Spring Break - Newspaper Math Scavenger Hunt

Spring break!!  One week off with no students!  I think both the students and the teachers are ready for the coming week.

Several students inquired about extra credit they could do over the break.  Some presented it as a way to "not get rusty" without classes; really, I know they just want a higher grade!  I was made aware of Math Scavenger Hunts using the newspaper.  (Thanks, Mom!)  I thought this would be a good way to combine some math and literacy while the kids are out.  We'll see how it turns out!

The Scavenger Hunt activity is adapted from By the Numbers:  Mathematical Connections in The Forum for Middle-Grade Students at the Learning Forum.

Here are some examples of Scavenger Hunt prompts:

See if you can find each of these in the newspaper or a magazine.  Clips out the headline/paragraph/page and attach it to construction paper.  Label each item you find.

• A fraction that is more than one-fifth.
• A money amount less than $1.
• A date other than today's.
• A five-digit number.
• A decimal that is not an amount of money.
• A store giving a discount of 20 percent or more.
• An ad larger than half of the newspaper page.
• A temperature higher than 40 degrees.

Estimation - Spring/Easter

Various teachers take turns at putting up the "math" bulletin board.  A third(?) grade teacher created this bulletin board.  Students were to estimate the number of eggs in the basket.  I thought it was interesting to see the students working on this.  Younger students would try to count one-by-one and ended up either (a) losing count or (b) running out of known numbers!  Older students were just as easily thrown by the "jumble" of eggs or they would lose patience.  It seems like a (momentarily) engaging task that students could revisit more than once to try their count again.  Students could submit their guesses and the closest guess was the winner.   It is, in my opinion, one of the better math bulletin boards I've seen at school this year.

Pi Day!

March 14: Pi Day!  I considered several activities for the students.  In the end, it worked best to have the students make "piems" (poems for pi day)!  The number of letters in each of the consecutive words of the poem had to follow the digits of pi.  3.1415...  The students wrote their piems on round plates and decorated them as they wished. We also had a "digits of pi" contest.  After a week of practice, the winner knew 52 digits without an error.  (Not even close to the world record holder!)

Here are some of the student examples (not all are correct):

• Can I have a large milkshake an’ eleven Cokes plz?
• It’s a fact:  A human is extremely stupid about Xbox.
• Hey!  I want a candy.  Delicious or creamy candy.  Bye!
• Can I have a piece?  Pineapple or Banana, Mango and Peach. Mmmmmmmm!  Smoothies? 
• All I know, I didn’t determine (establish) or decide fate.
• It’s a fact:  I never remembers to listen while math class!
• Can I have a panda?  Beautiful it always looks!  Yes!
• Can I have a husky, Clarrissa?  Is having pretty dogs tough?
• May I bake a tasty, delicious pi before Jared can steal?  Everyone chocolate?
• Can I have a fresh container of coffee and Pepsi?
• May I have a piece, Jacqueline, of cookie?  Thank you.
• It’s a bird!  O great, beautiful, so pretty thing.  You great creature!
• Hey, I love U!  You’re wonderful to every1.
• Can I have a puppy?  Christmas is around.  Santa can bring Precious.  Christmas Holiday.  Beautiful day to get Precious.
• Hey, I want a pizza, Esmeralda.  So please leave the pizza.
• Wow, I have a funny alligator.  It cannot laugh, tho.
• Hey, I love U 4ever!  Beautiful as candys!
• Hey, I cook a great spaghetti to Adison today, two times.
• Hey, I have a large container of orange roses.
• May U pass a large container, ur purple alien guy thing occupied beautiful flowers.
• All I want, a lover unwilling to forget about our dates…
• May I have a large container to string lions for being numerous?
• Can I have a candy, delicious.  It tastes yummy.  Its yummy delicacy, delicious.  Amazing Delicious!  It’s so yum.
• Pie:  I love a great delicious pi, except apple pie.
• Hey, I want a pizza:  delicious!
• Can I love a thing, something so dreamy, maybe sleeping?
• How I hate a sleep interrupt on calmly large bed using foolishy reasoning!
• How I love to swear, eternally, my family today.  And great kindness expressed towards ourselves.  Fun we see together.
• How I love a city’s glamorous or lovely views.  The light reflects buildings, sunsets enlighten and as the mornings come, bright as lights like our new firework.
• You, I said, a grand adventure… It awaits.  Lives are never ordinary existence without brilliant end…
• How I hate a weird muffin-man.
• Can I have a great chocolate in London today?
• Can I play a piano Saturdays or travel Earth the great?
• How I love a sport, waterpolo.  In freezy water.  The water, swimming, wonderful whistle.  Whistling how, on the children keep saying me, amazed when you are shouting.

The Knife Song - Chop, Chop

This song has taken off among the kids - boys and girls - this week.  Some of them tell me they don't know the words but they do it anyway!  (I'm not sure it is necessary to know the words to be annoying.)  The kids do it before class, during class, while testing, etc.  What's the attraction??  I wonder how long it will last...   Oh, I should mention they use pencils instead of knives in class.  Some students have assured me, however, that they do use a knife when they are at home.  "Oh my!"  (There are other youtube clips with people going faster, but you can hear the words on this one.)

Algebra

One of my students wrote this in her notebook...  A web search shows it is not her original work.  Nevertheless, I thought it was clever!