Math
Making mountains out of…Oreos?
Mathematicians in Room 123 have begun learning about different models that they can use to represent and solve problems. One of the most important models they will use is a math mountain, which shows a total at the top and two partners of the total below. Throughout the year, they will use math mountains to show the knowns and unknowns in various problem types and use that representation to decide upon efficient strategies for solving the problems.
It is critical that students have a deep understanding of this model, which was introduced in kindergarten. I used Oreo cookies to help them develop that understanding. As students munched on cookies, they considered how Oreos are similar to math mountains. Since many students twisted their cookies apart, it was easy to introduce the concept of splitting a whole into parts. From there, students made connections to the math mountain. They demonstrated their understanding by using Oreos to make math mountains and determining if they were true or not true. At the end of the lesson, they shared their reasoning with each other. Take a look!
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Math modeling
“Hey, that’s Sendik’s!”
Most students in Room 123 recognized the WFB store, but they couldn’t figure out why I was showing them a picture of it at the start of a math lesson. Then I explained: My daughter works in the floral department at Sendik’s and she is hoping you can help her solve a problem.
Nora’s boss asked her to use red and yellow roses to make bouquets. Each bouquet must have five roses. Now, some customers like more red roses in their bouquets and some like more yellow roses in theirs. Nora needs to make as many different color combinations as she can, so her customers have lots to choose from. But she’s not sure how many different bouquets she can make. She hopes you can help her figure out this problem!
Mathematicians use various models to represent and solve problems. This real-life context served as an introduction to modeling for our class. Students were eager to help Nora, as you can see below:
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The Book Order Project: Round 1
Students in Room 123 started our year off with a challenge: the first round of the Book Order Project! Here’s how the project works:
Working in small groups, students selected books they would like to add to our classroom library; the total cost could be no more than $20. Then they made and presented their choices to their classmates. Their presentations included reasons to choose the books as well as explanations of their math thinking. Finally, they voted on which group of books to order. The books chosen have been ordered–you’ll be able to see which ones when they arrive!
In the process, students got to know their classmates better and began learning how to work effectively in small groups. Take a look at the process:
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Measuring up
Math questions can arise at unexpected times–even during a restroom break!
On Thursday, students in Room 123 were taking a break after PE and before heading to the Great Hall for the afternoon Spring Sing performance. A student started down the hall to get a drink from the bubbler (drinking fountain, if you are not from Wisconsin) near the first grade wing. Another student called out that he should go to the bubbler near the kindergarten wing because it was closer.
Other students immediately chimed in with their opinions: some agreed that the bubbler near the kindergarten wing was closer, some thought the bubbler in the first grade wing was closer, and some thought the two were the same distance away.
On Friday morning, students investigated their question: Is one of the bubblers closer to the center lobby? Take a look at how students found answers to their question!
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Doubling up
Questions arise from many sources and students in Room 123 love to find answers! Here’s what happened earlier this week:
I was talking to my friend Ms. Lucas, who teaches math at the high school. She was so impressed by how you figured out how much taller Spirit was! But when she looked at the picture, she started wondering something. She said that lots of times, a senior in high school is double how tall he was in first grade. So she wondered if the student in the picture doubles how tall he is by the time he is a senior, who would be taller then? How much taller?
Take a look at how first grade mathematicians found the answer to Ms. Lucas’ question!
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Finding the math
Math is everywhere when you stop to notice and ask questions! While looking at a photo, for instance, students in Room 123 and 1B found a challenging problem and then worked in pairs or small groups to solve it. Take a look at their thinking!
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The Book Order Project
As the year draws to a close, students in Room 123 completed their final Book Order Project. During the project, small groups selected books to purchase, used math strategies to show how much they would cost, and wrote descriptions of the books to persuade their classmates to vote for their choices, and presented their choices to the class.
Take a look at the first round here and see how students have grown academically in this final round!
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Inquiring minds want to know!
It all began with a student’s question.
Students were exploring the use of comparison bars to solve problems. A student asked if the difference could ever be zero. I gave an example: Suppose Dr. K came into our room and asked if we had more boys or girls in Room 123. Because we have 10 boys and 10 girls, the difference is zero.
Then another student wondered how many boys and girls are in the whole school. And another wondered if there are more boys than girls in the whole school. The room started to buzz with excitement as students considered these questions, so we decided to find the answers!
Of course, an inquiry project this large took several days to complete. You can see the process and the results below.
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Special thanks to all the classroom teachers who took the time to answer our questions!
How many more is that?
Mathematicians in Room 123 began learning about a new type of problem: comparisons. To solve these types of problems, learners must not only identify which element has more, but also how many more.
During this introduction, students worked in problem-solving teams to analyze and solve a comparison problem which used data from our book inventory. They all struggled a bit with the new problem type, but were able to find the solution. Then students gathered to discuss the differences between this type of problem and the problem types they had encountered earlier in the year. Take a look at the process!
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