Why Should Teachers

Assign Higher Level

Tasks?

North Carolina State University

Student Teachers
Fall 2010
 NCTM Problem Solving Principals
Instructional programs from prekindergarten
through grade 12 should enable all students to
—
• build new mathematical knowledge through
problem solving;
• solve problems that arise in mathematics and in
other contexts;
• apply and adapt a variety of appropriate
strategies to solve problems;
• monitor and reflect on the process of
mathematical problem solving.
 NCTM Communication Principal
Instructional programs from prekindergarten
through grade 12 should enable all students to—
• organize and consolidate their mathematical
thinking through communication;
• communicate their mathematical thinking
coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and
others;
• analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking
and strategies of others;
• use the language of mathematics to express
mathematical ideas precisely.
 Common Core Standards
• Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them.
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
• Model in mathematics.
• Look for and make use of structure.
 Types of Tasks
• Novice – skill/procedural knowledge
• Apprentice – performance assessments
• Expert – multi-day/complex/portfolio
 Types of Mathematics Tasks
Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver, 2009

Low-Level Demands Higher-Level Demands

Memorization Tasks Procedures with Connections Tasks
Examples: Examples:
Recall or Memorizing facts, rules or Focused on the use of the procedure to
definitions develop the “sense of the concept”
Task follows a specified reproduction Student must engage in the “idea” to
of work make sense of the problem

Procedures without Connections Doing Mathematics Tasks

Tasks Examples:
Examples: Requires in-depth, conceptual
Algorithms thinking
Focused on the procedure/correct Requires students to rely on
answer experiences and previous knowledge
Requires only limited cognitive to develop an answer
demand
 Depth of Knowledge
• Level 1-Recall
• Level 2-Basic Application of Skill/Concept
• Level 3-Strategic Thinking
• Level 4-Extended Thinking
 Mathematical Tasks
• What is cognitive demand?
– Focus is on the sort of student thinking required.
• Kinds of thinking required:
– Memorization
– Procedures without Connections
• Requires little or no understanding of
concepts or relationships.
– Procedures with Connections
• Requires some understanding of the
“how” or “why” of the procedure.
– Doing Mathematics
 Examples of Mathematical Tasks
Level 1
• Memorization
Which of these shows the identity property of multiplication?
A) a x b = b x a
B) a x 1 = a
C) a + 0 = a
• Procedures without Connections
Write and solve a proportion for each of these:
A) 17 is what percent of 68?
B) 21 is 30% of what number?
• Too much of a focus on lower level tasks discourages
student “involvement” in learning mathematics.
 Examples of Mathematical Tasks
Level 2
• Procedures with Connections
Solve by factoring: x2 – 7x + 12 = 0
Explain how the factors of the equation relate to the roots of
the equation. Use this information to draw a sketch of the
graph of the function f(x) = x – 7x + 12.
2

• Doing Mathematics
Describe a situation that could be modeled with the equation y
= 2x + 5, then make a graph to represent the model. Explain
how the situation, equation, and graph are interrelated.
• Higher level tasks, when well-implemented, promote
“involvement” in learning mathematics.
Characteristics of Higher Level Tasks
Higher-level tasks require students to…
 do more than computation.
 extend prior knowledge to explore unfamiliar tasks
and situations.
 use a variety of means (models, drawings, graphs,
concrete materials, etc…) to represent phenomena.
 look for patterns and relationships and check their
results against existing knowledge.
 make predictions, estimations and/or hypotheses and
devise means for testing them.
 demonstrate and deepen their understanding of
mathematical concepts and relationships.
 Traditional Problem
Nicole’s Carpeting Task

Nicole was redecorating her house. She has

decided to recarpet her bedroom, which is 15
feet long and 10 feet wide. How many square
feet of carpeting will she need to purchase?
 Advanced Problem
Nicole’s Carpeting Problem

Nicole wants to redecorate her bedroom. She

decides to recarpet. If her room is 5 feet longer
than it is wide, write an equation to represent
the area of her room. If you know her room is
10 feet wide, how many square feet of carpet
will she need? If the carpet is sold by the square
yard, how many square yards will she need?
 Requirements for the Estimation Center

•Engaging and creative.

