Title: Mystery Math
Project Authors: Rick Schuft, Janine Show & Beth Stevenson
Subject Area: Math
Intended Grade Level: First Grade
Description: Come on a Math Mystery Adventure! Practice first grade math skills, including sums, differences, shapes, patterns, and math riddles. The students will be so engaged in this mystery adventure, they will forget that they are sharpening math skills and concepts.
Learner Outcomes: While practicing basic math skills, students will be introduced to the idea that other first graders across the U.S. are studying the same things that they are.
Time: 50 minutes
Preparation:
Each classroom should prepare 2-3 different facts about their state/region.
Students should practice writing the fact families for smaller numbers ex. 4, or 5.
Students should memorize the sums and differences of 7.
Practice writing their own riddle/math story problem before hand.
Practice all tangram shape names and attributes.
Reserve the book, Math Potatoes, by Greg Tang.
Materials:
Math Potatoes by Greg Tang
Document camera
Math Manipulatives (ex. unifix cubes, counters, tangrams)
Mystery Math Worksheets
Writing paper for the riddles
Video conference Agenda:
5 min Welcome and Introductions
5 min Mystery Number
Sums of 7
- students list as many addition problems with a sum of 7 in 2 min.
Subtraction from 7
- students list as many subtraction problems with a difference of 7 in 3 min.
5 min Mystery Shape
Students are divided into 4 collaborative groups.
Each group will pick a shape and describe its attributes to the other class.
The groups from the other class will try to identify each shape.
15 min Read the Book Math Potatoes by Greg Tang
5 min Students write their own math riddle/story problem in a group.
10 min Students pose their riddles/story problems to the other class.
5 min Closing Comments
Post Activities:
Have students draw a picture of their favorite activity and write a sentence to describe it.
Write a class thank you note and send it to the other class.
Assessment & Evaluation:
Write down how many different ways you can add numbers that equal 7 or subtract from the number 7.
How can you apply what you learned to other numbers (ex. the number 8, or 5)
Demonstrate the correct knowledge of the different shapes.
Show understanding on how word problems are set up and solved.
Implementation Plans:
This activity is designed to be implemented sometime during the middle of the second quarter, after students have been exposed to the concept of addition and subtraction. The lead coordinator should be the teacher who has the most experience/background in math. This activity is best suited for 2 classes, but could be expanded to more classes if you want to adjust the time frame allowed for each activity.
Contact Info:
Beth Stevenson, bstevenson@misda.org
Janine Show, janine.show@gmail.com
Rick Schuft, rick.schuft@gmail.com