This task will be run in conjunction with the Using 5's lesson here with half the class doing each.
Robot design
Design a robot that has an area of less than 100 squares and more than 60 squares.
grid_paper.pdf | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: |
The template above is designed to be blown up to A3. The dimensions of the robot are really quite small.
Expect their first attempt to be far far far to big :) But I would not warm them - it's a nice discovery!
Expect their first attempt to be far far far to big :) But I would not warm them - it's a nice discovery!
Big Ideas
Moving here from materials that are easy to manipulate (the mine craft blocks) to a scaffold that is more difficult.
Recording/working/thinking - should be made with them understanding which stage they are.
While you can't see the actual working from this picture I have taken some of the student work and put it up as a wall display.
Recording/working/thinking - should be made with them understanding which stage they are.
While you can't see the actual working from this picture I have taken some of the student work and put it up as a wall display.
Time to start adding in a bit more strategy :)
Student Response
I chose this one because of the interesting way they had shown their groups in the head.
This was very much a trial and error task for most students.
They started with huge robots that took up most of the page. Calculated them and then started over much smaller.
Some great problem solving though - one had a massive head with about 70 squares and then they calculated they only had 10 blocks left, so made a tiny body.
They started with huge robots that took up most of the page. Calculated them and then started over much smaller.
Some great problem solving though - one had a massive head with about 70 squares and then they calculated they only had 10 blocks left, so made a tiny body.
This activity provided a good opportunity
Overall it was not an incredibly successful task. BUT it did give me some time to get out and look at some of the specific needs of the kids and their mult strategies.
Specifically:
Specifically:
- Use of addition, like 8+8+8+8 as 16+16
- Finding 10's and 5's.
- Skip counting
- Recording skip counting and repeated addition as multiplication
Sorry no photos, accidentally deleted them.