•Students can work independently.
•Makes a connection to real-world or practical applications.
•Encourages thoughtful classroom discussion.
•Uses digital cameras and other multimedia tools.
•Presented in a power point presentation.
•Includes the title of the estimation center, mathematical concepts and
connections addressed, and materials and set-up needed
•All sources are cited
•Worksheet for students to use
•Grading rubric for students’ submissions
 Implementing the Estimation Center

•Students must make use of a wide variety of problem solving skills

•Students are required to write a thorough description/explanation of the techniques

used while attempting to solve the problem

•These explanations form a basis for classroom discussion, with the main focus being
on process and strategies, not on the final answer
 Discussion

•Results of the estimations are discussed, not to determine who got

the answer “right”, but as an examination of effective strategies

•The thoroughness of the various approaches and the clarity of the

written summaries are also discussed. Although a definite answer
may not be possible, some strategies may yield more accurate
results than others.

•The class data can be reviewed to determine what generalizations

and assessments can be made about the problem. The class helps
answer the question, “What did we learn from the activity?”
 Estimation Center
Mr. Wonka’s Dilemma – An Estimation Center
• Mathematical Concepts addressed:
– Estimation
– Exponents
– Area
– Volume
• Mathematical Connections addressed:
– Connections between area and volume
– Connection between area formula, volume formula and exponents
• Materials and equipment needed:
– Estimation Center Power Point
– Student worksheet
– Calculator
– Pencil
– LCD Projector
– White Board
– Gobstoppers
• Set up needed:
– Students can either work independently or in pairs
– Computer, LCD projector and board at front of room so that all students can see the estimation center
– Access to a computer and internet
– Access to the library
Mr. Wonka’s Dilemma

An Estimation Center
Megan Coates
Cherelle Cole
 The Background
• Willy Wonka and his candy factory have been
doing quite well ever since the invention of
the everlasting gobstopper. Kids from all over
the world come to the factory just to see if
they can get a glimpse of the everlasting
gobstopper machine!
• There is such a demand for the everlasting
gobstoppers that Mr. Wonka has to put the
gobstopper producing machine on overdrive
for days!
 The Dilemma
• But oh no!!!! The machine can’t keep up with
the demand and goes haywire! The machine
explodes and there are everlasting
gobstoppers spewing everywhere! The entire
floor of the everlasting gobstopper room is
covered by gobstoppers! The area of the floor
of the room is the size of two and a half
football fields.
 The Challenge
• Mr. Wonka has to clean up the mess and he
needs your help to determine how many
gobstoppers are littered all over the floor! He
also needs your help to determine how big of
a candy dispensing machine he needs to store
the displaced gobstoppers.
• Can you take on this honorary task? The
rewards are great!
 Remember…..
• Be sure to explain your process and show all
work. Mr. Wonka will not be able to reward
you if no work is shown. Be prepared to
discuss your findings and explain how you
came to your conclusions since Mr. Wonka
may need to employ your method if
something like this ever happens again.
 Sources
• http://www.grubbyhalogallery.com/mklacy/ga
llery/theatre_sets/images/P1010216.large.jpg
• http://picsdigger.com/image/176d7fdf/
• http://steelkaleidoscopes.typepad.com/steel_
kaleidoscopes/2007/09/the-everlasting.html
• http://rubistar.4teachers.org
•
Possible Solution
Area of floor: Size of 2 and a half foot ball fields
• The American football field is approximately 120 yards long by 53.3 yards wide.
• The area of one foot ball field is approximately
• The area of the floor of the Gobstopper room is approximately
• Figure out how many gobstoppers fit in one square inch, foot, etc.
– Approximately 225 gobstoppers fit in one square foot (15 gobstoppers times’ 15 gobstoppers). 
• Convert units to find out how many gobstoppers are in one square yard. (This is not the only conversion
possible).
– I will convert feet to yards. There are 3 feet in one yard. There are 9 square feet in one square yard.
– So 9 square feet is equivalent to one square yard.
– Multiply the number of Gobstoppers in one square foot by 9.

•
– So approximately 2025 Gobstoppers are in one square yard.
• Find the number of Gobstoppers that are covering the floor in the Gobstopper room.

– So 32,379,750 gobstoppers are covering the floor in the Gobstopper room.

