16.1 measure mass, area, capacity, using appropriate non standard unit
16.2 compare two or more objects
OE20 uses strategies and materials, uses math language, explains math thinking, perseveres through problem solving
All we need is one simple tool! Our non standard units are cuisinaire rods, which offer two or more objects to compare and a perfect opportunity to hear the math language being used as students work. We started with some exploration time.
Most students started using the rods like building blocks. When they chose all the same colour, we could see that they understood that they were equal lengths when squares were constructed. Some students even started lining the rods up according to size.
We moved into a more directed activity with a challenge to find different colours that match in length. Students had to put pieces together, which forced them to compare lengths. As is often the case, we had to add the phrase “in as many different ways/combinations as you can” because our students are usually satisfied with quitting after a single attempt. Once they started moving the pieces and colours around, they were quite creative in their solutions.
Our next challenge was to get students to work together to fill a sqaure on a paper…
The only rule was that the rods had to be inside the black outline of the square, which make them really think about the sizes and arrangement. It was surprising to see how many kids wanted to recreate the outline of the square first, instead of filling it. It was a great introduction to the word “area”. We could see students checking out the work of fellow groups and yet none of the groups used the exact same rod configuration. We could hear the talk as they figured it out together: things like “No, this one can’t go here because it’s too long.” and “We can use 3 white ones because they are the same as the green one.” We were impressed with how all of the groups worked well together until the square was completely filled in. The pride they felt on successful completion is evident in the final photos we took.
This activity was such a success in terms of student engagement and curriculum expectations! We had students coming back for more and showing us other ways we could use the rods: making alphabet letters, patterns, symmetry, etc.
kgkinders 