Turkey vs. Eagle 

Can you imagine Thanksgiving without turkey?  

Well, if Benjamin Franklin had it his way we may not be eating turkey for Thanksgiving at all! According to a letter Benjamin Franklin wrote to his daughter in 1784 he wanted to make the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States!

What did Ben Franklin see in the plump wild turkey besides a delectable dinner? According to his letter he clearly did not think the bald eagle was an appropriate candidate to represent the Unites States. He claimed the eagle was a lazy thief, and a coward.

Do you agree with Ben Franklin? 

Use World Book online to research a few facts about eagles or wild turkeys. 

What facts support your opinion? 

Write a 3-5 sentence paragraph stating your opinion. Be sure to explain your facts in your own words. 

 

Many Magnificient Multiplication Strategies

Many Magnificent Multiplication Strategies

Over the last few weeks we have been working on multiplication. We have been learning many different strategies to help us solve multiplication problems. 

We started with repeated addition. If Sophia has 3 packs of popsicle. Each pack has 4 popsicles in it. Sophia could either use addition or multiplication to find how many she has in all.

Another strategy is creating equal groups and counting the total number. So, Sophia could draw 3 packs with  4 popsicles in each. 

We practiced making equal groups with items in our classroom. Can you identify the multiplication sentence for these groups?

We also learned how create helpful arrays. An array is a great visual way to organize numbers into neat rows and columns. 

In honor of Halloween we used slimy pumpkin seeds to make arrays. Check out the addition sentences and multiplication sentences!

  I bet you don't realize how frequently you use multiplication to solve day to day problems.

For example, Angelisse was preparing for her birthday and needed to buy goodies for her party. She invited 26 friends to join in her celebration. When she went to Target she found the most precious notepads she was certain her friends would treasure. They came in packs of 6. How many packs does Angelisse need to purchase to have enough for all of her friends? 

Multiplication is a skill you will be grateful to have perfected!

Can you create some word problems that require multiplication for a friend to solve? 

For an extra challenge, create a two step problem for your friends to solve. 

Your word problem must include at least 3 sentences. Practice your writing and vocabulary skills by writing strong sentences!