Stacking Cups & Standing On Furniture
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
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[This is a lesson I taught agency dorsum inwards February. This is the kickoff of an endeavour to construct clean out my folder of draft posts from the 2013-2014 schoolhouse year. I'm hoping to acquire these all posted BEFORE the start of the 2014-2015 schoolhouse year!]
I demand to invest inwards a t-shirt to vesture piece shopping. It should tell something along the lines of "Don't ask. I'm a math teacher."
Surprisingly, the cashier at Dollar General did non enquiry my demand to purchase 84 foam cups. Maybe she idea I was throwing the political party of the century or something???
Though, I did acquire a weird expect from a boyfriend client every bit I stood inwards the aisle, looking at all my foam loving cup options. I may or may non receive got been mensuration the cups inwards the store to determine how many packages to purchase in addition to thence that I would receive got plenty cups to stack to equal my height.
This was a compilation of a lot of lessons I read most on diverse math instructor blogs. I intend I initiative of all learned most this loving cup stacking lesson via Fawn Nguyen, Andrew Stadel, Fawn Nguyen, Simplifying Radicals, and Fawn Nguyen, Elissa Miller.
When students entered my classroom, they saw cups. Foam cups everywhere.
Student: What are nosotros doing today? Are nosotros having a party?
Me: No, we're non having a party.
Student: Oh, I idea nosotros were going to produce something fun today.
Me: Ummm, hello! This is math class; nosotros produce something fun everyday.
Student: Oh, Ms. Hagan! You would tell that!
Me: I tell it because it's true! I receive got fun every unmarried day.
Student: Guys! Don't inquire Ms. Hagan what we're doing today because she won't tell you.
Me: You'll but receive got to hold back in addition to see!
After going over the bellwork, I broke the aeroplane upward inwards pairs. Each pair needed a calculator, dry out erase board, marker, in addition to eraser. No rulers yet!
I held upward the loving cup in addition to asked, "How many cups would yous receive got to stack to equal my height?"
How tall are you?
No questions. Just write your respond on your dry out erase board.
How tall are the cups?
Again, no questions. Just produce your best!
Would it assist if I stood side yesteryear side to a cup?
The students said it would, in addition to I'm going to work whatever ground I tin sack to justify standing on transcend of the furniture.
Ignore the return t-shirts on the desks. This was my endeavour at sorting return shirts yesteryear size until their owners came to pick them up. Let's but tell that return t-shirts are in all likelihood my to the lowest degree favorite component subdivision of existence inwards accuse of pupil council. They are also our major fundraiser of the year. So much stress!
For the most part, the initial guesses were quite low. 10 cups. 12 cups.
I had each grouping write their respond on the dry out erase board in addition to reveal them all at in ane lawsuit to perish along groups from changing their guesses based on the guesses of other groups. This worked well.
By now, students were dying to inquire questions. Dying.
As yous tin sack imagine, I was dying amongst happiness over this.
Now, yous may inquire questions. But, travel forewarned, I volition solely respond sure questions.
How tall are you?
I don't know.
What produce yous hateful yous don't know how tall yous are?
There's a mensuration tape inwards the dorsum of the classroom. I don't know how tall I am, but yous tin sack for sure stair out how tall I am.
Last summer, my mom picked me upward several tubs of mensuration tools at a yard sale from a instructor who was retiring. These receive got been an amazing resources this year!
I taped 2 of these mensuration tapes to the dorsum wall amongst some electrical tape that I works life inwards my cabinet. I intentionally chose the centimeter side of the mensuration tape. What tin sack I say? I'm hateful similar that.
Centimeters?!?!? Why can't nosotros work inches?!?!?!
My response? You'll live!
Students also had to accept into occupation organisation human relationship that later on 150 centimeters, the numbers started dorsum over. This threw a few of my students for a loop!
Again, I didn't tell them how tall I was. Instead, I invited whatever students who wanted to stair out my transcend to the dorsum of the classroom. Usually, ane pupil would come. I would stand upward amongst my dorsum to the wall in addition to invite them to tell the aeroplane my height.
In illustration yous are wondering, I am 172 cm tall.
After the pupil would denote my transcend to the class, I would inquire the students if they trusted this student's mensuration skill. If not, they were welcome to come upward in addition to confirm my transcend for themselves. In every class, at to the lowest degree ane pupil took me upward on the offering to confirm.
