Monday, April 27, 2015

Flower Box Task

Normally I start these posts off with who was responsible for this week's task...this week's task is courtesy of me, @doctor_math. I normally don't make a lot of task...I usually don't have time and there are great educators out there who devote their time creating these resources. I'm not sure why I came up with this idea. I'm not much of a home improvement person nor am I much of a gardener. I did, however, feel this task was worthwhile for a few reasons. First, it gives a few situations using volume and surface area, and it forces the students to differentiate from the two. Probably more importantly though, it asks one question but forces students to be able to organize their data effectively to come to the solution. This is difficult for 6th graders with the vast amount of information being thrown at them, but no one gets better without being given the opportunity.

Here is the task the 6th graders saw on the television and their computers along with the standards being applied:

http://bit.ly/1ddiuIa

6.RP.A.3

 It's interesting to see how each student or group chooses to go about this task. To me, it makes sense to find the totals for everything and not piece parts together. Take the soil for example. A student should be able to find how much soil is needed in total and then find the total bags. I had many students do that, but I also had students who found out that a little more than 5 boxes make up a bag and had to deal with the leftover in each bag, or students who find the total for each individual side of the house and add those totals together. None of those approaches are better or worse, but they are all a lot different.

This task is also an indication of how mathematics and reading are connected. I noticed that many of my students who are traditionally lower in reading struggled with this task. There are so many pieces of information to find and comprehend that missing something or not understanding something results in an incorrect final number. Not everything in math is going to be a simple numerical equation and nor should it be. Mathematics instructors...be nice to your reading and language counterparts!

 Below are my student work examples and my discussion help sheet. I would swear that a few of my students were trying to one up me by writing their own versions of a dissertation. They worked together and managed to write a lot and both of their responses are unique and in their own words. For those of you worried that one student in a group will dominate the understanding and everyone else will follow along, here is a great example highlighting that if you want unique responses from group members, you will get it if that is the expectation. Enjoy!












































What does a task look like in action?

Spreadsheet of Task I Have Used in the Classroom

Other Posts with Tasks Containing Student Work

Bubble Wrap Task

Doritos Roulette 
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Bubble Wrap Task

Our 6th grade task for last week was @ddmeyer's break for bubble wrap. Most of my students are currently in our ratio unit, and this task was very valuable in solidifying their learning. I really enjoy this strand of mathematics because of the flexibility it brings. Each question basically had one answer, but most students went about that answer in a different manner.

Here is the modified task my students saw on my television as well as their computers...

http://bit.ly/1yh8gzO

I knew this would happen because I have done this task before, but right away I had many students thinking the answer to the first question was 10 minutes/15 minutes/20 minutes. This makes sense if you are thinking 5 minutes for every 4 inches, but as we discussed a little deeper, the students realized that more than just one side of the bubble wrap is being popped. We also had a discussion about what the area answer would mean in this case...square inches of bubble wrap of number of bubbles.

I enjoyed the layout of this task because it had one situation where you could get right to the number of square inches through repeated addition, and one where you had to find a reduced down version of the ratio first. This gave the students a few different viewpoints and for the most part didn't allow them to do the same thing twice.

I am a big fan of letting students discover shortcuts through actual mathematical understanding, and this task also allows for those types of transitions. I had one group who did a ratio table and went from 5 square inches in 2 minutes all the way up to 625 square inches. Sounds crazy? I don't think so. The students were able analyze their work and find quicker ways without me specifically telling them something. The understanding is owned by the student.

Question two was interesting after the students found the amount of square inches. Once 384 square inches was found and I asked them to find the side lengths of that square, many students put half of 384 or a quarter of 384 not really thinking what that answer would mean. This is a great situation to walk away as a teacher and make sure students get time to think about their decision.

Below is a list of the standards I tied to this task as well as student work and my discussion help sheet. Enjoy!

6.RP.A.3























My Discussion Help Sheet


What does a task look like in action?

Spreadsheet of Task I Have Used in the Classroom

Other Posts with Tasks Containing Student Work

Doritos Roulette 
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