Tips For Helping Your Fourth Grader Learn About Variables and Symbols IN Their Math Homework
In fourth grade, math integers, variables, symbols, and parentheses are used in equations called mathematical expressions. Read more to find out how to help your child master these new mathematical techniques.
The easiest way to help your fourth grader understand variables and symbols is to explain what the purpose of each concept is and what the easiest way to deal with each one is. These concepts can be broken down to better help you, the parent, better help your child. Your fourth grader can then apply this information to their homework and they will be surprised at how it suddenly makes sense.
Expressions
The most basic of these fourth grade math concepts is the actual equation itself, called an expression. An expression is a type of mathematical statement that may use numbers or variables or sometimes even both. In expressions, numbers are called integers. The integer represents any whole number (positive or negative) including zero.
A few examples of integers are 2, 4, 23, 0, -14, -66, etc. These numbers have no decimal points or fractions following them, they are just a number. Every integer has an absolute value, this being its distance from zero. Zero has no value, it is neither positive nor negative. 3 and -3 have the same absolute value, and can also be called opposites since their absolute values are the same but they are not both positive.
Variables
Variables, the next step in math expressions, are letters that represent unknown numerical values. Usually n, t, x, or y are used but others may be used to represent a certain unit of measurement. For example, t may represent time or d may represent distance.
Don't let your child get confused, a letter in place of a number always represents a numerical value. If there is a unit of measurement, it will follow in the equation or word problem. When there are variables and numbers on the same side, your child first needs to get all of the numbers on one side. An important part of this switch is that the math sign (addition, subtraction, division, or multiplication change to its opposite).
For example, if you have X + 5 = 24, your child must first put 5 on the same side as 24, This changes the addition sign into a subtraction sign in order to retain the equation's value. Once you have all the numbers on one side, the expression is much easier to figure out. If the expression is X = 24 - 5, then X = 19. Your child can check their answer by placing that numerical value in place of the X.
Parentheses
The other part of a mathematical expression, and perhaps the most confusing, is the parenthesis. Parentheses mean that what is inside them must be done first, before the rest of the equation can be figured out. By performing the inside calculations first, your child will find that the whole expression will make more sense and be easier to do.
Here is an example of how this works:
(5 x 3) + y = 30. First, find 5 x 3 so the parentheses are removed. Your child then has 15 + y = 30. They can go on to figure out that y = 30 - 15, and get the answer that y = 15
Breaking down advanced fourth grade math into simple components will help your child see that it is just the same old math problems, only with new names and some extra steps to follow. By presenting the simplified information for them in a way they understand, you have hopefully enabled them to complete their homework with less stress and more success.
The easiest way to help your fourth grader understand variables and symbols is to explain what the purpose of each concept is and what the easiest way to deal with each one is. These concepts can be broken down to better help you, the parent, better help your child. Your fourth grader can then apply this information to their homework and they will be surprised at how it suddenly makes sense.
Expressions
The most basic of these fourth grade math concepts is the actual equation itself, called an expression. An expression is a type of mathematical statement that may use numbers or variables or sometimes even both. In expressions, numbers are called integers. The integer represents any whole number (positive or negative) including zero.
A few examples of integers are 2, 4, 23, 0, -14, -66, etc. These numbers have no decimal points or fractions following them, they are just a number. Every integer has an absolute value, this being its distance from zero. Zero has no value, it is neither positive nor negative. 3 and -3 have the same absolute value, and can also be called opposites since their absolute values are the same but they are not both positive.
Variables
Variables, the next step in math expressions, are letters that represent unknown numerical values. Usually n, t, x, or y are used but others may be used to represent a certain unit of measurement. For example, t may represent time or d may represent distance.
Don't let your child get confused, a letter in place of a number always represents a numerical value. If there is a unit of measurement, it will follow in the equation or word problem. When there are variables and numbers on the same side, your child first needs to get all of the numbers on one side. An important part of this switch is that the math sign (addition, subtraction, division, or multiplication change to its opposite).