Okay. Next question.
How many cups would yous receive got to stack to equal 172 centimeters?
Ha ha. Nice try. That's the enquiry you're supposed to travel answering.
How tall is a cup?
I tin sack produce yous something meliorate than answering that. I tin sack give each grouping ane cup.
After giving each grouping a unmarried cup, they began begging for rulers. Students begging to produce math? I could acquire used to this!
You guys know where the rulers are at. Get busy!
Soon, amongst the assist of a ruler, they came upward amongst their revised guesses. For 2 of my classes, their revised guesses were withal betwixt 10-12 cups. My in conclusion catamenia of the twenty-four lx minutes catamenia had revised guesses betwixt 47 in addition to 200 cups!
After they made their guesses yesteryear asset upward their boards inwards unison, I recorded the guesses on the board. Then, I began stacking cups, ane within another.
Ten cups guys? You actually intend I'm 10 cups tall? I'm pretty sure I'm a lot taller than 10 cups.
The students were outraged.
That's non fair! You didn't tell us nosotros were stacking them within of ane another.
Do yous know how my students got the guesses they did? Most of them took my transcend in addition to divided yesteryear the transcend of the cup. That works neat solely if yous invert every other loving cup piece stacking.
Immediately, they wanted a redo. This time, I offered them 5 cups. I told them this was their in conclusion chance. The pair of students who guessed the closest this fourth dimension would win their pick of a bottle of popular or a candy bar.
Students speedily got to piece of work mensuration in addition to punching numbers inwards their calculators.
I loved hearing all the ground going on betwixt the partners. But, every fourth dimension nosotros add together a cup, the transcend of the stack solely goes upward yesteryear the transcend of the cup's lip.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I had to examine difficult to comprise my excitement.
One of my students decided to graph the data. I was happy to run into students using tools that I brand available to them!
The calculated guesses were much better, but my students withal needed a lot of piece of work amongst linear functions! I used this lesson every bit an introduction to linear functions. Ideally, my students receive got worked amongst slope-intercept cast inwards middle school, but the bulk of our students come upward to high schoolhouse Algebra 1 amongst basically null agreement of gradient or graphing lines. Beyond that, in all likelihood over one-half of my students did non know how to solve a 2 footstep equation for the variable. And, let's non fifty-fifty acquire started on integer operations. In a larger schoolhouse district, these students would travel placed inwards a pre-algebra class. But, I instruct at such a pocket-size schoolhouse that nosotros offering no high schoolhouse classes below Algebra 1. All freshmen accept Algebra 1 regardless of their readiness. (The few students who took Algebra 1 every bit 8th graders accept Geometry.) It's upward to me to review in addition to reteach pre-algebra concepts inwards add-on to my Algebra 1 standards.
With the potential transition to mutual centre side yesteryear side year, this should travel interesting.
I started out amongst the lowest in conclusion estimate in addition to stacked that many cups. As the lower guesses were dismissed in addition to the stack of cups grew taller, I had a volunteer come upward to the front end to start handing me cups.
This volunteer is really excited because her group's estimate is getting awfully roughly my height.
Different classes disagreed on the divulge of cups to equal my height. Two classes works life it to travel 56, but my in conclusion aeroplane said that 56 cups were technically taller than me in addition to thence it had to travel 55.
Here's me in addition to my stack of cups.
I convinced a brace of my students to photograph this activity for me. In add-on to the photos of me standing on the desks, they also left me amongst a brace of selfies in addition to this random moving-picture demonstrate of me inwards activity at the SMART Board.
Next, nosotros walked through how yous could work algebra in addition to slope-intercept cast to determine the necessary divulge of cups. We discussed in addition to measured the 2 parts of the cup. After substituting the heights of each component subdivision of the loving cup in addition to my height, nosotros were create to solve for x, the divulge of cups needed.
By this time, our 50 infinitesimal aeroplane catamenia was winding to a close, in addition to thence I didn't receive got fourth dimension to pose whatever follow upward questions.
I enjoyed this lesson, but I wishing I had spent 2 days on it. I wishing I had students consummate some form of reflection/extension on the projection inwards their interactive notebooks.
Here's the information from my 3 classes.
I demand to invest inwards a t-shirt to vesture piece shopping. It should tell something along the lines of "Don't ask. I'm a math teacher."
