STEM Lesson

Subject: Mathematics + science

Grade: 3 - 4

Length: 1:30

Date: whenever

Stage 1: Pre – Lesson

Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

· 200-1 ask questions that lead to exploration and Investigation

· 200-3 make predictions, based on an observed pattern

Performing and Recording

· 201-5 make and record relevant observations and measurements, using written language, pictures, and

New Brunswick Curricular Objectives

GCO:

· Developing number sense

· Observe needs and characteristics of the environment

SCO:

· SS5: Demonstrate an understanding of line symmetry by:

· identifying symmetrical 2-D shapes

· creating symmetrical 2-D shapes

· drawing one or more lines of symmetry in a 2-D shape.

· Identify and describe parts of plants and their general function (100-28, 203-2)

· SS6: Demonstrate an understanding of congruency, concretely and pictorially.

NCTM:

· Learn more about the world around them and how it is constructed naturally

Materials

Location

· Hand Held Mirrors

· Camera

· Clipboards

· Pencil

· Behind teacher desk in top drawer

· Behind teacher desk

· Back corner in shelf

· Provided by students

Engaging Question

Teacher will

Students will

· Ask students what they think the word Symmetry means

· Explain to students that symmetry is when any symmetrical shape can be divided into two same parts along the line of symmetry; however, not every composite shape made up of

congruent figures are symmetrical. For

· Draw an example of a hexagon on board

· Explain to the class that this regular hexagon is symmetrical. The line of

symmetry shown in the diagram divides the hexagon into two congruent shapes

· Ask students what kind of examples we could see symmetry in in nature as we see with the hexagon?

· Write examples on the board that are provided by students

· Examples could be

· Leaves

· Stumps

· Flowers

· Pinecones

· Explain that today we are going to go and observe what we can find in nature that meets the standards of symmetry

Exploration (20m)

Teacher will

Students will

· Bring out clipboards for students and ask them to bring a pencil from their desks with them

· Ask students to line up and get ready to go outside to perform the activity

· Students will remain within eyesight of teacher at all times and stay in groups of 2 or 3 during the exploration part of the lesson

· Students will look for examples of symmetry in nature like the examples they discussed in class

· If possible, students can bring in small samples of leaves or seeds for next part of lesson

· If this is not possible students can ask teacher to take a picture using camera to print off later

· Students can also draw what they find as accurately as possible and record how many things they find that represent symmetry in nature

· Students will return inside after activity has been completed

Explanation (30m)

Teacher will

Students will

· Once settled back inside students will share their findings with the class

· What examples they found and what images they asked to be captured by teacher

· For this stage of the lesson explain to students that there are different forms of symmetry

· Reflection symmetry: is when one half reflects the other half of something due to a present line of symmetry

· Rotational symmetry: is where an object can be rotated at a central point and look the same

· Write on the board the two categories of symmetry discussed as well as a non-symmetric category.

· Hand out the small mirrors to students at their desks and explain that they can use them to observe if an object is symmetrical by placing it in the middle and seeing if it reflects a copy of the other side.

· Have students observe the example brought inside, and display the pictures taken to class

· Students will find categories what they have into one of the three categories of symmetry on board

· Students may discuss and write down answers on their clipboards before giving answers

Expansion

Teacher will

Student will

· Students will take the answers they have recorded and placed their choices in the three categories on the board

· To justify answers students will elaborate on the reason they came to the conclusion they did when classifying their examples of symmetry in nature

· Class list will be placed in another part of the room for reference to future activities

Evaluation and Differentiation

Evaluation

Differentiation

· Evaluation will be formative and based upon the involvement of individual students in following along and assisting classmates during it

· Assessment will also take place in how students do in the classifying of different forms of or lack thereof symmetry in the examples provided and collected

· Students who do not feel comfortable touching things outdoors can be provided with pre-found examples to examine and share

· Students who are nervous in working in groups can be partnered as helpers with the teacher outside

Post Lesson Activities

Lesson Evaluation and Revision:

· Could be a craft component introduced to a lesson involving students creating replications of symmetry in nature in the form of drawings of leaves and other symmetrical constructs in nature.

