NAME ______________________________ DATE _______________

FAMILY LETTER

(PAGE 1 OF 2)

About Mathematics in This Unit

Dear Family,

Our class is starting a new mathematics unit about geometry and measurement called Measuring and Classifying Shapes. During this unit, students measure lengths using U.S. standard units (inches, feet, yards) and metric units (centimeters, meters), convert measurements from larger units to smaller units within the same measurement system (for example, from feet to inches), and measure perimeters. They classify quadrilaterals and triangles based on specific characteristics. They measure angles using other angles as references and using a protractor. Students also solve problems about area, the two-dimensional measure of the size of a surface.

Throughout the unit, students work toward these goals:

Benchmarks Examples
Benchmark 1: Convert linear measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit. Ramona bought 2 yards of fabric. She needs 80 inches of fabric to make a dress. Does she have enough fabric?
Benchmark 2: Determine the perimeter and area of rectangles, including using generalizable methods. A rectangle with one side labeled “24 inches” and one side labeled “8 inches.” Text reads: Perimeter = blank. Area = blank.
Benchmark 3: Draw and identify lines and angles, including parallel and perpendicular lines, and classify polygons by properties of their sides and angles.
Acute Triangles Right Triangles Obtuse Triangles
Three triangles, each with three angles less than 90 degrees. Three triangles, each with one angle that is 90 degrees. Three triangles, each with one angle that is more than 90 degrees.

End ofPage 165

Table of Contents

Investigations 3 in Number, Data, and Space®, Student Activity Book Unit 1 Arrays, Factors, and Multiplicative Comparison Unit 2 Generating and Representing Measurement Data Unit 3 Multiple Towers and Cluster Problems Unit 4 Measuring and Classifying Shapes Unit 5 Large Numbers and Landmarks Unit 6 Fraction Cards and Decimal Grids Unit 7 How Many Packages and Groups? Unit 8 Penny Jars and Towers