The Field Trip

When I taught second grade in CPS, I had students choose where they wanted to go on a field trip. Students decided to go to the Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Park Zoo, and Shedd Aquarium. I had decided to provide subs for the students and this is what the distribution looked like:

Group #1 [Planetarium]

- 3 subs

- 4 people

Group #2 [Museum of Science & Industry]

- 4 subs

- 5 people

Group #3 [Lincoln Park Zoo]

- 7 subs

- 8 people

Group #4 [Shedd Aquarium]

- 3 subs

- 5 people

Now the question that was on everyone's minds when we returned the next day was:

WAS IT FAIR?!?

So, today, I decided to make my fourth grade students decide if on that day five years ago:

1) Was the distribution fair - did each person in each group get the same amount?

2) How much of a sub did each person get, assuming the pieces were cut equally?

Phew. My fourth graders went to work today! Oh, and did I mention that today was the first day of our fraction unit?

Some big ideas that will be discussed tomorrow in our math congress are:

- fractions can be seen as division

One student was able to find the pattern right away and didn't have to draw pictures to decide the amount each student from each group got.

- fraction equivalence

This partnership used connecting cubes called this amount 4/5.

This partnership used connecting cubes and called the amount 16/20.

- what to name a piece

Do you see the misconception that we'll address tomorrow?

1/2 + 1/10? I love it!

Students worked on a draft first, figuring out all of their math. I walked around at this point, lifting the work that students were doing, or addressing some ideas that students were using, but confusing. Then as students finished their rough drafts, they then began to work on their stand-alone posters [posters must speak for themselves w/ clear mathematical thinking] that will be critiqued during our gallery walk tomorrow!

I love me some Cathy Fosnot! I can't wait to see what our gallery walk and math congress will bring tomorrow! Stay tuned...