Thursday 28 February 2013

How do you know it's a triangle?

How do you know it’s a triangle?

We had examined shapes earlier in the year and had discovered that many students could identify the obvious equilateral triangle but became confused and unsure about triangles when the shape was altered (i.e. when it was flipped/elongated/ turned in different directions).  Through a number of discussions it became obvious that students could not agree whether a triangle was still a triangle when the equilateral shape was altered in any way.  

Keep in mind this documentation of our latest investigation into triangles took place over a number of days.  

Our discussion began with the book A Circle is not a Valentine by H. Werner Zimermann.



When the artist shares his Valentine painting,  DG immediately calls out that’s a triangle, not a Valentine”.





MJ - How do you know that?
DG - It has 3 sides and 3 points. 
MJ - Thumbs up if you agree with D.  
        What was your criteria D?
DG - It has 3 sides and 3 points. 

We read the next page and sure enough....






As we read the rest of the book, students continued to share their thinking around the various geometric shapes. 
To continue to provoke more thinking around shapes, geoboards were placed at our math centre











To challenge thinking Van De Walle triangles image was projected on SMARTboard with the simple prompt:
 What do you see?  (Van De Walle triangles) 




(Students were given time to share thinking with a partner before sharing with class). 


JC - I see an A, I see a C and a D, and I see an I and a B and a I see an L, and ahhh I see an I.

MJ - JC saw lots of letters.  What else did you see?

CB - There’s letters and half of the alphabet.

MJ - So you’re noticing the letters as well. What else do you see?

NB - I see a LBNDKLCAB. I see a A and B and C.

MJ - So we agree there’s letters up there.  Did anyone see anything different they can share?

RL - The B is trapped and bunch of letters.

CL - I see the number 58.

MJ - Interesting.

RH - I see shapes.  

MJ - Tell us more.

RH - There’s triangles, upside down triangles, and side triangles and other triangles.

MJ - How do you know they are triangles?

RH - Because they can be up or down or sideways.

MJ - Interesting, because when I found this in one of my math books it says right down here “assorted triangles”.  But I’m thinking how do I know they are triangles?

MJ - D you shared some information yesterday. 

DG - You mean about the triangles.

MJ - Yes what do we need to know about triangles?

DG - They have 1,2,3 sides and 3 points 1,2,3.

MJ - What did D just say?

LE - They have 3 sides and 3 points.

MJ - So when you look up there do these shapes all have 3 sides and 3 points? (students again given time to think and then share ideas with a partner).

MJ - What did  D tell us again about triangles?

LT - They have 3 sides and 3 points, 1,2,3 and 1,2,3.

MJ - So let’s check this shape right here (pointing to an inverted triangle in the middle)?

LT - Yes it’s ok if they’re upside down or sideways or upside down.

MJ - How do you know that this is a triangle?

LT - Cause it has 3 points and 3 sides.

MJ - How many people agree with L that it’s a triangle (thumbs up or thumbs down).

MJ - J you agree.  What do you know about triangles?

J - They can be upwards or upside down or straight or sideways and uh that’s all I know.


Is it a triangle?  How do you know?
Students went on a shape hunt (A variety of triangular shapes and sizes were spread all around the room and each student had to find a shape and talk about it with a partner). 




MJ - Tell us about your shape.




CB - It’s still a triangle because it has 3 sides and 3 points 1 2 3.

MJ - If you turn it another way is it still a triangle?

CB - Yes.

MJ - How do you know that?

CB - 1,2,3 (as she touches each side), 1,2,3 (as she touches each point).

MJ - So it still has those 3 points and 3 sides.  Interesting.

CB - If you have a shape like this (turns shape so standing tall) it’s kinda like an arrow.

MJ - Is it still a triangle? 

CB - (Nods yes).


Students continue to explore shape properties using geoboards and elastics.



   


Finally students chose a shape and were given the challenge of using that shape to create something new.  These are the artistic designs that evolved out of our study of triangles. 























Monday 25 February 2013

We can see (That was then, this is now)

More "We can see" connections!

We waited and we watched and finally the snow came.  Only a few children made it to school on this snowy day.  This is what we saw!



Taking Care Of Our World

Taking Care Of Our World (An inquiry into recycling).


Children are curious and connect prior knowledge to new contexts in order to understand the 
Children are curious and connect prior knowledge to new contexts in order to understand the world around them. 


Overall expectations.


Science and Technology
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the natural world and the need to care for and respect the environment.                                                                                                                                                                                      

Language
1. Communicate by talking and by listening and speaking to others for a variety of purposed and in a variety of contexts. 






Poster courtesy of “Let’s Talk About It.” Mondo Publishing, New York, 2005


Week 1

Caretaker finds garbage on our floors after lunch and mentions it to Mrs. Jelley. Students suggest ideas to solve this problem and this leads to the idea of doing some sort of research into what is garbage and what can be recycled.

Week 2
Ricky Raccoon visits classroom and leaves first note. Students again suggest we might be able to learn about recycling to get rid of garbage and help Ricky (who visits other classrooms as well as ours).  Recycle center set up in classroom to explore thinking.


Week 3
Students wonder when Ricky raccoon will be coming back.  Ricky Raccoon returns, leaving another note.  Individual students begin to blog Ricky. 


Week 4
Inquiry continues, with students sharing thinking and building classroom posters (taped to classroom door) to use as reference when throwing things out. Team reads blogs Ricky has sent certain students and respond as a team to his concerns and questions. 

What are you thinking?


