Maths Challenge - Odd and Even Investigation

Our class challenge in Maths this week is to work out a trick by noticing patterns. 

The Challenge: What is the trick to knowing if a number is odd or even without having to always work it out?

So far the things people have noticed are...

• A way of testing if a number is EVEN is to share it between two groups. If each group has the same amount it is even. We say they have an even amount.

For example, 

If you go to the lolly shop and you and your friend share the lollies...One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me, etc, etc and you each have the same amount of lollies once you have shared them all out, you bought an even number of lollies and you are both happy. Someone is going to be disappointed if you bought an odd number because someone will get more and the other will have less. 

QUESTION FOLKS: How many more does one person have when the number is odd? Is it always the same difference???????

 Monday

• " Two odd numbers make an even number because 3+3=6 and 5+5=10 but I also know 4+4=8 and four is an even number." Tristan
• Samuel worked out 6+6=12, so he said, "two even numbers make an even number".

What else could you test boys?

Here is a photo of a few children working out which numbers to ten are odd and which are even.

(Don't worry the chalk on the carpet comes off :)






UPDATE
It looks like a bomb exploded on our whiteboard, but here are our accumulated thoughts. We added to our brainstorm over the week. A storm it was! Our learning and understanding grew and we bounced off each others light bulb moments. Remember you can make the photo bigger by clicking on it :)
 

Even though our focus on odd and even numbers is over we are continuing to notice patterns with odd and even numbers.

From Reader to Robber to Writer :)

Tristan's thing is Writing and he's really good at it. You can tell it's his passion
1. because he writes all the time just for fun and
2. he wants to get better at it.

Recently, I showed the kids in A5 a little book I kept when I was at primary school. It contains words and phases that I loved and thought I could use one day in my own writing from books I had read. Tristan thought he could improve his writing if he did the same. So he went home, found a notebook and started his own book of borrowings.

Here are photos of our notebooks and the first page of each. Can you figure out whose is whose?

BUT WAIT. IT GETS BETTER!

Tristan used the first sentence he had written in his notebook, in his story today.

The original sentence was "One night, there was a lot of excitement." Tristan started his story with, "One day, there was a lot of frustration. A bear stole a pear!"
 

 Super sensational and totally tremendous Tristan. Please promise you'll sign a copy for me of the first book you publish:)

Our April Kingdom Kid! She's a real heart warmer.

Congratulations Sophia! You're awesome!

Sophia's award says...

As Roald Dahl wrote: "If you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely." Sophia, you always look lovely and you make us feel lovely, too.

March Calendar Challenge Winners

LOTS OF ENTRIES THIS MONTH!

Congratulations all entrants whether right or not quite :) 

Super research and presentation skills.

Here are a photo of those who said it was a... 

Ring-tailed Lemur that lives in Madagascar!

(Rafael was away today but he also entered and was correct. His entry is the green one leaning against Sam and Leo) 

ALL THE ENTRIES LOOK FANTASTIC UP ON THE WALL -
EYE CATCHING POSTERS ENTRANTS! We can't stop going up to the wall and reading them.