MS.

O’NEIL’S WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER
3rd Week of February | 2024 4th Grade

Math Technology
Update

Hello 4O Families!
This week, I am writing to share an exciting update about new technology tools
that I will be introducing to in the classroom. There are two new math websites
that I will be introducing to the class to boost student learning in class and at
home. Recently, we have been learning a lot about fractions and decimals in
class during our overarching rational numbers unit. I would love it if the 4th
graders worked with some of these games and activities at home to further
solidify their understanding on these topics. One of the websites that I am
sending in this letter is called SplashLearn. The other website is called
MathGames. The details on how to engage with these websites will be provided
below.

Technology is a major asset to learning, and I believe that using it at home will
nicely support the work that we are doing in class. Both websites connect to the
math concepts that we have recently been working on, and thus using them will
develop student growth inside and outside of the classroom. I am looking
forward to using more technology, especially these websites because they are
very user-friendly and align with the Common Core standards. Overall, I am
super excited to starting this new journey with you and the students!

Do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at

xxxxxxx@bc.edu.
 https://www.splashlearn.com/

The website, “Splash Learn,” has a variety

of activities ranging across all elementary
grades. There are plenty of activities that
engage with topics about rational
numbers, which connects to one of our
focuses, fractions. I will have the students
start with the fraction modules on this
website. The modules connect to the
fourth grade Common Core standards. A
fraction module example is to the right,
and this image shows the aligning Common
Core Standard. Each module has multiple
levels that get increasingly difficult as
students move through it. I will also track
their progress and identify where they
may be struggling.
The image to left represents an example
of an activity in this module. Students have
to look at the visual representations of the
fraction circles or bars to determine the
correct multiplication sentence. There are
three circles cut into eight equal parts and
six of them are shaded in green. Each
circle represents 6/8 and there are 3
circles, so the correct answer is 3 x 6/8.
This process is visually appealing and
accessible, using both visual and written
representations to assist student learning.
Multimodal learning is super helpful for
productive development and allows
students to stay more engaged.

When a student gets a question wrong, their page

will look like the image to the right. It allows the
student to move on, but on their progress meter to
the right, it shows an incorrect, red mark rather
than a correct, green mark. When students do
answer correctly, their progress meter shows a
green mark, they earn tokens, and those tokens
can be used towards prizes on the website.
 https://www.mathgames.com/

The website, “Math Games,” has

activities for various math topics, but
when using this website, students will
focus on working with decimals. As seen
to the right, there are four modules
under the decimals tab. Students should
begin by working with the first module
and move on from there. I will track
In the example (shown in the top image to the
student progress as they engage with the
left), students will find the fraction’s
games and will use this to inform in class
corresponding decimal. The Math Games website
learning. Math Games also connects to
does not tend to have multiple choice questions
the Common Core Standards, which
rather it asks for a written response, and they
directly aligns with our curriculum.
have to solve it without any help. Some times,
students will solve a problem in the numerator
before converting to a decimal (shown in the
middle image to the left). The students type in
the answer in the box, and it is corrected right
away. When students get a question incorrect,
they can watch a video to understand their
mistake, which is shown in the bottom image to
the left. In addition, if a student gets a large
portion of the questions incorrect in a certain
level, they will be asked to repeat that level
before moving on to the next one. Additionally,
student progress reports will be released to both
me and each family periodically. The supports
provided on the website are accessible and useful
if extra help is needed. I find MathGames to be
clear and easy to work with as it challenges
students to work through multiple calculations
and work with different representatoins of the
same number.