Day 26: Dividing Decimals with Decimal Divisors

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.NS.3 Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi-digit decimals using the standard algorithm for each operation.
MP3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

The Learning Objective: Divide decimals to find a quotient.

Quote of the Day: “Accountable people look for solutions, not scapegoats. They blame no one. They ask questions like what could I have done differently? And how can I learn from this experience?” - John G. Miller

Agenda:

1. Jumpstart using Estimation 180 Candy Corns (Days 25 through 27)
2. Review the homework. I specifically liked the question will 2.7 divided by 3 be greater than or less than 3.
3. This division of decimals notes "discovery" sheet which was the highlight of my month so far (more on that with the glass half-full).
4. Notes on division of decimals with decimal divisors.
5. Students started their homework on division of decimal with decimal divisors.

The Assessment: The first assessment was me checking their homework. I was looking to see that students were bringing the decimals up into the quotient and they were rather successful with this task. The second assessment came during the discovery sheet. Students made the connection that as a divisor got smaller, a quotient got larger. That said, it was interesting to note that they could not explain what happened when a number was divided by 0. The third assessment came as I let students try a division of decimal problems independently after providing a couple of examples. Finally, students had about twenty-five minutes to work on their homework in class. I'm really proud of the effort that students are putting into the homework during class time. The room was quiet without me having to say much which demonstrates students are learning a routine and learning respect. In going around the room during this time, it also verifies that students are able to accomplish what I'm asking in the objective, which gives me reason to sleep at night. And I'm generally a healthier and better person when I'm sleeping.

Homework: The students did thirteen problems about the algorithm, theory, and word problems with division of decimals. In addition to this the weekly quiz is due in two days and they have a decimal quiz in two days.

My Glass Half-Full Take: In two classes (I didn't see the third class for this activity unfortunately), nobody could tell me what 360 divided by 0 was. They all initially said 0. One student even explained by trying to turn the question around into a multiplication problem. They were excited to argue their point and it was the first genuinely good discussion we've had this year. Given the momentum and interest of the discussion I didn't tell one class what the answer was. The other class was so invested and unwilling to move on that I typed it into my iPhone calculator and it showed error on the screen. I didn't explain why though.

One Thing to Do Differently: In my first class, I passed out this Frayer Model with all four operations. It was not a bad activity, but left me with less time to accomplish solely today's objective which was to divide. I changed this in my next couple of classes and believe this activity would be a better use the next class when we did the study guide which encompassed every operation.

Link of the Day: Daydreaming is good. And in the day of the cell phone it is increasingly hard to do.