5th Grade Math

Learning does not end in the classroom. Students who have supportive families who practice skills at home do better in school. These students also feel that school is important.

 Ways to help your child with fifth grade math
 

• After your child has learned multiplication and division in school, have her practice at home. Together, make up stories to go with each problem, like “There are 210 buses full of children go to the county fair. There are 43 children on each bus. How many children are going by bus to the county fair?”
• Ask your child to estimate the answer to the multiplication and division problems you make up. In the example above, she should learn how to multiply 200 times 40 in her head as an estimate.
• Some of the problems you use for division should have remainders (an amount “left over”), such as “45 kids are going to the zoo in cars. Each car can hold 6 kids. How many cars are needed?” The answer to 45 ÷ 6 is 7 with 3 left over, so the answer to the question is not 7 cars, it is 8 cars!
• Other division problems should have fractions as part of the answer. There are 20 children in a classroom. The teacher has 30 cookies to share for snack time. How many cookies will each child get to eat? The answer is each child will get 1 and 1/2 cookies. Have fun with these different types of “remainder” problems.
• A website that visually shows how to multiply two fractions is mathsisfun.com.
• Here is a fun online game that is good for learning about coordinate graphs: Boat Coordinates.

Overall strategies for school success
 

• Meet your child's teacher as soon as the new school year starts.
• Ask the teacher about the process for regular communication between home and school.
• Read what comes home from school and keep in touch with your child's teacher, especially when you have concerns.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences.
• Establish a consistent routine to make sure your child gets homework done. Show an interest in your child's work.
• Always talk about school and the teacher in a positive way, even if you have concerns. It is important for children to see home and school as united.
• Establish regular routines for morning, after school, homework and bedtime.
• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep, so he can focus at school.
• Talk to your child daily about school and how she feels it is going. This shows the value of education.
• Monitor and limit your child's use of technology (TV, computer, internet, video-games, phone and social media).
• Encourage healthy eating and exercise habits.
• Celebrate your child's school success at home.