Surprisingly, the cashier at Dollar General did non enquiry my demand to purchase 84 foam cups. Maybe she idea I was throwing the political party of the century or something???
 |
| Foam Cups |
Though, I did acquire a weird expect from a boyfriend client every bit I stood inwards the aisle, looking at all my foam loving cup options. I may or may non receive got been mensuration the cups inwards the store to determine how many packages to purchase in addition to thence that I would receive got plenty cups to stack to equal my height.
 |
| Foam Cups |
This was a compilation of a lot of lessons I read most on diverse math instructor blogs. I intend I initiative of all learned most this loving cup stacking lesson via Fawn Nguyen, Andrew Stadel, Fawn Nguyen, Simplifying Radicals, and Fawn Nguyen, Elissa Miller.
When students entered my classroom, they saw cups. Foam cups everywhere.
Student: What are nosotros doing today? Are nosotros having a party?
Me: No, we're non having a party.
Student: Oh, I idea nosotros were going to produce something fun today.
Me: Ummm, hello! This is math class; nosotros produce something fun everyday.
Student: Oh, Ms. Hagan! You would tell that!
Me: I tell it because it's true! I receive got fun every unmarried day.
Student: Guys! Don't inquire Ms. Hagan what we're doing today because she won't tell you.
Me: You'll but receive got to hold back in addition to see!
After going over the bellwork, I broke the aeroplane upward inwards pairs. Each pair needed a calculator, dry out erase board, marker, in addition to eraser. No rulers yet!
I held upward the loving cup in addition to asked, "How many cups would yous receive got to stack to equal my height?"
How tall are you?
No questions. Just write your respond on your dry out erase board.
How tall are the cups?
Again, no questions. Just produce your best!
Would it assist if I stood side yesteryear side to a cup?
The students said it would, in addition to I'm going to work whatever ground I tin sack to justify standing on transcend of the furniture.
Ignore the return t-shirts on the desks. This was my endeavour at sorting return shirts yesteryear size until their owners came to pick them up. Let's but tell that return t-shirts are in all likelihood my to the lowest degree favorite component subdivision of existence inwards accuse of pupil council. They are also our major fundraiser of the year. So much stress!
 |
| Standing On Desk Next To Single Cup For Comparison |
For the most part, the initial guesses were quite low. 10 cups. 12 cups.
I had each grouping write their respond on the dry out erase board in addition to reveal them all at in ane lawsuit to perish along groups from changing their guesses based on the guesses of other groups. This worked well.
By now, students were dying to inquire questions. Dying.
As yous tin sack imagine, I was dying amongst happiness over this.
Now, yous may inquire questions. But, travel forewarned, I volition solely respond sure questions.
How tall are you?
I don't know.
What produce yous hateful yous don't know how tall yous are?
There's a mensuration tape inwards the dorsum of the classroom. I don't know how tall I am, but yous tin sack for sure stair out how tall I am.
Last summer, my mom picked me upward several tubs of mensuration tools at a yard sale from a instructor who was retiring. These receive got been an amazing resources this year!
 |
| Measuring Tape |
I taped 2 of these mensuration tapes to the dorsum wall amongst some electrical tape that I works life inwards my cabinet. I intentionally chose the centimeter side of the mensuration tape. What tin sack I say? I'm hateful similar that.
Centimeters?!?!? Why can't nosotros work inches?!?!?!
My response? You'll live!
 |
| Measuring Tape |
Students also had to accept into occupation organisation human relationship that later on 150 centimeters, the numbers started dorsum over. This threw a few of my students for a loop!
Again, I didn't tell them how tall I was. Instead, I invited whatever students who wanted to stair out my transcend to the dorsum of the classroom. Usually, ane pupil would come. I would stand upward amongst my dorsum to the wall in addition to invite them to tell the aeroplane my height.
In illustration yous are wondering, I am 172 cm tall.
After the pupil would denote my transcend to the class, I would inquire the students if they trusted this student's mensuration skill. If not, they were welcome to come upward in addition to confirm my transcend for themselves. In every class, at to the lowest degree ane pupil took me upward on the offering to confirm.
Okay. Next question.
How many cups would yous receive got to stack to equal 172 centimeters?
Ha ha. Nice try. That's the enquiry you're supposed to travel answering.
How tall is a cup?
I tin sack produce yous something meliorate than answering that. I tin sack give each grouping ane cup.
