have asked students to make a username that includes their first name so that it is easy for me to identify them when they are posting. Finally, they need to enter a password. Please make sure that your child has written their username and password in their agenda so that they can remember it if they forget. Thank you!
That is it for signing up for Edmodo! Easy! If you have any difficulty, please let me know and I will assist your child at school in setting up their account. Thank you!
If you would like to set up a parent account, you can do so by going through the same process, except you sign up as a parent. You will need your child's personal code in order to access their information. In order to get it, have them sign in and you will see their code on the bottom left hand corner of the home page. Good luck!
We will be using Edmodo mostly to complete Literature circles, and to have an online "book club" throughout the year. Every four weeks students will read a new book and interact with their group in talking about their reading. They will have a specific job each week, and then I will also ask them to answer a few of the discussion questions as well. Literature circles will be explained in more detail as we progress through the year. We will begin by doing the tasks as part of a read aloud book we are reading together in class, "Fantastic Mr. Fox".
Thank you for assisting your child with getting set up with Edmodo. If you have any questions, please contact me at school and I will assist you in getting set up.
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