I hope you had fun discussing this concept with your child yesterday. You can refer to his Maths ATM book page 1 for an illustration of this concept. For those whose child had problems explaining, here's an explanation of the concept:
We read 2x3 as 2 groups of 3. Which means we form 2 groups, and in each group, there are 3 objects.
On the other hand, we read 3x2 as 3 groups of 2. Which means we form 3 groups, and in each group, there are 2 objects.
So, 2x3 is not the same as 3x2 because the groupings are different.
BUT, they can also be considered the same because both number sentences will give the same answer.
Therefore, the boys learnt that sometimes in Maths, there is no definite answer and no definite right or wrong. It all depends on how you look at it and how you justify your answer.
Term 3 Spelling List was issued today. Parents please sign in the box on the front page. Spelling will start on 6 July (Tuesday). The boys have written all the dates for the spelling tests on the list.
Grammar & Vocabulary items for Term 3 (information for parents) was issued today. Parents please sign at the bottom of the back page.
Maths
Explain to daddy/mummy why 2x3 and 3x2 are different but also the same. (Have fun learning this concept with your boy! Hopefully they will be able to explain this concept to you clearly. Their explanations were marvellous in class!) - Parents, you need to know this concept as well so that you can help them revise for their Amode tests (and will not end up teaching them the wrong thing). This is an important concept for their level *hint hint*.
Welcome back to a new school term! After a long break, I'm sure the boys had trouble waking up this morning and there may be a few who were reluctant to come back to school. This is understandable as they had a whole month of break! I will go slow today and tomorrow so that the boys have some time to adjust and be mentally prepared to learn again.
Parents, on your part, I need you to sit down with your child and set goals which he wants to achieve for this term. This activity will help him to stay focus as he has something to work towards through the term. After writing it down, you can pin it up at a place visible to everyone (on the fridge, bedroom wall, etc) so that he can look at it everyday and be reminded of his directions.
In order to rekindle their passion for learning, I showed the boys a thought-provoking video today and I would like to share it with you. This video shows homeless children in Africa who are deprived of the opportunity to attend school due to poverty. After watching the video, the boys gave me their comments and thoughts; and as a class, we came to the conclusion that we are blessed as we get to study in a school with lots of nice facilities so that we can learn comfortably (whereas the children in Africa do not have such a privilege). I hope this video would help the boys to work even harder and be even stronger mentally.
As a class, we came up with 3 simple class rules which we aim to follow for the rest of the semester:
1. I will pay attention in class.
2. I will remember to finish my homework and hand it up on time.
3. I will respect and help others.
We did not come up with many rules as it would be impossible for the boys to remember them. So, we will stick to 3 simple rules and hopefully the boys will learn to be more disciplined as they try to follow the rules which they have come up with on their own.
Alright, announcement for today!
Admin
New timetable has been issued. Parents please take note and refer to the new timetable from now on.
Letter regarding important dates and Term 3 calendar has been issued.
Letter regarding temperature-taking exercise on Wednesday. No action required (as the boys' thermometers are with me).
EL and MA exam papers were given out today (they are in the respective files). Please sign on both exam papers and return the files tomorrow as I will be checking for signatures. Note: For the EL paper, please sign on the small yellow slip of paper.
Class library system: Books will be loaned every Monday. The boys will keep the book for one week and bring it back every Monday for exchange. Please note that you will have to pay if you lose the books so please keep them safe.
Recently I've been thinking of what the school can do to foster bonds between parents and child as well as to strengthen pupils' emotional state of health (with parents' involvement). I am thinking of a structured programme where parents can come into class and interact with the children in the class (to foster bonds between parent and child) or activities which the parents can carry out in class (or in the school compound) to help children have a stronger emotional state of health.
I have this idea because I feel that parents' involvement in school is an important aspect of a child's education. Being Asians, children sometimes keep to themselves and may be reluctant to communicate openly with their parents. Thus, I hope to come up with a programme which involves more communication between parents and child instead of parents merely keeping their children company by watching television programmes together or having dinner together, etc. My aim is to be able to allow parents to participate more actively in school and at the same time be able to carry out activities which can help them bond with their child.
The reason why I am putting this up on our class blog is because I want to seek your opinions. This programme will be designed solely for you and your child. I want to come up with something which you (the parents) are interested in and will enjoy participating in. I do not want to come up with a programme based on what I like or what I feel will be beneficial because all I have are a teacher's point of view. I need your suggestions so that I can see things from a parent's perspective.
I also wish to strengthen bonds between teachers and parents. If you have any suggestions or opinions, please feel free to email me at tan_hui_hong_joyce@moe.edu.sg. I thank you in advance for your suggestions but do bear in mind that I may not be able to adopt all your suggestions as I have to check if they are feasible in the school. But I will definitely be pondering over every single one of your suggestions.
