Invested Children = Robust Math Explorations

Research tells us that when children are empowered by adults who believe in them, a positive mathematical mindset, and robust math tasks (low floor, high ceiling) anything is possible. Reflecting back on the beginning of our week I certainly wouldn't have predicted the rich math learning opportunities and problem-solving that our children delivered. Here is the story of what happened...

I have been doing much professional reading about mathematical mindset (Jo Boaler, www.youcubed.org) and saw the following pattern in one of the books. I was fascinated by the math potential of the question and thought this activity might be something that would be of interest and a challenge for our children.

 

After presenting the question during our morning message, we tweeted our ideas about the pattern and figures. Two classrooms from elsewhere in the province decided to also explore the problem in their classrooms, and tweeted us back their ideas. Using social media to share our mathematical thinking and collaborate with other children grows our ideas and abilities as mathematicians as we learn there are many ways to communicate with others and that when we work collaboratively on a task, the outcome is greater and our understanding richer.

 

We discussed the ideas shared by Ms. Van der Veen and Ms. Ralph's classes and added their ideas to our own understandings of the pattern. This is what we noticed - the pattern grows and we can represent this with a mathematical equation (1, 1+2, 1+2+3, 1+2+3+4, etc.). We noticed that the base was growing by one each time and that the number assigned to the figure (e.g., figure 1) matched the number of blocks in the base and edge (e.g., figure 5 had 5 blocks in the base and 5 on the left edge). 

To help us test this theory we used blocks to build what we noticed. We extended the pattern and built figure 5 and 6.

I asked the children to think about the many other figures that might be created in this pattern. The children wondered what the 100th figure would look like. We decided to set this up as a math exploration for the children today. We provided photos of our previous work, the chart paper reference page, mini wooden blocks, and writing materials.

The children started by building the original figures in the problem. They realized that it was more effective to build the figure flat because building upwards wasn't reliable. The figures would easily tip.

One child immediately went to work on building the 100th figure. She understood the pattern (the 100th figure would have a base and edge each of 100) so she set to work.

This task required great patience and perseverance because the blocks are small and move easily. Putting them back in a straight line and counting and recounting to ensure that there were 100 took great commitment.

Other children became curious and stopped by. "Is the base longer than you?" he asked and we measured to find out.

Once the base was completed the left edge was started. Again, counting out 100 blocks and lining them up in a straight edge was a complicated task and it required great patience and persistence with the task.

She did it! Yeah! This is what the 100th figure's base and edge would look like! Now onto filling it in. Would we have enough blocks?

Another child thought that drawing the figure on a paper would be a better idea because he didn't think we had enough blocks to fill it in. He began, carefully counting out 100 squares to represent the base...

...and learned his paper wasn't big enough. He problem-solved by taping the papers together...

 

...and together and together and together...  Mrs. Tullio stopped by to assist. She was interested in learning about what the children were doing and they were so eager to share their thinking with her. They recognized the significance of this project. 

Once the base and edge were counted out and drawn, we decided to draw the other outside edge. Because we used chart paper and lined the papers up when taping them together, we didn't feel we needed to draw each individual block inside the figure.

Other friends stopped by to watch the work unfolding and to double and triple check to ensure we had 100 squares in our base and 100 in our edge.

 

He did it! This is what the 100th figure would look like! You can tell just how large this is with him sitting inside. Each paper is an easel sized paper and the total papers taped together is almost the size of our large carpet. Taking our time to think slowly and deeply about this problem, and working together with people both inside and outside our school, helped us to accomplish an incredibly impressive feat for kindergarten children. We couldn't be more prouder and wonder what problem we will solve next!

Speech Bubble Writing

If you're like me, you have hundreds of printed photos with no real purpose. I usually keep them in a large box and the kids like to go through them once in a while. This past weekend we decided to use them as motivation for writing. 

Each child went through and chose their favourites.

Using a pre-cut 'speech bubble', Cadence wrote what she thought the person in the photo might be saying. It was a great mini lesson on what speech bubbles are, what the context of a picture is (the people, setting, activities, etc.), and what a good statement might be. We discussed how some statements might be factual to help describe the picture, and others might be fictional and meant to entertain.

I loved reading what Cadence decided to write for each picture!

Caleb did some writing too!

In addition to being a fun way to use up old photos and encourage writing, teachers who use photos for assessment purposes might consider using speech bubble writing to help children reflect upon their activities in photos, and then add these to children's portfolios or a documentation panel in the classroom.

Building Literacy and Planning into our Construction Area

Although the building center is one of the most popular areas in the classroom, with so many children this year we have found that the children have found it difficult to organize their ideas and build a cooperative, recognizable project together.  On Friday we read a story about a construction worker who uses plans to help his team construct a building. We engaged the children in a discussion after the story about what building plans would look like and be used for, and then added a 'building plans' book to our construction center. We encouraged the children to create plans before building anything, hoping this would provide a purpose to their play and add some literacy to the construction center.

The children were eager to use the book and decided to build motorcycles. They collaboratively planned together before building.

After the children were done planning, we discussed with them each part of their drawing, helping to engage them in rich discussions using specific vocabulary. The motorcycles each needed steering wheels, engines, mirrors, kickstands, pedals, throttles, rims, and windshields.

The children then got to work building their motorcycles. They referred often to their plans, helping to keep them focused and working on a purposeful creation together.

Notice the children looking over their plans and discussing them as they are in the middle of building the motorcycles!

The children even created working parts to their motorcycle! Check out these handlebars with moving gas and break parts!

Encouraging Planning and Reflection During Play Time

We believe in providing opportunities for children to actively plan for and reflect upon their experiences together during play time. By thinking about, articulating, and sharing what they do independently and cooperatively, children can deepen their thinking towards their learning in the classroom.

Today we had the children view our class blog together using the Smart Board in the library. We looked at the marble maze, play dough, and survey posts from yesterday. Children featured in the photos and videos discussed what they had done at the various classroom centers. We then talked about how those centers could be revisited again today.

Children who visited the science center immediately began making marble mazes again, but what we noticed were the intricacies used in the designs of the mazes. They were much more complex as children integrated the strategies we discussed (using cubes as towers, angling tubes to be used as ramps, using multiple marbles at once) while viewing the Smart Board.

Some children took their knowledge of the marble mazes and experimented with materials at the building center. It was interesting to observe!

The children also expressed an interest in creating holiday cookies and selling them at a bake sale again. Collectively we agreed that the drama center would be turned into a bakery. The playdough and various playdough tools were brought to the center, play money and writing materials were added, and children spent time baking and then selling holiday cookies and cakes. Building on prior experiences (the flower shop, laundromat) they quickly organized the center so there was a baking area, a selling area, and a writing area. Someone made an open/closed sign so that when the cookies were 'baking' the shop could be closed to customers. The depth of the children's interactions and play was wonderful to observe!  They exhibited such growth in their oral language abilities and cooperation!