Don't Forget the Math

I came across this little gem of a video by Phil Daro, one of the writers of the Common Core.  

 

 

This led to a look at the SERP (Strategic Education Research Partnership) web site of which he is a part. On this site are videos of Phil teaching a math lesson to teachers while modeling the mathematical practices. I watched the beginning clips which opened my eyes to some strategies to help my own students with solving word problems.

 

One strategy I tried this week was to give the stem of a word problem to the class and ask them to generate questions that could be answered with the information that I gave. Very interesting discussion!  I got some humorous questions, thought-provoking questions, and then the impossible-to-answer questions.

 

Isabelle is having a partyand is putting out the dessert on platters on the table. She has 15 pieces of cake and 6 pieces of pie.

 

Questions:

- How many total guests can she invite so that everyone gets one piece of dessert?

- How many guests can she invite if everyone gets one piece of each dessert?

- What is the greatest number of identical platters she can make with no leftover desserts?

- My favorite: Is she serving punch? LOL

 

I then revealed the question I wanted the class to investigate which was the third question in the list. Students worked in pairs to prepare a visual representation of their thinking as well as a written description. While the numbers in this problem are relatively easy to work with, my emphasis was to work with the mathematical practices of communication, collaboration, and reasoning. My students are still struggling with these but improving weekly.

 

Here are some examples of their work - one that is a correct representation and one that is not.

 

 

 

I had randomly called on partners that wanted to share their work at the document camera and explain how they found the answer.  The first pair had the idea and understood the mathematics involved. When the second group came up, inside I cringed AND rejoiced at the same time! It was a great opportunity to teach some peer evaluation and communicating with kindness.  After the second pair shared, I asked if anyone had feedback. The audience's hands sprang up. They called on one student, and she said that their work did not make sense. How could you distribute 21 pieces of dessert on 30 plates and call them identical?  TEACHER HEAVEN!

 

Not only was it the students  who spotted the mistake and then explained it to the others, but the students all were kind in their feedback and it was received with openness!  Turning over the talking to the students reaped great benefits on this experience. The girls who did the incorrect mathematics said, "Now we get you!" A positive growth experience for everyone.