· This craft could be a next day activity to refresh the concepts of symmetry with students

Notes for next time

References

A., V.D., Karp, K., Bay-Williams, J.M., & Wray. J.A. (2017). Elementary and

middle school mathematics: teaching development. (5th ed.) Don mills, ON: Pearson Canada, Inc

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2017). Standards and Position.

Retrieved from NTCM:

http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Principles-and-Standards/Number-and-Operations/

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/curric/Science/Science-Grade3.pdf

Manipulatives

Dice

Dice are an extremely versatile tool to have available in math class or lesson. Dice can be used for math games of many different types such as snakes and ladders with math equations or with the randomizing of numbers for the making of equations ranging from multiplication, addition, subtraction, and division. There are also many different types of dice available to use varying is size and texture to suit the needs of any grade, large foam dice can be utilized by younger grades while the regular six-sided dice can be used unanimously by all other grades. The best thing about dice is that it is a tool that can be used to help teach and play, teachers can utilize the random nature of dice to test student’s abilities in mental math and students can use to play games that test their ability to answer questions spontaneously.

Playing Cards

Playing cards can be very beneficial to mathematics in the classroom because they openly display numerical values on them, making them very helpful and simplistic for students learning the basics of number sense. Playing cards can be used in teaching addition and subtraction via the introduction of fun and engaging games like addition and subtraction war; these games expose students to math learning while at the same time being fun and engaging; allowing students to enjoy the learning process better. Decks of cards are cheap and easy to find, making them a must for any classroom and since they are so affordable, every student could have one to utilize in math lessons. Students who struggle with visualizing numbers in math can benefit from the aid provided by cards, helping students get back on track in their learning.

Snap Cubes

Snap cubes are excellent visual tools in the subject of mathematics in the classroom that provide a visual representation of connections for mathematics and calculation. There are many math concepts that can be touched by using snap cubes in the classroom, such as patterning, palace value, and measurement. Patterning is especially easy to demonstrate using snap cubes since they come in a wide range of colours that allow students to represent different patterns in math thinking visually. Snap cubes an also be used to help teach concepts of counting, grouping, adding, and taking away. Snap cubes are extremely popular with students and are easy to find in most schools making them a must-have for any math class.

Two-Sided Counters

Another must-have manipulative to have in a classroom for teaching math is the two-colour counters. Two-sided counters have many uses and help little learners learn to count, make patterns, add, and subtract in a way that is both visually and intellectually engaging. They are very beneficial for use in teaching addition to students through a visual representation of adding and taking away. Students use them for independent practice and help in solving addition and subtraction problems. This manipulative is easy to use and store and can be used for multiple different math units and concepts.

Place Value Blocks

Place value blocks are very helpful in teaching counting, number concepts, double-digit addition and subtraction. Place value concepts are more difficult to grasp and using these concrete manipulatives helps build understanding. It is very beneficial to have a large collection of place value blocks with enough for each student to represent the numbers you are learning. It is possible to find magnetic versions of these manipulatives which would be helpful for whole class demonstrations on the whiteboard or portable boards. Place value blocks are excellent for showing what numbers go into what when

Areas of Interest

Engagement through fun in math

Growing up, I always struggled with mathematics and never had much passion for the subject. Like many other students, I struggled to wrap my head around many of the concepts being explained to me in classes, and I got so frustrated with the subject and thought I would never improve. Today I have a new appreciation for math, and how it influences our lives, as an educator, I know that I will have students in my class who felt the same way I did growing up and sometimes still do. Because of this, I believe that to help students learn math more readily we need to engage them in a fun and exciting way, one of the reasons I ended up liking math more was because I began to learn it in more exciting ways. The following lesson touches on subjects of estimation in mathematics, but adds more engaging and fun activities to go along with the more traditional forms of assessment, it is lessons like these that I will implement in my teaching style to help students be more motivated in the subject of math.

