Basic Operations Voted Most Efficient Week 2!

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Our first homework sheet proved to be of great use, as many simple and very efficient strategies emerged!

Problem number one was a subtraction problem, and the most popular strategy was the use of an open number line to add up from $267 to $323. The class then gave a go at "straight subtraction" which uses positive and negative values. Many in the class found this to be even easier to navigate, and most thought that it was faster too. Fast and accurate; you cannot beat that!

The second problem shows a very efficient execution of left to right adding. Adding the greatest place value first can help reduce large errors in calculations. I'd much rather be off by a dollar than a million dollars!

The final problem was almost universally solved by using a "generic rectangle" to multiply 16 by 12. The partial products are usually accurate, easy to calculate, fast, and easy to add up. Some students used multiplication clusters like 16 X 10 and 16 x 2 to solve the problem, and that is another fast and accurate strategy that is great for this factor combination!

These students ROCK!