Stars
(MD-Primary)
You need: a partner
a way to time one minute
paper or a journal
Predict: How many stars do you think you can draw in one minute? Write your prediction in your journal or on the paper.
Directions:
1. One partner draws stars while the other partner times one minute.
2. When the time is up, circle groups of ten stars.
3. Count how many stars you made and record that number in your journal.
4. Switch roles and repeat.
What do you think would happen if you repeated the minute? Would you be able to draw more stars? Try it and see.
Make A Shape
(MD-Primary)
You need: a crayon
Color Tiles
a partner
drawing paper
Directions:
1. On the white paper, draw a shape that you both think can be covered with 32 tiles.
2. Use ten tiles of one color, then ten tiles of another color, and so on, until your shape is covered.
3. Record the number of tiles you used.
4. Now draw another shape that you both think can be covered with 32 tiles.
5. As before, cover, count and record.
Was your second try better than your first? Why might that have happened?
Fill The Cube
(MD-Primary)
You need: a Unifex cube
popcorn kernels
lentils
Predict: How many kernels of popcorn do you think it will take to fill the cube? Write your prediction in your journal or on the paper.
Directions:
1. Fill the cube with popcorn kernels.
2. Remove the popcorn from the cube, making piles of ten. How many 10s? How many 1s? Record.
3. Repeat the same thing only use lentils this time.
How was the experiment different when you changed the popcorn to lentils? Why do you think that happened?
Towers
(MD-Primary)
You Need: Connecting cubes (snap cubes, unifix cubes Or multilinks)
Stop watch
Directions:
1. Connect the cubes to build a tower of one color.
2. Stop building at one minute.
3. Add to your tower using a different color for fifteen seconds. Or take away from your tower for fifteen seconds.
4. Use a counting on or a counting back strategy to solve the addition/subtraction situation.
5. Write the addition/subtraction sentence in your math journal.
Questions You Can Ask the Students:
If you put the larges number in your head, can you count on/back in your mind?
What if you had two minutes to build?
Adapted from Making Mathematics Connections NCTM 07
By Honi Bamberger