Subject: Mathematics

Grade: 3 - 4

Length: One class

(1 Hour)

Date: January 8th, 2018

Stage 1: Pre – Lesson

Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

· Understand the basic concepts of rounding and estimating with whole numbers

· Recognize that estimation is a very useful skill in their lives

· Understand the concept of rounding (to replace a number with an approximate and more simple number)

· Be able to round to the nearest 10

· Utilize estimation in a relevant situation to them

· Apply estimation to fun activities in mathematics

New Brunswick Curricular Objectives

GCO: Developing number sense

SCO: N3: Demonstrate an understanding of addition of numbers with answers to 10 000 and their corresponding subtractions (limited to 3 and 4-digit numerals)

NCTM:

• using personal strategies for adding and subtracting

• estimating sums and differences

• solving problems involving addition and subtraction

Materials

Location

· Chalk board / writing surface

· Worksheet 1

· Worksheet 2

· Jars x 2

· Candy

· Paper or plates to put candy on

· Front of class

· Behind desk in blue folder

· Behind desk in blue folder

· Under teacher desk

· Under teacher desk

· In drawer beneath desk

Stage 2: Lesson Planning and Implementation

Hook/Explanation with rounding in estimation (20 m)

Teacher will

Students will

· Write on board the equation 10 x 40 and 13 x 42 (could be addition for younger grades)

· Ask students to try and solve each question

· Ask them what they think is the easier question to solve?

· Tell students that there is a way we can make the equation 13 x 42 easier through rounding

· To round to the nearest 10, you must round your numbers so that your last non-zero digit is in the tens place, and you have a zero in the ones place.

· If the digit in the ones place is lower then 5 then you round down and keep the number in the tens place the same

· If the number in the ones place is higher then 5 or 5 then you round up the tens place number by 1

· Hand out sheet of basic 2 digit numbers for class to round up to the nearest 10 for practice (See Appendix A)

· Students will remain in seats

· Students will volunteer to answer which question is easier to answer and why

· Students will follow along with question on board and round to the nearest 10

· Students will work at their tables to solve sheet together or individually to round to the nearest 10

Exploration with Estimation (20m)

Teacher will

Students will

Explanation:

· An estimate is a number that closely approximates the answer to a mathematical computation. An estimate is calculated mentally rather than by completing an exact calculation by hand or with a calculator.

· This skill can help you in real life when purchasing items and using mental math to help solve harder problems

Class problem:

· On Board: If we want to buy 3 different board games at a store that cost $17, $23, $26 we can add up the prices one by one or we can use rounding to estimate the amount of money we will need to buy all the games.

· Ask students to round each number in their head from the equation

· 17 = 20

· 23 = 20

· 26 = 30

· = $70

Group Work: Have students work together on handout with example of varying numbers with items on them to round and then estimate the amount of money they will need to buy all the items. (See Appendix B)

· Cannot use calculator or tools emphasise mental math

· We do not need exact answer, only estimation

· Students will remain in seats

· Students will listen to the explanation of estimation and how it is important to understand that you are not looking for the exact right answer.

· The skill is meant to help in real life for understanding the rough amount of money needed to buy certain things or knowing how many people are in a certain area for example.

· Students will follow along with example problem on board for estimation in purchasing 3 toys

· Student will work at their tables in small groups to round the 3 numbers to the nearest 10 then add them all together to get the estimation of the money needed

Explaining reasonable and unreasonable Estimation (20 m)

Teacher will

Students will

· Explain to students that there are reasonable and unreasonable estimations in observing objects

· Looking at the candies in mason jar we can establish that 15 is an unreasonable estimation, just as an estimation over 500 for example is also unreasonable.

