Math Is Real Life: 100s Day Computation Challenge Game Board Design

Today I was inspired to join Miss Math Dork in her Math Is Real Life series!  Although this math problem is for school, it is a real life teacher problem, so I think that qualifies. :)

My task was to create not one, but two posters this year for our 100s Day of School math competition.  Although I posted about this last year over at Shut the Door and Teach, this year Mr. E next door wanted his class to join in on the fun.  This time there would be 2 fourth grade classes competing to solve 100 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problems. 

Therefore, my first task was simple enough.  I needed to find half so I divided by 2.

The next task was a little more complex, and exactly the sort of problem that I've asked my fourth graders to find.  We had decided to be the "Red Team" and the "Blue Team," and I had 2 18" x 24" poster boards in red and blue.  The math questions I had were:

• Are the posters big enough for 50 Post Its each? 
• Which area model will work best for my Post Its?

I started out with 3 different area models.  At first I thought 5x10 would be the wrong dimensions for a typical poster board, until I remembered I would want a title.

I love that my models represent what to do with remainders!  They are not just an afterthought; they are important too!

I also love that B and C turned out to be the same, just with a different layout.  Therefore I only had to carry on with two options as I continued.

My next math problem is that each sticky note is 3" by 3."  Therefore I had to multiply the length and width of each row and column by 3.

Seems straightforward, however when thinking about the real world application, a poster requires a bit of "wiggle room."  Practically speaking, I need about 1/4" of space in between each sticky note if we're going to be taking them down and putting them back up again.  That means that after the first 4 rows/columns, I need another inch.  For the 5th through 8th row, I need a second inch, and so on.

(Just noticed a misspelling on one of the "columns," sorry).  Notice that labels became important here!  I admit, when I was writing this out I originally added on to the inches, not to the rows/columns, but I quickly realized my numbers were way too large.  By labeling columns, rows, and inches, I was able to keep track of where to add the extra few inches.

The result:  Sadly, my 18" by 24" poster board was NOT going to work for this project.  Luckily, in true teacher fashion, I had spare chart paper that was plenty large enough.  Here are the results:

 A little planning and math know-how saved me from having to redo at least one poster!  Now they're ready for Thursday (weather permitting).  I can't wait to show them off to the fourth graders.

If you have a Math Is Real Life story, why not join Miss Math Dork's linky? 

A monthly REAL WORLD 

math blog link-up hosted by

4mulaFun,  Fourth Grade Studio,   

Teaching to Inspire in 5th, 

AND MissMathDork.

And if you'd like to read up on last year's 100s Day festivities with my fourth graders, you can catch it here at Shut the Door and Teach. 

Read More

Race to 100! {Teaching Crisis Averted}

I can't change a flat tire or drive a stick shift. I can't cook without googling every verb in the recipe. Side note - WHY are there so many ways to prepare food that start with b?! Bake, broil, baste, boil, beat, braise, brown....it's a good thing my fiancé is an awesome cook, otherwise we'd be on the Ramen noodle diet.

HOWEVER...over time, I have developed a very specific set of skills that all teachers share. I can silence a noisy room in 472 different ways. I can elicit a confession with a simultaneous head-tilt and eyebrow raise. And, perhaps most importantly, I can pull off a pretty awesome Plan B at a moment's notice. Teachers are the ultimate masters of the alternate plan.

We had our math MCAS this week. I've got to hand it to my little friends - they worked their little tails off! I figured after two grueling days of testing, they deserved a game day in math. I decided to do different stations around the room with playing card math games. Easy-peasy.

I had to call a parent during my prep period, but I just needed to leave myself a minute at the end to grab my bin full of playing cards and game directions. I popped the top off my playing card bin and - GASP!!!! No playing cards. I wish *I* could have seen my face - I probably looked like I was auditioning for the role of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone.

I needed a game - and fast. With 5 minutes left of my prep, I didn't have time to make anything or run off copies. Top Chef style, I grabbed the best ingredients I could find - hundreds charts, dice, and ones blocks - and another game was born.

RACE TO 100!

Materials Needed:

Hundreds charts

Dice

Ones blocks or any other player pieces

2 or more players

Object:

To be the first player to reach 100

Math Skills Reinforced:

Multiplication facts 0-9

2-digit by 1-digit multiplication

It was a fun way to work on our multiplication and a big hit with my third graders. Another teacher crisis averted. 

On another note, I've added a new "Freebies for Fans" tab on my Facebook page! "Like" me there to download fun freebies, like these bright chevron numbers!

If you want to check out my math resources, click here to visit the math section of my TpT store!

Happy Teaching!

Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Facebook

Read More

Meet the 2 Brainy Apples!

