Week 9

Week 9 Lesson Plan:
Capture The Flag! is a two player game, students take turns placing Cuisenaire Rods on a rectangular gird in an effort to be the one to cover the last empty square. In this activity students have the opportunity to see how rods are related to each other, think in terms of the numerical allure of each rod and develop strategic thinking skills. Once the students have played the game at least three times the class will have a discussion about the game. They will be asked to the kinds of things they thought about when they planned their moves. If the developed a strategy that they think with always work.
Students could play again but reversing the rules: The player who covers the last square loses. They could make up their own rules or limit the colors of rods to be used. As students play Capture the Flag! they engage in logical, numerical and spatial reasoning. In this game, the varied lengths of the rods increase the challenge and so the length of a rod, its orientation and its placement on a rectangular gird must all be considered.

Week 9 Virtual Manipulative:
Number Patterns is found under Number & Operations for 3 – 5. This manipulative helps students in the recognition of simple patterns in number sequences. The patterns are simple enough that there is only one answer the computer accepts. The computer will tell the students when they are correct, which is good that way they can work on their own. Most can be completed by adding a common difference (positive or negative). This is a manipulative that can be used after patterns have been studied in class.

Week 8

Week 8 Lesson 1: Add a Clue

Students use their Geoboards to create clues that will complete riddles. In this activity the students have the opportunity to focus on the attributes of geometric figures. Students will use deductive reasoning to refine riddle clues. They will become familiar with the language of geometry. Working in pairs students will each solve a riddle. Once they come up with their own answers to the riddles they will compare answers. Then they each have to add one more clue so that their shape will be the only solution. This activity helps children develop logical reasoning skills.

Week 8 Lesson 2: Shape Puzzles

Students investigate the various ways a particular rectangle can be divided into triangles, rectangles and squares then use their smaller shapes to make and solve shape puzzles. In this activity students have the opportunity to describe shapes using geometric terms. Students also discover some similarities and differences among squares, triangles and rectangles. Working in groups each student uses one rubber band to make a rectangle on a Geoboard. Then they use one more rubber band to divide the rectangle into two or three shapes. Each group copies their shape onto geodot paper which they cut out and place in an envelope. They switch with other groups and solve each others puzzles. This activity develops student’s ability to visualize space and divided geometric shapes in different ways.