Day 15 Least Common Multiple

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.NS.4 Find the greatest common factor of two whole numbers less than or equal to 100 and the least common multiple of two whole numbers less than or equal to 12. Use the distributive property to express a sum of two whole numbers 1–100 with a common factor as a multiple of a sum of two whole numbers with no common factor. For example, express 36 + 8 as 4(9 + 2).
MA.4.a. Apply number theory concepts, including prime factorization and relatively prime numbers, to the solution of problems.

The Learning Objective: Find the least common multiple of two or more numbers

Quote of the Day: "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today. Learn from the past and get over it" - Will Rogers

Assessment: I had students try a problem on their own during the notes and checked them by going around the room; I checked the homework for understanding of the divisibility rules; the multiples were displayed on the Marvelous Multiples sheet; The clickers helped me see that students had difficulty transitioning from the word multiple to the word factor, but after transitioning they did not have much difficulty.

Agenda:

1. Estimation 180 Day 18 and Day 19 and homework check
2. Cook out ideas
3. Watch Father of the Bride clip
4. Least Common Multiple Notes (definition for each of the three words and two to three homework examples)
5. Start the homework
6. Marvelous Multiples designs 
7. Clickers to check on if students know the difference between factors and multiples

Glass Half-Full Take: On my third slide using the clickers I changed the directions from give a multiple to give a factor and it threw half the class off. That's when I had their attention and they knew to look for the word multiple or factor. The co-teacher told the students that factors always start with one and itself. We said that over and over again in one class to try to make it stick. I'd never done this before, but knowing how hard it is to differentiate between a factor and a multiple, I thought it was a great idea.

One Regret: I wish I posted in my daily agenda pass back and review weekly quiz materials. I forget that the students are still learning routines. I should have carved out the beginning of the block for passing back, passing out, and letting the students pass in various weekly quiz materials.

Homework: I quickly changed the homework when I saw how students were flying through what it was supposed to be. I made them only do two to three problems, but to challenge them I asked them why sometimes multiplying got the least common multiple and sometimes it did not. Differentiating homework has been much more of a routine in my class this year. I don't really care to torture students with busy week. I just want them to think and be challenged a little. As long as effort and thought go into an assignment it is fine by me if they do not reach a valid answer.

Link of the Day: Jognog does much of what the clickers do for me except there are already standards based quizzes created. A former colleague said the fifth and sixth grade teachers in his district are very high on it.