• Now find the size of the container that will be needed to store the gobstoppers (there is more than one way to
do this, one could find the volume of a gobstopper and go from there).
– So find the amount of gobstoppers in one cubic foot : gobstoppers/ft3
• Now divide 32, 379,750 gobstoppers covering the floor by the 3,375 gobstoppers in one cubic foot to find the
size of the container needed to store the gobstoppers.

• So Mr. Wonka needs a container that is 9594ft 3 to store the gobstoppers.

Rubric
Digital Scavenger Hunt

Chelsea Lewis
Matt Hovis
Mary Katherine Miller
On NC State University’s campus there are two
benches for every one disposal. If Home
Depot donates 320 benches, how many
disposals will NC State need to buy?
The school wants to build another right
triangle to support the air conditioning unit. If
the base and height of the triangle are 2 ft and
3 ft respectively, find the hypotenuse.
What is the difference between intersecting
lines and perpendicular lines?
Dunkin Donuts wants to cover the donut with
powdered sugar. Find the surface area of the
donut if the diameter is 8 cm.
Define an ellipse. How many ellipses are in this
picture?
Why can you tessellate a hexagon and not a
pentagon?
What equation’s graph would look most like
this picture?
 Gavin and the Giant’s Button
Stephanie Wood
Jenny Randall
 Activity
One day while Gavin and his grandma were
playing in a park, they came across a huge red
button. Gavin wondered aloud, “How big is
the giant who lost that button?”
Questions for Gavin to consider
How can we determine the size of the giant
button? What attributes of the giant and the
button are important in deciding the giant’s
height based on the size of the button? What
attributes of Gavin and his buttons are
important in deciding the giants height?
 More Questions…
• What else do we need to know in order to
determine the height of the giant? What if we
also want to know the amount of fabric
needed to make the giant a coat? If the giant
needed a drink of water, how much water
would be equivalent to that in terms of a
human’s glass(es) of water? How large would
the giant’s pack of gum be?
Exploratory

Use the student page Gavin and the Giant’s

Button to explore relationships between
enlargements and reductions called size
changes, and the measurements of length,
area, and volume using cubes.
 Gavin and the Giant’s Worksheet
1. Use cubes to investigate what happens to the
surface area and volume of a prism when each
dimension is magnified by 200%, 300%, or
other factors. Use the table to organize and
record work
Magnification Dimensions of Surface area of Volume of prism
factor prism (units) prism (sq. units) (cube units)

100% 1x2x3 22 6
200%
300%
50%
150%
100n%
2. Conjecture a rule telling how area and volume
change when length is changed by a
magnification factor.

3. Note that some of the magnification factors in

the table are not integer multiples of 100%.
On a copy machine, you are also able to
reduce the size of a copy or make non-integer
magnifications. Do area and volume change in
the same way when the magnification factor is
not an integer multiple of 100%? Why or why
not?
 More Exploratory Questions
1. Assuming giants have pencils, what are possible dimensions of a
giant’s pencil? Compare the giant’s pencil to some human-sized
object.
2. What are possible dimensions of a pair of eyeglasses for the
giant?
3. What are the dimensions of the giant’s footprint? Could the giant
step inside our classroom? Why or why not? What human sized
object is approximately the size of the giant’s footprint?
4. Using a human’s paper cup as a model, determine the dimensions
of a giant-sized paper cup. How much fluid will the paper cup
hold? Compare the size of the cup to some human-sized object.
 Share and Summarize
• What assumptions were made about the giant?
What assumptions were made about the items
used to decide on the sizes of the giant’s items?
• Keeping all other factors constant, how do your
results change if:
A. the giant is another gender?
B. The giant is from another
generation?
C. The button is a jacket button?
D. The button is a shirt button?
• If you were the giant, how tall would a human
be?
• Suppose your button is the giant’s button.
How big is a human’s button when compared
to your giant button?
• Look back at the table you completed in Gavin
and the Giant’s Button. How do proportions
arise from the table? How can we use
proportions to help solve problems like these?
 Bibliography
• Rubenstein, Rheta N., Charlene E. Beckmann,
and Denisse R. Thompson. Teaching and
Learning: Middle Grades Mathematics.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2004.
Print.
http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/lishun-button/p
roduct-detailbQmEUTRMtnrp/China-Shirt-Buttons-C080311
11-.html

http://gofifo.com/playground.htm
Thank you so much for listening to
our presentation!

Are there any further questions?