MathStuff

  Hi All,  It's that time of year when dried corn makes an appearance in supermarkets and farm stands, in fall and Halloween displays, and even on front doors. You might want to bring an ear into your classroom and try an estimation event with it. Have students sit in a circle, ideally with each person having a white board and marker. Pass the ear of corn around so everyone gets a good look at it.  Have students describe what they see as far as structure, color, feel, etc. Use four senses (no taste!) Ask students if they noticed how the ear is made up of separate kernels of corn. Then ask if they could estimate how many kernels there are on the whole ear. Give students an opportunity to think and write an answer. Share the estimates, writing them down the estimates on the board and pointing out the range from lowest to highest. Now ask, is there anything about the ear of corn that they would want to know, that would help them make an even more accurate and confident estim...

  Hi All, The value or magnitude of a number is relative to its context. This sounds like a complex idea, but it's actually pretty simple, very real, and can be fun to explore with kids. For example, 2 can feel like a really big number if you have to wait 2 hours to pick up your rental car at the airport. (Unfortunate real life experience!) In the context of waiting for hours, 2 feels like a big number. Meanwhile, 2 can feel like a really small number if it's the number of dollars you get paid for an hour's work. Same number. Different context. Very different magnitude and feel. Using this idea of numbers in context is a nice place where math, imagination, number sense, and story can all intersect with an easy, but compelling activity. Write this statement on the board: "7 is a BIG number when..." Invite students to take a piece of paper and copy it. Then say, "Please complete the sentence and make it true." Give an example. Some possible examples might ...

  Hi All, Have you noticed those ads where a business says something like, "We have over 25 years of combined experience fixing cars!" Most often they are adding up the number of years of experience of each principal employee. So if there's two people who are fixing cars in a garage and 1 has 12 years of experience and 1 has 14 years, that's over 25 years experience" and I would feel pretty good about them fixing my car.  However, if a different garage has 13 mechanics and each has 2 years of experience that also translates to "over 25 years experience," and though the advertising would still be technically true, I'm not feeling as comfortable bringing my car there. Anyway, adding years up can be fun for kids and they are very aware of people's ages, which brings us to the problem/question: How many years of "combined experience" does your class have? A good way to do this with younger kids is to give each student a blank double ten fr...

  Hi All, Here's a measurement activity that is adaptable for all ages. It also involves some problem solving and "flexible" thinking. It's effective with individuals, partner work, or small groups. Begin by sharing some picture books, photos, or video clips of snakes. Ask the class what they know about snakes and record this information on the board. Kids are fascinated with snakes and usually have plenty to share. Next, get some rolls of white bulletin board paper, drawing paper, or chart paper and provide a piece that is at least 3 feet long and 2 feet wide to each group along with crayons, pencils, markers, and scissors. Ask each group to create a snake and cut it out. Also, have them name it and write the name on the back. This will probably take a class period and is a good cooperative group experience. At the next meeting, ask each group to estimate how long their snake is. Kids will inevitably have created curvy snakes (I've never seen a group make a strai...