Measuring surface area continues to be a challenge for many students in the junior grades. Recently someone was asking me about this, so here are a few thoughts. EQAO Problem: The container of popcorn shown is in the shape of a rectangular prism. What is the smallest amount of paper … More Understanding Surface Area »
Learning about probability provides a great opportunity to revisit fractions and many other important math concepts such as proportional reasoning in a fun way! Much of this work involves the use of spinners. Big Ideas An experimental probability is based on past events and experiments. A theoretical probability is based … More Probability – Proportional Reasoning & Fractions »
Recently, I planned and implemented this probability lesson in both a Grade 5 and a Grade 3 classroom respectively. This is a example of a lesson that could be used in any Primary/Junior classroom and would also be an easy game to send home for students to play with family … More Probability – Lucky Numbers »
Another exciting day of job-embedded learning with students and educators in a primary class. The teacher had just introduced her students to perimeter the day before. – “estimate, measure, and record the distance around objects, using non-standard units”. The students were organized into pairs and given a shape and snap … More Perimeter and Multiplicative Thinking »
A teacher friend told me a story that I thought I would share with you because of the way she capitalized on a mathematical opportunity. Her Grade 1 class was responsible for leading a prayer service. Because of their theme “We are children of light!”, the principal let them purchase … More Capitalizing On Math Opportunities »
Here is a different “best deal” problem! In my daughter’s Grade 5 classroom we adapted a Patterning & Algebra problem that was shared on Twitter thanks to Michael Sloan. For your birthday, you have decided to take your friends to play Laser Tag. You have two choices. Super Laser offers … More Birthday Party Best Deal »
As a follow-up to the lesson I posted yesterday (See: Diagnostic: Mode, Median & Mean) we gave this question to the students: The number of goals scored by a hockey team are as follows: Game 1: 4 Game 2: 2 … More Stay Tuned For “Mean” »
The other day in a junior classroom the classroom teacher and I gave the students this task as a diagnostic for Data Management. It is a question I adapted from one I found in the Primary EQAO Assessment. The list below shows the number of points the junior basketball team … More Diagnostic: Mode & Median »
Reflection Questions How might using Big Ideas impact how I plan? How might we as educators help students see things from a proportional reasoning perspective? Do you have a full range of manipulatives appropriate to grade level curriculum in your classroom? Do your students have access to these manipulatives for … More Teaching to Big Ideas – Proportional Reasoning »
Recently I spent some time in a primary math class. We gave the following question adapted from Dr. Marian Small’s Open Question resource. I have 4 coins. What might they be? What are the possibilities? After the students spent some time coming up with several possibilities we consolidated by asking … More Four Coins Investigation »
