In keeping with the admittedly somewhat questionable practice of treats to motivate learners, I stole an idea I saw a colleague online use, and embarked with my Grade 6 students on an exploration of the lunar cycle with Oreo cookies today (thanks, Ricky, for sponsoring this lesson!!)!
After having done some full class discussion and video watching, and a little guided reading groups using texts about orbits in general and the lunar cycle in particular over the past several days, I introduced the task: Work in your group to model, describe and explain the phases of the moon, using Oreo cookies and whatever technology you wish.
First we co-constructed and posted some criteria for the assignment, then students eagerly set about researching the lunar cycle to confirm, consolidate or extend their understanding, and began building their models.
The rule was they were not allowed to eat their materials until I had seen and heard their "presentation". (This rule proved more of a challenge for some group members than others, but everyone seemed to enjoy the task pretty well, and most demonstrated a reasonable level of understanding!!)
The rule was they were not allowed to eat their materials until I had seen and heard their "presentation". (This rule proved more of a challenge for some group members than others, but everyone seemed to enjoy the task pretty well, and most demonstrated a reasonable level of understanding!!)
The overall results were quite good, and the model really allowed students to demonstrate their understanding (or lack thereof), as they used it to describe each phase of the lunar cycle and explain how the relative position of the sun and/or the earth resulted in the different appearance of the moon. (And there there were errors, they could easily be corrected kinaesthetically as well as orally.)
Next up, a little "Math Eyes"...
| Ms. Teschow's friend Professor Ganong was nice enough to buy the plates and cookies for this lesson. When he asked Ms. Teschow how many packages of Oreos she needed, Ms. T scratched her head, unsure. "Maybe 4-6 bags?", she suggested. Was Ms. Teschow's estimate too high? Too low? Or pretty close? Explain your thinking. (Hint, each bag of Oreo cookies has 4 rows of 7 cookies in it. Think: What other information do you need to solve this problem?) |
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