For example, if you have X + 5 = 24, your child must first put 5 on the same side as 24, This changes the addition sign into a subtraction sign in order to retain the equation's value. Once you have all the numbers on one side, the expression is much easier to figure out. If the expression is X = 24 - 5, then X = 19. Your child can check their answer by placing that numerical value in place of the X.
Parentheses
The other part of a mathematical expression, and perhaps the most confusing, is the parenthesis. Parentheses mean that what is inside them must be done first, before the rest of the equation can be figured out. By performing the inside calculations first, your child will find that the whole expression will make more sense and be easier to do.
Here is an example of how this works:
(5 x 3) + y = 30. First, find 5 x 3 so the parentheses are removed. Your child then has 15 + y = 30. They can go on to figure out that y = 30 - 15, and get the answer that y = 15
Breaking down advanced fourth grade math into simple components will help your child see that it is just the same old math problems, only with new names and some extra steps to follow. By presenting the simplified information for them in a way they understand, you have hopefully enabled them to complete their homework with less stress and more success.
Why You Should READ with Your Child
Virginia Mann Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
Books stimulate language, mental development and family communication. Here are three important reasons to read aloud with your child and make it a shared activity. Reading exposes your child to rich language and diverse content. Book language uses a larger vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures than the short, one-way communication used in feeding and caring for children. Books allow parents to expand the language environment as they become their children’s first and most important teachers. Books of narrative fiction spark children’s imagination, entertain and inform them about their emotions. Books of informational non-fiction answer questions, providing concepts and knowledge that are cornerstones of science and math. Both types are important and all of their benefits can be realized with books in any language, so parents should feel empowered to read aloud in Spanish, Chinese — whatever their native language.
Reading with your children helps prepare their minds to succeed in school. The benefits of shared reading know no age limits. Babies are soothed by their parent’s voice; school children reading to parents can show accomplishments or seek their help. Books for toddlers can help children get ready to learn to read. I recommend books that provide nursery rhymes, songs and verse as they help children learn to appreciate the sounds within words. Hearing words in terms of syllables, consonants and vowels encourages phoneme awareness, which is the first step toward reading phonetically. Nursery rhymes and songs leap from the page when parents remember them from their own childhood and make them a part of family life. When said in English or Spanish, traditional nursery rhymes and songs help attune children to what the alphabet is all about.
Finally, reading with your child can enrich family ties and intimacy. Its virtues are strongest when parents use reading as an opportunity to enjoy a conversation. Reading together is family time, it is fun time, cuddle time, a time to share your passions, perspective, and values but it’s also a time to listen to children express themselves. When we build a conversation around a book, we encourage our children to communicate with us.
Virginia Mann Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
Books stimulate language, mental development and family communication. Here are three important reasons to read aloud with your child and make it a shared activity. Reading exposes your child to rich language and diverse content. Book language uses a larger vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures than the short, one-way communication used in feeding and caring for children. Books allow parents to expand the language environment as they become their children’s first and most important teachers. Books of narrative fiction spark children’s imagination, entertain and inform them about their emotions. Books of informational non-fiction answer questions, providing concepts and knowledge that are cornerstones of science and math. Both types are important and all of their benefits can be realized with books in any language, so parents should feel empowered to read aloud in Spanish, Chinese — whatever their native language.
Reading with your children helps prepare their minds to succeed in school. The benefits of shared reading know no age limits. Babies are soothed by their parent’s voice; school children reading to parents can show accomplishments or seek their help. Books for toddlers can help children get ready to learn to read. I recommend books that provide nursery rhymes, songs and verse as they help children learn to appreciate the sounds within words. Hearing words in terms of syllables, consonants and vowels encourages phoneme awareness, which is the first step toward reading phonetically. Nursery rhymes and songs leap from the page when parents remember them from their own childhood and make them a part of family life. When said in English or Spanish, traditional nursery rhymes and songs help attune children to what the alphabet is all about.
Finally, reading with your child can enrich family ties and intimacy. Its virtues are strongest when parents use reading as an opportunity to enjoy a conversation. Reading together is family time, it is fun time, cuddle time, a time to share your passions, perspective, and values but it’s also a time to listen to children express themselves. When we build a conversation around a book, we encourage our children to communicate with us.
