Week 7: End of Module 1 Exam

Hello! Welcome to Week 7 of my journal entry.

This week, my students completed their first math test -- Module 1 is complete.

Module 1 is the most challenging and important of all modules in the 4th Grade math curriculum. This is when students, previously third graders, are entering a new level of math rigor and gives teachers an idea of how they will fair for the rest of the school year. 

The concepts covered are foundational and will be referred to continuously throughout the school year. If students don't understand them now, then they will have to spend time during the year learning to master them. 

The multi-step word problem is a new format our 4th Graders must learn to master moving forward. I always tell my students that "reading and math are friends," and tell them to circle important numbers and underline important words.

Below is a sample word problem which is identical to what students were asked to solve during their assessment. Students must understand that they are given the amount of cats (23,754) but that they are not given the amount of dogs or rabbits. 

When students see the word fewer, they should underline that word. This means that they need to subtract. 

When students see the word altogether, this means that they need to add the amounts together.

When the students see estimate, this is code for round. Here, it made sense to round to the nearest thousand. 

They add their estimated amounts and receive a sum of 62,000.

Then, they are asked to find out exactly how many animals are at the pet store. Students must take their original amounts, and add those together. 

Finally, students must explain their thinking and confirm whether or not it is reasonable. 

During these problems, I remind students that they already know how to add and subtract, that they already know how to read word problems. I remind them to pace themselves, to take their time, and check their work before they move on. 

I also tell them to circle their answers so that their teachers can identify it clearly.

These are all fundamental elements of learning math in 4th Grade. I am happy to share that many of my students received very high grades on their first assessment.