Did anyone else feel just a "little" like a superhero while reading Mr. Hughes' post title? We started to think of cool superhero names, but we didn't get anywhere. So then we turned to the more fun part of thinking of the superpower we would have. We have actually thought about this in the past (scary, we know), so it was pretty easy. Miranda wants to have the "pop" power....we'll fill you in on that during a later post...I think she just made it up, and I would have the power of teleportation. Who wouldn't want to just close their eyes, imagine where they wanted to be, and then, whoosh! You're there! No airline fees, baggage lines, traffic, bathroom breaks (which are endless with 3 kids). It would be awesome!

Now, back to the introductions: 
We just want to say HOW EXCITED we are to be a part of this collaborative blog!!!! We keep pinching ourselves to make sure it's for real! We LOVE that this idea was born....we have both been lower and upper elementary grades teachers, and, honestly, sometimes the upper grades just seem to be left out a little...*sniff* But not any more!

So Who Are These Apples of 2 Brainy Apples?

Apple #1 will share some personal tidbits with you first: This is my 12th year teaching. I am a southern girl who attended the University of Georgia. "GO DAWGS!" I obtained my bachelor's degree and master's degree in Early Childhood Education. I also obtained a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Every year, like all teachers, I have experienced, excitement, giggles, challenges, tears, and success. My love of learning and determination to reach all students led me to receive my Reading Endorsement and Gifted Endorsement. Besides teaching, I am married to the best man ever. He is a mathematics teacher within a high school STEM Academy. For now, we have a kid in the form of a loving and adorable Schnoodle named Zoe. I am an avid runner and UGA football fan.

Now meet Apple #2: This is my 13th year teaching (my, how time flies!). I was born and raised in Knoxville, TN (Go Big Orange!), but now reside north of Atlanta, GA. I have received advanced degrees in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, as well as in Teacher Leadership. I have my Gifted Endorsement (Miranda and I went through that program together...fun times!), On-Line Teaching endorsement, and certification for Administrative Leadership. Although I have only taught at the elementary school level, I also hold certifications for teaching middle grades ELA and Science. I have the most supportive and loving husband in the world, who is a high school Social Studies teacher and football coach. We have 3 beautiful children, who I think are God's best gift to us. We are an active sports-loving family who LOVES to spend time together outdoors, traveling and exploring. We love deciding where our next adventure will take us!

Between the two of us, we have taught the whole gamut of elementary school: classroom teachers, Title I/EIP, Instructional Coach, Enrichment, Extended Day, and Summer School. We have taught children in grades K-5, so we feel very comfortable with the curriculum and rigor expected of all grade levels.

Our passion is creating tasks that are standards-based and cross-curricular, but also fun, engaging, and differentiated so all students can experience success. Tying a task with a real world scenario ensures our students see a relevance for the activity, and they see a connection on how it can apply to their own lives. When students make connections not only to their own lives, but also across content areas, that little spark in their heads lights up and grows brighter with each passing day. We have seen the most unwilling student complete a task with a smile and later remark about how much fun it was. Our students always get excited when they are given a new task to complete because they never know what role they will take on next. Performance tasks can be very difficult for students to complete at first. Chances are they haven't been required to think in that way, but, after modeling, showing exemplars, and having them work collaboratively with others, they soon learn how to become independent real-world problem solvers who can apply learned skills and knowledge in unfamiliar situations in and out of the classroom.

As teachers, the "TIME" factor always comes in to play...too many standards, not enough time. UGH! But when you integrate subject areas by using performance tasks, the "TIME" factor becomes reasonable because you are teaching multiple standards at the same time.

We are always amazed at the solutions our students come up with and the projects they create. When you give them the freedom to exercise their creativity in a risk-free environment, the results are almost always beyond expectations. We love witnessing our students' individuality and creative approaches when they are designing, explaining, and justifying their products.

Now that we have given you all some background info on who we are, we would LOVE to offer you a couple of our items from our TpT store with you for free! Oh, and we are also offering 10% off our entire store today only (Jan. 7) as a thank-you for stopping by here to read a little about us. Thank you!

Our first FREEBIE is our Hot Cocoa Multiplication and Division Ready To Go Center we like to have our students complete to practice multiplication and division facts. It is a winter theme, so you could use it this week! You just print, laminate, and cut out. There is recording sheet and an answer key. Or, if you prefer, you can print it out in gray-scale and have your students cut and paste the cookies with the mugs instead. We have used it both ways and it has worked well. Enjoy! 

Our second FREEBIE is our Cup Full of Adverbs Ready To Go Center. This is also a winter theme, so you can use it in the upcoming weeks. Students match the adverb on the marshmallow to the type it is on the mug. You can use it as a center just like the Hot Cocoa center above, or there is a black and white option for a classroom activity. Answer key included!

Not only do we blog here, but we also have our own blog called The Orchard. We would LOVE for you to visit us there. We haven't had it for very long, so it is definitely a "baby", but we are hoping it grows up awfully quickly! 

Keep in Touch With Us At:

2 Brainy Apples TpT Store

The Orchard

Pinterest

Facebook

Twitter

See ya'll soon!

2 Brainy Apples

Read More