· Have students look at jar of 10 candies as a bassline to help them estimate the amount in the bigger jar

· Ask the students to guess the number of items in the box Let everyone have a guess then write the lowest and highest sum guessed on the board 

· Ask the students about different ways to count the items in an easy way Discuss different options 

· Talk about the advantage of counting items by grouping into groups of tens

· Let the students work in small groups and divide candies amongst them

· Have the groups count their items by grouping the candies into groups of ten and then add them all together 

· Before each group reports their sum let the kids change their previous guesses if they want to 

· Let one group at a time report their sum to you then sums on the board 

· Add all sums together to get answer

· Share candy at end of lesson

· Students will move to matt

· On matt students will follow along with the explanation of reasonable and unreasonable estimations by observing the jar of candies shown by teacher

· Using example of jar with 10 candies students will each make an estimation of how many candies are in the jar

· Students will volunteer to explain ways in which they could count the contents of the jar

· In groups of 2 the contents of the jar will be amongst the students to be grouped into tens

· Once each group has grouped their candies as them to re estimate the amount in the jar before adding them all up to get sum

Evaluation and Differentiation

Evaluation

Differentiation

· Evaluation will be based upon the worksheets 1 and 2 and the group activity at the end of class

· Collect student worksheets for future reference

· Observe the student’s ability to work with one another and individually during worksheets and class discussion and mark down if any need assistance with topic later to clarify understanding.

· This lesson involves the class working together for most of the time which allows students to assist each other in the worksheets.

· If student struggles with motor skills can provides teacher assistance for the writing aspects of assignment, or give blocks to assist with visual learning

· The candy in the group activity at the end of the lesson will help make it more fun and interesting for differentiated learners.

Post Lesson Activities

Lesson Evaluation and Revision:

· Write down notes for the next lesson to learn what can be improved or removed from lesson

· What did the students like?

· What can be added to improve understanding?

References

A., V.D., Karp, K., Bay-Williams, J.M., & Wray. J.A. (2017). Elementary and

middle school mathematics: teaching development. (5th ed.) Don mills, ON: Pearson Canada, Inc

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2017). Standards and Position.

Retrieved from NTCM:

http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Principles-and-Standards/Number-and-Operations/

Appendix A – all students will complete this sheet

Name________________ Date__________________

Round the number to the nearest tens place.

1. 35 =

2. 27 =

3. 16 =

4. 29 =

5. 56 =

6. 37 =

7. 14 =

8. 85 =

9. 67 =

10. 46 =

11. 38 =

12. 24 =

13. 43 =

14. 19 =

15. 31 =

16. 92 =

17. 87 =

18. 28 =

19. 11 =

Appendix B – all students will complete this sheet in small groups or individually

Name________________ Date__________________

Round the prices to the nearest 10s place then add up the total to get estimation of total amount of money needed to purchase all 3 items.

1. $14 + $45 + $23 =

2. $56 + $32 + $16 =

3. $67 + $23 + $12 =

4. $34 + $15 + $11 =

5. $51 + $35 + $51 =

6. $18 + $62 + $39 =

7. $42 + $37 + $26 =

8. $57 + $74 + $61 =

9. $24 + $18 + $32 =

10. $31 + $25 + $52 =

Science Journals and Mathematics

Math is all around us, sometimes we don’t always want to see it, but the truth is that without it we would be in a difficult situation. Because we rely so heavily on math, it is important to recognize and capitalize upon it in other subjects to reinforce learning. Science is a very math-focused field, and in teaching it, there are many situations where it crosses over. When doing activities related to math outside of math time or class take a moment to recognize its significance with the class, point out what is interesting and ask students to identify how it works in the given subject. An example of the cross-curricular power of math is in the activity of science journals observing environments; this is because within these journals students need to record the area and circumference of the habitat as well as make measurements along with the observations they make within it. By pointing out these similarities we as educators can expand students field of understanding in a given subject, and perhaps provide clarity to those who need examples to be seen in a new light.

Below are examples of the presence of math in science through scientific observation journals, and how they demon straight the influence of math in subjects other than itself.