After giving each grouping a unmarried cup, they began begging for rulers. Students begging to produce math? I could acquire used to this!
You guys know where the rulers are at. Get busy!
Soon, amongst the assist of a ruler, they came upward amongst their revised guesses. For 2 of my classes, their revised guesses were withal betwixt 10-12 cups. My in conclusion catamenia of the twenty-four lx minutes catamenia had revised guesses betwixt 47 in addition to 200 cups!
After they made their guesses yesteryear asset upward their boards inwards unison, I recorded the guesses on the board. Then, I began stacking cups, ane within another.
Ten cups guys? You actually intend I'm 10 cups tall? I'm pretty sure I'm a lot taller than 10 cups.
The students were outraged.
That's non fair! You didn't tell us nosotros were stacking them within of ane another.
Do yous know how my students got the guesses they did? Most of them took my transcend in addition to divided yesteryear the transcend of the cup. That works neat solely if yous invert every other loving cup piece stacking.
Immediately, they wanted a redo. This time, I offered them 5 cups. I told them this was their in conclusion chance. The pair of students who guessed the closest this fourth dimension would win their pick of a bottle of popular or a candy bar.
Students speedily got to piece of work mensuration in addition to punching numbers inwards their calculators.
 |
| Measuring Cups |
I loved hearing all the ground going on betwixt the partners. But, every fourth dimension nosotros add together a cup, the transcend of the stack solely goes upward yesteryear the transcend of the cup's lip.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I had to examine difficult to comprise my excitement.
 |
| Measuring Cups |
One of my students decided to graph the data. I was happy to run into students using tools that I brand available to them!
 |
| Graphing Data |
The calculated guesses were much better, but my students withal needed a lot of piece of work amongst linear functions! I used this lesson every bit an introduction to linear functions. Ideally, my students receive got worked amongst slope-intercept cast inwards middle school, but the bulk of our students come upward to high schoolhouse Algebra 1 amongst basically null agreement of gradient or graphing lines. Beyond that, in all likelihood over one-half of my students did non know how to solve a 2 footstep equation for the variable. And, let's non fifty-fifty acquire started on integer operations. In a larger schoolhouse district, these students would travel placed inwards a pre-algebra class. But, I instruct at such a pocket-size schoolhouse that nosotros offering no high schoolhouse classes below Algebra 1. All freshmen accept Algebra 1 regardless of their readiness. (The few students who took Algebra 1 every bit 8th graders accept Geometry.) It's upward to me to review in addition to reteach pre-algebra concepts inwards add-on to my Algebra 1 standards.
With the potential transition to mutual centre side yesteryear side year, this should travel interesting.
I started out amongst the lowest in conclusion estimate in addition to stacked that many cups. As the lower guesses were dismissed in addition to the stack of cups grew taller, I had a volunteer come upward to the front end to start handing me cups.
This volunteer is really excited because her group's estimate is getting awfully roughly my height.
 |
| Stacking Cups |
Different classes disagreed on the divulge of cups to equal my height. Two classes works life it to travel 56, but my in conclusion aeroplane said that 56 cups were technically taller than me in addition to thence it had to travel 55.
Here's me in addition to my stack of cups.
 |
| The Finished Stack |
I convinced a brace of my students to photograph this activity for me. In add-on to the photos of me standing on the desks, they also left me amongst a brace of selfies in addition to this random moving-picture demonstrate of me inwards activity at the SMART Board.
 |
| Random Action Shot By Student |
Next, nosotros walked through how yous could work algebra in addition to slope-intercept cast to determine the necessary divulge of cups. We discussed in addition to measured the 2 parts of the cup. After substituting the heights of each component subdivision of the loving cup in addition to my height, nosotros were create to solve for x, the divulge of cups needed.
 |
| Cup Stacking Algebra |
By this time, our 50 infinitesimal aeroplane catamenia was winding to a close, in addition to thence I didn't receive got fourth dimension to pose whatever follow upward questions.
I enjoyed this lesson, but I wishing I had spent 2 days on it. I wishing I had students consummate some form of reflection/extension on the projection inwards their interactive notebooks.
Here's the information from my 3 classes.
 |
| Third Hour Algebra 1 Data |
 |
| First Hour Algebra 1 Data |
 |
| Sixth Hour Algebra 1 Data |
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