After a professional development day another math teacher and I decided that it would be interesting to come into my math class and see how my students problem solve. We picked a problem called "Make it Last" from the "Perfectly Perilous Math" book. It has so many great math stories that the students have to problem solve. This group of students really enjoy being read to, so any math problem or story that I can read to them I will.
The story is about a group of sailors from 1851 that survive a storm and end up in a row boat, but the problem is that there is only so much water and food. They have to figure out how long they can last with the water and food. Also how much they can get each day to be able to survive so many days.
The story is about a group of sailors from 1851 that survive a storm and end up in a row boat, but the problem is that there is only so much water and food. They have to figure out how long they can last with the water and food. Also how much they can get each day to be able to survive so many days.
The students were pretty tired that Monday morning to start with, but once they started looking at the story and asking each other questions they really got into solving the problem. Most of the students were really excited that Mrs. Anderson was recording their ideas and how they were solving the problems. The students became more accountable with their problem solving skills when they realized that they were being recorded and had to share their results with the rest of the students. We always allow the students to share their ideas however they want too, so one group decided to share their answer as a charades. The class loved trying to guess their answer and how they solved it. Another group came up with ideas that could present more problems to solve. One group that sometimes takes a bit to get going was really into this problem and worked right from the start until the end. They were able to describe their thinking and how they were able to solve this problem. This is a group that usually has a tough time sharing their thoughts and how they solve problems.
I've notice with one of my grade 8 classes and both of my grade 7 classes that they really enjoy solving problems that I read to them. After reading the problem we usually brainstorm on the board the information that we know from the book and then they go off into smaller groups (sometimes random groups) and try to figure out the problem. The groups that finish early will go around the classroom/hallway to take a look at how the other groups are solving the problem. Sometimes we will also do extension of the problem, such as asking well what if the numbers were higher or decimals or fractions, etc. Those groups that like to challenge themselves will try figuring out the extension part.
Lately I've had comments from students saying that math class goes by fast, because we only work on one question and then the bell goes. I think part of that is because we have lots of discussion about what the problem is asking us to do, and sometimes its because they will think of other aspects that can affect the problem, which is great.
I've notice with one of my grade 8 classes and both of my grade 7 classes that they really enjoy solving problems that I read to them. After reading the problem we usually brainstorm on the board the information that we know from the book and then they go off into smaller groups (sometimes random groups) and try to figure out the problem. The groups that finish early will go around the classroom/hallway to take a look at how the other groups are solving the problem. Sometimes we will also do extension of the problem, such as asking well what if the numbers were higher or decimals or fractions, etc. Those groups that like to challenge themselves will try figuring out the extension part.
Lately I've had comments from students saying that math class goes by fast, because we only work on one question and then the bell goes. I think part of that is because we have lots of discussion about what the problem is asking us to do, and sometimes its because they will think of other aspects that can affect the problem, which is great.