Areas of Interest

Areas of Interest
Engagement through fun in math
Growing up, I always struggled with mathematics and never had much passion for the
subject. Like many other students, I struggled to wrap my head around many of the concepts
being explained to me in classes, and I got so frustrated with the subject and thought I would
never improve. Today I have a new appreciation for math, and how it influences our lives, as an
educator, I know that I will have students in my class who felt the same way I did growing up
and sometimes still do. Because of this, I believe that to help students learn math more readily
we need to engage them in a fun and exciting way, one of the reasons I ended up liking math
more was because I began to learn it in more exciting ways. The following lesson touches on
subjects of estimation in mathematics, but adds more engaging and fun activities to go along
with the more traditional forms of assessment, it is lessons like these that I will implement in my
teaching style to help students be more motivated in the subject of math.
Subject: Grade: 3 - 4 Length: One class Date: January 8th,

Mathematics (1 Hour) 2018
Stage 1: Pre – Lesson

Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
 Understand the basic concepts of rounding and estimating with whole numbers
 Recognize that estimation is a very useful skill in their lives
 Understand the concept of rounding (to replace a number with an approximate and
more simple number)
 Be able to round to the nearest 10
 Utilize estimation in a relevant situation to them
 Apply estimation to fun activities in mathematics
New Brunswick Curricular Objectives
GCO: Developing number sense

SCO: N3: Demonstrate an understanding of addition of numbers with answers to 10 000 and
their corresponding subtractions (limited to 3 and 4-digit numerals)
NCTM:
• using personal strategies for adding and subtracting
• estimating sums and differences
• solving problems involving addition and subtraction
Materials Location
 Chalk board / writing surface  Front of class
 Worksheet 1  Behind desk in blue folder
 Worksheet 2  Behind desk in blue folder
 Jars x 2  Under teacher desk
 Candy  Under teacher desk
 Paper or plates to put candy on  In drawer beneath desk
Stage 2: Lesson Planning and Implementation

Hook/Explanation with rounding in estimation (20 m)
Teacher will Students will
 Write on board the equation 10 x 40  Students will remain in seats
and 13 x 42 (could be addition for
younger grades)  Students will volunteer to answer
which question is easier to answer and
- Ask students to try and solve why
each question
 Students will follow along with
- Ask them what they think is the question on board and round to the
easier question to solve? nearest 10
 Tell students that there is a way we can  Students will work at their tables to
make the equation 13 x 42 easier solve sheet together or individually to
through rounding round to the nearest 10
- To round to the nearest 10, you

must round your numbers so
that your last non-zero digit is
in the tens place, and you have
a zero in the ones place.
- If the digit in the ones place is
lower then 5 then you round
down and keep the number in
the tens place the same
- If the number in the ones place

is higher then 5 or 5 then you
round up the tens place number
by 1
 Hand out sheet of basic 2 digit numbers

for class to round up to the nearest 10
for practice (See Appendix A)
Exploration with Estimation (20m)

Explanation:  Students will remain in seats
 An estimate is a number that closely
approximates the answer to a  Students will listen to the explanation
mathematical computation. An of estimation and how it is important
estimate is calculated mentally rather to understand that you are not looking
than by completing an exact for the exact right answer.
calculation by hand or with a
calculator.  The skill is meant to help in real life
for understanding the rough amount of
 This skill can help you in real life money needed to buy certain things or
when purchasing items and using knowing how many people are in a
mental math to help solve harder certain area for example.
problems
 Students will follow along with
Class problem: example problem on board for
 On Board: If we want to buy 3 estimation in purchasing 3 toys
different board games at a store that
cost $17, $23, $26 we can add up the  Student will work at their tables in
prices one by one or we can use small groups to round the 3 numbers
rounding to estimate the amount of to the nearest 10 then add them all
money we will need to buy all the together to get the estimation of the
games. money needed
- Ask students to round each

number in their head from the
equation
- 17 = 20
- 23 = 20
- 26 = 30
- = $70
Group Work: Have students work together

on handout with example of varying numbers
with items on them to round and then estimate
the amount of money they will need to buy all
the items. (See Appendix B)
- Cannot use calculator or tools

emphasise mental math
- We do not need exact answer, only

estimation
Explaining reasonable and unreasonable Estimation (20 m)

 Explain to students that there are  Students will move to matt
reasonable and unreasonable
estimations in observing objects  On matt students will follow along
with the explanation of reasonable and
 Looking at the candies in mason jar unreasonable estimations by observing
we can establish that 15 is an the jar of candies shown by teacher
unreasonable estimation, just as an
estimation over 500 for example is  Using example of jar with 10 candies
also unreasonable. students will each make an estimation
of how many candies are in the jar
 Have students look at jar of 10 candies
as a bassline to help them estimate the  Students will volunteer to explain
amount in the bigger jar ways in which they could count the
contents of the jar
 Ask the students to guess the number
of items in the box Let everyone have  In groups of 2 the contents of the jar
a guess then write the lowest and will be amongst the students to be
highest sum guessed on the board grouped into tens
 Ask the students about different ways  Once each group has grouped their
to count the items in an easy way candies as them to re estimate the
Discuss different options amount in the jar before adding them
all up to get sum
 Talk about the advantage of counting
items by grouping into groups of tens
 Let the students work in small groups
and divide candies amongst them
 Have the groups count their items by

grouping the candies into groups of
ten and then add them all together
 Before each group reports their sum

let the kids change their previous
guesses if they want to
 Let one group at a time report their

sum to you then sums on the board
 Add all sums together to get answer
 Share candy at end of lesson 😊
Evaluation and Differentiation

Evaluation Differentiation
 Evaluation will be based upon the  This lesson involves the class working
worksheets 1 and 2 and the group together for most of the time which
activity at the end of class allows students to assist each other in
the worksheets.
 Collect student worksheets for future
reference  If student struggles with motor skills
can provides teacher assistance for the
 Observe the student’s ability to work writing aspects of assignment, or give
with one another and individually blocks to assist with visual learning
during worksheets and class
discussion and mark down if any need  The candy in the group activity at the
assistance with topic later to clarify end of the lesson will help make it
understanding. more fun and interesting for
differentiated learners.
Post Lesson Activities

Lesson Evaluation and Revision:
 Write down notes for the next lesson to learn what can be improved or removed from
lesson
 What did the students like?
 What can be added to improve understanding?
References
A., V.D., Karp, K., Bay-Williams, J.M., & Wray. J.A. (2017). Elementary and
middle school mathematics: teaching development. (5th ed.) Don mills, ON: Pearson
Canada, Inc
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2017). Standards and Position.

Retrieved from NTCM:
http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Principles-and-Standards/Number-and-
Operations/

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Areas of Interest

Engagement through fun in math

teaching style to help students be more motivated in the subject of math.

Subject: Grade: 3 - 4 Length: One class Date: January 8th,

Stage 1: Pre – Lesson

Students will be able to:

New Brunswick Curricular Objectives

GCO: Developing number sense

Stage 2: Lesson Planning and Implementation

- To round to the nearest 10, you

- If the number in the ones place

 Hand out sheet of basic 2 digit numbers

Exploration with Estimation (20m)

- Ask students to round each

Group Work: Have students work together

- Cannot use calculator or tools

- We do not need exact answer, only

Explaining reasonable and unreasonable Estimation (20 m)

 Have the groups count their items by

 Before each group reports their sum

 Let one group at a time report their

 Add all sums together to get answer

 Share candy at end of lesson 😊

Evaluation and Differentiation

Post Lesson Activities

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2017). Standards and Position.

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