So I have shared Dan Meyer’s blog (http://blog.mrmeyer.com/) with a couple of my math friends but I need to share with all after this week. He mathematizes the world to a degree I now strive for. @ddmeyer uses video clips from television shows and creates new ones using a flip camera to develop everyday situations that students would encounter.
Kool-Aid Man (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What I love about Meyers’ task is that he shows the clip and asks a question stemming from the clip. Then students must understand what is being asked and then identify all the information that is required to solve the question. He has students estimate then asks “What information will you need to get an answer?” I am continuously guilty of just handing over the information needed to students so this was huge for me. Normally the problem tasks I use have the information embedded within but these problems are presented with limited to no information. At first frustrating ….but brilliantly designed!!!! Then as students realize what is required he releases the information on a need to know basis. I modified his task so that I could share. Don’t look at teacher edition until you’ve really looked at the student!
For the first 3 weeks of school I have asked our “willing teachers” to forget the CCS math frameworks/content standards and focus on only tasks that engage students in all 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice to help establish norms and behaviors. Tasks on the link posted below are SICK and littered with the 8 SMPs!!!!!! Did this lesson this week with a 4th grade class and it went Phenomenal! Just had to share!
The task I used can be found on the Georgia Mathematics Educator Forum: Grades K-5 at http://ccgpsmathematicsk-5.wikispaces.com/4th+Grade. The math forum was created by @turtletoms and the GA. DOE. The task I used is called Bucky the Badger which was modified from Dan Meyers’ blog. As I create more tasks similar to Meyers’ and Bucky the Badger I will post them to this blog. Caution though because students may be forced to think!!!! But in the meantime you need to be cautious…you could get lost in the GA math wiki if you’re not careful.
Hope your first sip of the Math Kool-Aid leaves you thirsty for more!!!
Fletchy
This is a great blog post! A few years after I first tried tasks like Bucky the Badger, I stumbled across some courses on https://brilliant-org.pissedconsumer.com/review.html that actually helped me think about math problems in a similar way. The interactive puzzles force you to figure out what you need to know, kind of like Dan Meyer’s videos, which was a great refresher. It’s funny how you can find the same great ideas in different places if you keep looking.
But of course, I want to tweet this. But of course, tweeting here at the DOE is blocked unless you are a very big dog and not a very small tortoise. Once I get home, however, this is fair game. I love this little snowball you are kicking down the hill…do you have an avalanche beacon?
Fletchy- always sharing the vision! I love it!