Multiplication - Showing Our Thinking In Multiple Ways
Third graders have been exploring deeply the concepts of multiplication and division. As a way to enhance students' understanding and develop their mathematical practices and communication skills, third graders explored showing the same multiplication problem in four different ways. A problem like 4 x 3 = 12 can be understood, solved and shown in many different ways including: loops and groups, arrays, area model, commutative property, contextualizing (in a story), jumps on a number line, and repeated addition. Having this large menu of choices allows students to find a strategy that makes sense to them. Students explored these concepts in the Creativity Studio and in the classroom. They used materials like beads, beans, stickers, stamps, and blocks to show their mathematical thinking.
Exploring Sunflowers
This is our sunflower that Alex’s mom brought in for us. She brought this to our class on Monday, September 11 at 10:45, it was really fun. Before Alex’s mom picked it, it was 7 1/2 feet tall. Our class did lots of experiments with it like, counting all the seeds (1,957!), we tore it apart and it felt like cotton inside, and we weighed it (8 pounds!). It was fun for our class and we discovered a lot about plants and seeds.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Boyer’s Class
Sincerely,
Mrs. Boyer’s Class