Day 157: Vacation Projects Start

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.NS.3 Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi-digit decimals using the standard algorithm for each operation.

Quote of the Day: “When faced with a task that daunts you, a project that you find difficult, begin by doing something. Choose a small component that seems potentially relevant to the task. While it seems sensible to plan everything before you start, mostly you can’t: Objectives are not clearly enough defined, the nature of the problem keeps shifting, it is too complex and you lack sufficient information. The direct approach is simply impossible. Every writer has stared at a blank page, waiting for inspiration. The wait is often lengthy. Get it down.” - John Kay

Question from Yesterday (as always from a student): "What are the dimensions of a rectangular prism with a surface area of 180 ft squared?"

"Why don't we call steak cow?"

The Learning Objective:

Assessment:

Agenda:

1. Visual Pattern # 60
2. QSSQ
3. Flight
4. Hotel 
5. Rental Car
6. Activities

Glass Half-Full: I really enjoyed the dialogue that took place in Visual Pattern #60. By now we're good about writing something down that we know (that's why I picked this quote), but going from that to problem solving strategies is not always great. This was an excellent open-middle problem (thank you Robert Kaplinsky for a fancy new term).


S1: From Step 1 to Step 2 it increases by 4.

S2: The second and third shapes have squares in them.

S1: On top of the squares is a chimney. The chimney goes up by the step number.

S3: The squares have the same dimensions as the step number.

S4: That must mean the 43rd square will have a 43 x 43 rhombus pile and 43 rhombuses going up the chimney.

Me: So, how about that 43rd step calculation Kenny?

S2: 43 x 43 + 43

Me: Uh huh. What's the rule?

Silence. Guesses.

S4: s x s + 1

Me: Write it on the board.

Several students from the peanut gallery: Include parenthesis.

Another student from the peanut gallery: If you just made a chart, you multiply 2 x 3 for step 2, 3 x 4 for step 3, etc. so you could just 43 x 44 and get the same thing.

Me: Why does that work?

Silence.

S2: Well you are adding one more group of 43 so it's like having 44 groups.

Regrets: I'm tired of kids asking me where to find the flight number. It's on the website look for it. Then again, I could just not make it a requirement for the project, but I feel like just introducing this concept to them will prove helpful to one of them later in life.

Link of the Day: This was an article on creating an environment for kids to thrive in and belong to. Eliminating competition, peer to peer insults, and making sure the students are feeling good about being in math.