Module 14

Hey Jess!
Crazy to think that this is our last blog week! I hope you're having a good week and not too overloaded with end-of-semester work!

Textbook

1. Explain what it means to measure something. Does your explanation work equally well for length, area, weight, volume, and time?

It was a bit tricky to find a definition for measuring that fit all of those terms, but honestly a broad definition works well for this, and it can be further elaborated based on what type of measurement is needed from there. Measuring somethings means to compare an object to a specific unit, which is very similar to what the book says. Measuring something means to describe it based on a specific unit, and that broadly applies to all areas. 

2. A general instruction plan for measurement has three steps. Explain how the type of activity used at each step accomplishes the instructional goal.

The first step is to make comparisons. In the book, the students were comparing items based on one attribute, like weight or length. This allows students to further understand the attribute they are looking at by demonstrating and experiencing what it means to weigh less or be shorter than another item. This can help in the future in their understanding that weight and size do not always correlate.

The second step is using nonstandard models as units of measurement. They choose something that can represent a measurement, such as seeing how many pencil-lengths one item is. This builds off of comparison, but offers an actual number, rather than just "bigger" or "smaller." They are now able to say that the desk is 3 and a half pencil lengths, rather than just longer than the pencil.

The third step is to use actual measuring instruments. These are the common tools we think of, such as a ruler or a scale. They will learn that using these tools makes things more accurate and universal. If they previously used a pencil to measure a desk, this unit can change based on what pencil is used or if the pencil gets sharpened down. However, a ruler will stay the same, so the desk will always be X amount of inches on the ruler.

Circumference and Diameter

In our reading, Ms. Scrivner had the students use various techniques to explore circumference and diameter, such as wrapping their arms around a pumpkin and drawing circles on the ground. I think one good technique would be using a piece of fruit. The students could first feel around to see how long it is around, and then cut it in half to look at the diameter. This would help them make the connection to real life things, as the pumpkin did.

When I was in school, I do not remember doing any activities like this at all. I really just remember learning and memorizing the definitions for circumference and diameter and practicing over and over again on worksheets so that we could differentiate the two. Activities like this are much more fun and interactive, and have a much larger impact on how the students learn and remember these two words. I briefly remember being told to think of the word "circle" when we hear circumference to remember that circumference measures around. While tricks like this are helpful, hands-on experiences always help students understand and remember material better.

The students in Ms. Scrivner's class developed ownership by choosing their own items to measure and share with the class. They were held accountable for the measurements they came up with. This can also help Ms. Schrivner assess their understanding. Did they choose an object with a circumference and diameter that can be measured? Did they measure each correctly and properly differentiate the two? Students who got portions of this incorrect would show her exactly where their confusion lies. Jess, is this an activity you would do in your classroom? Would you allow students to take ownership like she did?

For Further Consideration...

1. When teaching geometry, I love the idea of having students walk around their school and write down shapes that they see. This is a great way to become familiar with the shapes in their day to day life while learning the proper vocabulary for these shapes.

2. I love the idea of having students work with nonstandard units of measurements before jumping into the standard measuring tools. This helps their ability to make comparisons and shows them why tools can be more accurate when needed.

3. I loved the probability line we did and I would absolutely use that in a classroom. Having students place events on a continuum from likely to impossible is a great way to introduce and enforce the concept of probability.

4. Using the Mira tool is a great way to teach shape transformations and I would love to use this tool with students.

5. The data collection case studies that we read in the beginning of the semester always stuck with me. I love the idea of allowing students to pick what data they want to collect and guiding them by asking questions to further their learning.

I know these are just 5 things, but is there anything huge that I may have forgotten about that you recommend I look back at and use in future classrooms?