       
 Ricky Raccoon’s first letter. A basket of food wrappers/containers were left with the letter.

Response to  first letter from Ricky Raccoon. 

RM - That’s garbage.  I saw a raccoon come see our garbage last night and he dumped all the garbage out.  Mommy put it in a plastic bag so he can’t smell it. 
ML - Does garbage go on the floor? (holding up an empty pudding cup with lid still attached (Ricky left it for us to see.  Apparently he found it on the floor in grade 1).
NB - No
ML - Where would you put it?
NB - Recycle.  Wash it out then recycle.
RH - It’s shiny so it goes in the garbage. 
LF - You have to wash it out before you put it in recycling.
ML - I’m confused. R said it’s shiny so it goes in the garbage.  L said you wash it out and it goes in the recycling. 
ML - Where would you think it would go R?
RL - Garbage.
ML - I’m confused.



Two SK girls at our recycling centre discussing where to put objects.



What are you thinking?

CB - I’m thinking kleenex goes in here because there’s a picture clue on the food bin.  But some people call it a green bin but it’s not really green.  But the big sticker is!
EA - I don’t need to look at that because it’s cardboard (holding a lunchable wrapper) and it goes in the recycling.
MJ - What it that? (pointing to the recycle symbol on a container).
CB - Picture clue. 
MJ - Picture clue of what?
EA - I think a symbol.
MJ - What does that symbol tell you?

EA -That it goes in recycling. 
CB - I wonder where plastic goes?  I’m maybe thinking the garbage because it doesn’t have a symbol on it.  


More conversations......

CS - Shiny stuff goes in here (pointing to garbage) and maybe....
MJ - What did C say?
CL - Shiny stuff goes in there and not shiny goes in blue bin, or if it has recycling symbol, or we can check the poster.
MJ - What symbol are we looking for?
CL - The recycling symbol that has the arrow on it. 
B - Shiny stuff go in the grey bin and water bottles go in the blue bin.
LF - Shiny stuff goes in there (grey garbage can) and the stuff with the recycling symbol goes in there (blue bin). 
RH - Shiny stuff goes in garbage and a lunchable goes in blue bin.
MY - What do you mean the lunchable goes in the blue bin?
RH - Bottom of the lunchable where the food is goes in recycling because I had on on pizza day. 
LK - Juice box goes in blue bin, because it has a recycling symbol


Taking care of our earth

C - You can’t waste food.  You can’t waste paper because If somebody was running then they wouldn’t have any air left or breath.  So that’s why you can’t waste paper. 
MJ - Tell me more. 
C - Trees give you air or breath.
B - It’s part of energy.
MY - R what are you thinking?
R - If you waste toilet paper rolls and stuff and it goes to the dump......
C - I have an idea. If somethings clean you can use it again and if it’s dirtly you can wash it out.
MJ - B what are you thinking?
B - Trees make energy to make us breath because if we don’t have any trees we can’t breath. 
C - MJ what were you thinking?
MJ - I’m thinking you already know a lot!

Ricky Raccoon idea and song courtesy of Scientists in School Kindergarten program “Young Friends of the Earth”.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle



How could we reuse cans?

R - If you know how to make pop you could put it in the can.
C - Or iced tea.
MJ - What else could we use cans for?
C - I have an idea. Sometimes teenagers just throw garbage on the ground. 
MJ - What would you tell them?
C - Not to do it.
B - Cause that’s not taking care of the earth. 
R - One time at Walmart this teenager boy threw garbage on the ground and my nana said “can you please pick it up” and he did!




What do you think you know?
MJ - Where should this go C?
C - This thing goes in the garbage (holds up bottom of applesauce container) and this thing goes in the recycling (holds up shiny silver top).
MJ - How do you know that? 
C - Cause I’ve had it before. 
K - I put that in the garbage (points to silver top).
MJ - Is there any way to check if it goes in the recycling?
N - The picture poster (points to poster on wall above recycling bin). 
MJ - Is it there?
N and C - NO!
MJ - R had another strategy.
R - You could check the bottom.
MJ- What are we checking for?
R - The recycling picture! 
MJ - So the whole thing goes in the recycling?
R - No this (silver lid) goes in the garbage.  



                                  Applesauce container with shiny lid.






Building something new with recycled materials.























Monday 18 February 2013

Colour Investigation into snow


We have been constantly reflecting this winter about the weather and how it feels like winter because it isn't SOOOOO COLD but it sure doesn’t look like winter
because there isn’t any snow.

Many sigh as they still have to dress in full snowsuits,
and some share stories of what they remember it is like to play outside on a snowy day.


On this particular day we know it feels VERY cold outside (-9) but....

What do you see as you look out the window?


As the snow on this January day continues to evade us, our colour investigation team keeps an eye on the sky, hoping for even a glimpse of a snowflake.


C - The sky looks like the one in the book.

 

  

   








MJ - Tell me about what you see.
R - I’m just mixing them all together with the blue and
white and purple.
C - MJ if we had a little green I could have did green
there and put it there, then it would look like that was
the grass.
MJ - Because of the way our snow is this winter, green
would make sense wouldn’t it?
B - I think it’s snow rainbow. Like a snow rainbow.
It’s cool (as he blends his colours together).









The following day students were encouraged to re-visit their sky painting, taking time to consider details that might now be added. Here are the results of their
thinking!


 




  


Maybe the snow will come back soon. Until it does our colour team will continue to watch the skies, always on the look out for snow clouds and lovely snowflakes to spark inspiration!