Parents as Partners

Chapter Overview One way you can help your student succeed in Chapter 4 is by
discussing the lesson goals in the chart below . When a lesson is completed, ask your
student the following questions. “What were the goals of the lesson? What new words
and formulas did you learn? How can you apply the ideas of the lesson to your life?”

Lesson Title	Lesson Goals	Key Applications
4.1: Prime Factorization	Write a number as a product of prime numbers. Write factors of a number Identify prime and composite numbers.	• Field Trip • Souvenir Pouches • Chinese New Year • Classroom Desks
4.2: Greatest Common Factor	Find the greatest common factor of two or more numbers . Identify relatively prime numbers	• Orchestra • Fruit Baskets • Rose Bowl Floats
4.3: Equivalent Fractions	Write equivalent fractions. Identify equivalent fractions. Simplify fractions .	• Aquarium • Basketball • U.S. Presidents • Skeletons
4.4: Least Common Multiple	Find the LCM of two or more numbers .	• Model Trains • Tour Bus Schedules • Running Laps • Mayan Calendars
4.5: Comparing and Ordering Fractions	Compare and order fractions .	• Kayaking • Pies • Carousels • Wrenches
4.6: Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions	Write improper fractions and mixed numbers. Compare and order fractions and mixed numbers.	• Fitness Awards • Walking to School • Bubbles • Long Jump
4.7: Fractions and Decimals	Write fractions as decimals and decimals as fractions. Order numbers.	• Geography • Rainbow Bridge • Marsupials

Know How to Take Notes

Using Your Homework is the strategy featured in Chapter 4 (see page 164). Encourage your student
to place a question mark next to homework problems that are solved incorrectly . Your student
should then get help from a teacher or classmate on how to correctly solve the problem, and write
down what he/she has learned. Your student may want to include a different , but similar example
to demonstrate his/her new understanding. These notes could then be a great source of information
to help review for any tests or quizzes.

Key Ideas Your student can demonstrate understanding of key concepts by
working through the following exercises with you.

Lesson	Exercise
4.1	Write the prime factorization of the number. Is the number prime or composite? (a) 27 (b) 48 (c) 57 (d) 41
4.2	Find the greatest common factor of the numbers by listing factors. 72, 144, 216, 168, 48
4.3	At a boys’ basketball game, the home team made 8 out of 12 three-point shots and the away team made 10 out of 15 three-point shots. Write the number of three-point shots made by each team as a fraction. Are the fractions equivalent?
4.4	At an amusement park, the sky ride is 20 minutes and the train is 35 minutes. The last time they left the station at the same time was 12:00 P.M. What is the next time they will leave the station at the same time?
4.5	Sonja skied on 18 of the 24 downhill ski trails one weekend and 20 of the 32 cross-country trails another weekend. Write a fraction for the number of trails skied to the total number of trails for each weekend. Did Sonja downhill or cross-country ski a greater fraction of trails?
4.6	Your friend lives 3/4 of a mile away. You walk there each day to get a ride to school. Write the total distance you walk in the morning each week as an improper fraction and as a mixed number.
4.7	Use the distance from the Lesson 4.6 exercise to find your answer. After school, you have to walk home from your friend’s house twice a week. Write the total number of miles you walk each week as a decimal.

Home Involvement Activity

Directions: Look through the sports pages of a newspaper. Write the final scores
of various athletic competitions as a fraction. Put the scores in simplest form, then
order the fractions from least to greatest