Representing Numbers - Problem Solving Strategies

On Friday, November 4th, students were involved with a problem solving question that was taken from the Guide to Effective Instruction, K-3. I also asked Nikki Roy, from Curriculum Services, to join us to support our math thinking and to explore pedagogical documentation with students and myself. 

Using the chart stand, we brainstormed things that come in 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 6's, 7's and 8's. Then, students were given the following problem to solve together: If a spider has 8 legs, how many legs would three spiders have?

The strategies that students choose to use were: counting on their fingers, mental math, pictures, number lines, number sentences, 100's chart and arrays. I was so impressed to see how they displayed and communicated their thinking! 

As part of our pedagogical documentation journey, students were given sticky notes to name which strategy (strategies) they used and how the strategy (strategies) helped them solve the problem! By encouraging student to explain and document their thinking, they are able to communicate their thinking and take ownership in their own learning.

Patterning with Toothpicks

Representing and Extending Patterns

As a school, we are collecting data related to "high ceiling, low floor" questions that have multiple entry points for all students to be successful. These types of questions also offer multiple ways for children to show what they know because there is always more than one solve a question!

Students were placed in partners and together, they were asked to find out how many toothpicks would be needed to complete figure 10. 

All of our students in 2/3P could extend the pattern but we had to go back and RE-READ the question to help us to understand that the question was only asking us to figure out how many toothpicks would be needed to create figure 10. This type of investigation helped most students realize that 33 toothpicks were needed. HOORAY!!!

The strategies used by students were: mental math, drawing out the figures hand, and other students needed to build all 10 figures before they could see the extended pattern. Way to go, 2/3P!

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

Last week was a super busy week! We made apple sauce, explored problem solving by representing numbers and naming our strategies AND we began creating Fall art! So....where to start?!?!

After a fun trip to the apple orchard, we decided to use our class bushel of apples to make some apple sauce to enjoy while watching a Halloween video. Look at us!

Spring Meadows Apple Orchard

We went on our first class trip to Spring Meadows Apple Orchard. The weather was cool but we bundled up and enjoyed the sunshine when it came out!

Our tour began with a visit in the cold storage room where we looked at all of the different types of apples sorted into crates ready to be shipped out to grocery stores. Then we watched how the apples were sorted and de-stemmed. Check it out!

                               

Before we picked apples, Jesse reminded us of "eye to the sky" and to only pick apples that we would eat. Each student was given a clear, plastic bag to fill and take home to share with their families. The Macintosh apples were cold, crisp and really juicy! Yummy!

Next stop, was a walk to the pumpkin patch! Students were able to pick any pumpkin of their choice as long as they could carry it. Everyone was so excited to have their own pumpkin to take home for Halloween!

Finally, it was time for lunch. We worked up an appetite. Some of us were really cold so we did a few jumping jacks to keep us warm!

After lunch, it was time to turn them loose to have fun in the corn maze! Our students had so much fun!

Finally, Jesse took us for a walk around more apple tree, farm animals and a stunning view of our Autumn trees. This was such a memorable part of our tour at the apple orchard.

  

I am so proud of our students! They were respectful, cooperative and good listeners. Our Prince of Wales Wild Cats represented us well at the apple orchard! 

A special thank you goes out to our parent volunteers. Without them, our trip would not have been possible! 

Spring Meadows Apple Orchard

We went on our first class trip to Spring Meadows Apple Orchard. The weather was cool but we bundled up and enjoyed the sunshine when it came out!

Our tour began with a visit in the cold storage room where we looked at all of the different types of apples sorted into crates ready to be shipped out to grocery stores. Then we watched how the apples were sorted and de-stemmed. Check it out!

                               

Before we picked apples, Jesse reminded us of "eye to the sky" and to only pick apples that we would eat. Each student was given a clear, plastic bag to fill and take home to share with their families. The Macintosh apples were cold, crisp and really juicy! Yummy!

Next stop, was a walk to the pumpkin patch! Students were able to pick any pumpkin of their choice as long as they could carry it. Everyone was so excited to have their own pumpkin to take home for Halloween!

Finally, it was time for lunch. We worked up an appetite. Some of us were really cold so we did a few jumping jacks to keep us warm!

After lunch, it was time to turn them loose to have fun in the corn maze! Our students had so much fun!

Finally, Jesse took us for a walk around more apple tree, farm animals and a stunning view of our Autumn trees. This was such a memorable part of our tour at the apple orchard.

  

I am so proud of our students! They were respectful, cooperative and good listeners. Our Prince of Wales Wild Cats represented us well at the apple orchard! 

A special thank you goes out to our parent volunteers. Without them, our trip would not have been possible!