Measurement Notes Taken During The Presentation
Creating relevance with opening questions – Kris:
How many have been backpacking? Quite a few students respond that they have.
What do you put in a backpack? Quite a few students respond clothing, food, camping equipment, maps, etc.
What is the difference in hiking in the woods or venturing off into a longer trek? Students responded with the duration of the hike to determine the difference in hours vs. days, etc. Responses also included training for long distance; concern for error – safety, food, clothing, emergency, distance, maps, first aid, informing others of where one is going and with whom, etc. All of the above would be considered in what is packed in backpack and how much would be loaded. The packaging of food was highlighted – as to the size and weight that would be carried for the amount of distance and time of backpack. The mental state of mind was brought up; I believe that this was relevant to a short hike vs. longer hike of preparedness.
Stories were shared with students about the lack of planning for adequate food, taking chocolate and its melting qualities; weight of food and stuff bags considerations when hanging food; forgetting of camp-stove mishaps.
Introduce measurement of snack task. – Crystal:
How would you get your energy? Hiking snack to be created by students input. The following chart was created by the student’s measurements: 1 oz. = 30 grams
| Snack |
Weight |
Volume |
Quantity |
| Pretzels |
1 oz. |
3/4 cup |
16 pretzels |
| Peanut MM’s |
60 gms or 2 oz.’s |
1/3 cup |
22 mm’s` |
| Hulled Sunflower Seeds |
3/4 oz.’s |
1 1/5 TBSP. |
280 sunflower seeds |
| Popcorn |
12 gms. |
1/3 cup |
23 kernels |
| Raisins |
45 gms. or 1.5 oz. |
1/4 cup or 3 1/2 TBSP |
86 raisins |
| Plain MM’s |
1 1/8 oz. |
1/7 cup |
40 mm’s |
| Peanuts |
1.5 oz.’s |
1/3 cup |
65 peanuts |
Each team member was at the designated snack tables to assist students as they selected their snack item to measure and address any questions and clarify task instructions.
Creating and framing task – Thad
Students were reminded of their upcoming summit trek up Mt. Rainier; and were asked to consider the compiled data to create an energetic recipe with at least three items and predict with their classmates measurements as a guide, a 5 oz. snack. Recipe cards were distributed. While students created their recipes, team members set up beverage table with weight scale; as students arrived with their snack, students observed their snack weight and poured an equal volume of beverage. The following observations were noted:
mm’s tended to be heavier for some to weigh in their snack; some baggies ere larger than others – mass volume of each snack; analysis of liquid vs. snack volume discrepancy; feeling the weight – mm’s cup might have been bigger than she measured; eight students resulted with snacks weighing at exactly 5 oz.’s, three students came up short (they added a little more to be less), six went over 5 oz.’s ; many students were surprised in observing the liquid weight vs. the area of snack occupied.
Due to time constraints, we were not able to get a whole class discussion of review towards the end – Steven closed the lesson with the importance of snack considerations and measurement of weights. Students were reminded to access lesson plan on Web Crossing Measurement Folder, along with a Math Vocabulary Glossary.
Results and feedback analysis from 25 student-learner respondents:
20/ 5 1. Encourages and accepts student autonomy and initiative.F
24/ 1 2. Uses raw data and primary sources.FF
25/ 0 3. Uses manipulative, interactive and physical materials.FFF
18/ 7 4. Uses cognitive terminology such as classify, analyze, predict, create, when framing tasks.
15/ 10 5. Allows student responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies, and alter content.FFFF
20/ 5 6. Responds to student contributions.
20/ 5 7.
Inquiries abut students’ understandings or concepts before sharing their own
understandings of those
concepts.FFFFF
22/ 3 8. Encourages students to engage in dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another.
18/ 7
9. Encourages student inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions
and encouraging students to
ask questions of each other.*FFFFFF
18/ 7 10. Helps students define, clarify, describe, and list examples.
12/ 13 11. Seeks elaboration of students’ initial responses.FFFFF
17/ 8 12. Avoids closed questions and narrow factual questions.
15/ 10
13. Engages students in experiences that might engender contradictions to
their initial hypotheses and
then encourages discussion. **FFFFFFF
13/ 12 14. Allows wait time after posing questions.
7 / 18 15. Provides time for students to construct and create metaphors.
23/ 2 16. Nurtures students’ natural curiosity.
18/ 7 17. Provides for student self and peer evaluation of knowledge. ***
22/ 3 18. Questioning strategies require problem solving, analysis and reason. ***
21/ 4 19. Moves throughout room interacting with students.FFFFFFFF
*Effective metaphor of hike prep.
**Liquid volume and dry volume.
***Strong
FWhen students were doing initial and follow up.
FFActual hands on sources.
FFFVolume, weight, & quantity.
FFFFOne group had their own interpretation of the instruction.
FFFFFGot context well.
FFFFFFDirections were hard to follow; I needed visual of steps to follow and how to proceed.
FFFFFFFNo opportunity to generate hypothesis.
FFFFFFFFPerhaps more would have helped.
Additional Comments: “Lots of directions all at once; changed language from “backpacking”; write down directions because I can’t remember.” “Very thoughtful organization; god intro…I don’t think the instructions (message) about what was supposed to happen at the tables were enough…By having an “adult” at each table the problems were worked out.” “Very engaging – I like the use of math and the interdisciplinary components used…I would predict kids will react well to this.” “Very fun and well related to real example.” “Very cool!”