Roller Coaster Rounding

Grade:4

*This is a lesson I taught on rounding. I noticed that the students were struggling with using a number line, so I developed this so that students can actually visualize the gravity pulling the roller coaster towards a rounded number.

1. Put the roller coaster ramp on the overhead. Look at your number that needs rounded and decide what you are rounding by (tens, hundreds, etc).

2. At the start of the roller coaster, write the number that you would round down to. Then at the end of the roller coaster, write the number that you would round up to. For example, if the number is 129, and it’s instructed to round to the nearest hundred, one would write 100 at the start, and 200 at the end.

3. Now write the middle number at the peak of the roller coaster ramp.

4. Now find where your number that your rounding is located on the roller coaster ramp – just as if it were a number line.

5. Put your roller coaster rider at that spot on the roller coaster ramp. Now the students can easily look at the roller coaster and easily visualize which way the roller coaster will fall, hence knowing which number to round to. 

 

6. This roller coaster rounding concept can be adapted for all sort of numbers and rounding situations.

Cube Nets

Grade: 4

*This is a math lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

1. Give each group of student various nets (some that will fold into a cube and some that will not).

2. Have the students discover on their own which nets will fold into cubes.

3. Have each group present to the class which nets worked and which nets did not fold into a cube.

3 Digit x 1 Digit Multiplication

Grade: 4

*This is a math lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

1. Start by having the student write the expanded notation of the 3 digit number across the top of the base ten block sheet (123 = 100+20+3). Then have them write the one digit number on the side of the base ten block sheet.

2. Have the students work across the base ten block sheet completing each individual multiplication problem (100x6, 20x6, 3x6).

3. Next, have the students regroup ten units cubes into a tens rod. Repeat if necessary.

4. Then have the students regroup ten tens rods into a hundreds flat. Repeat as necessary.

5. The students should now have their correct answer.

What’s the Missing Number?

Grade: 4

*This is a beginning algebra lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Start by showing the class a card. Ask the students to figure out the missing number… what number is under the question mark?

 

Life the question mark flap to reveal the missing number. Student can check their answers this way.

Make sure to guide the students into completing inverse operation to find the answers. For example,
6 + ? = 9,  the students can find the ? by completing the operation 9 – 6 = 3.

Let the students know that in most algebra, the ? is actually represented by a variable, such as x or n. The students can now dig into further algebra lessons.

Temperature

Grade:4

*I taught this lesson on temperature during my student teaching internship.

1. Use the big thermometer to review and teach how to read temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Make sure to discuss common temperatures such as room temperature, boiling point of water, and freezing point of water. Compare and contrast between the two readings.

2. Give each student a copy of the worksheet and guide them through completing the first couple together, measuring the temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Have the students complete the rest of the problems on their own.

Mini Metric System Unit

Grade: 4

*This is a mini introductory unit about the metric system that I taught over a week span to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Start by introducing and discussing the prefix milli-, centi-, deci-, and kilo-. For each of the activities below, keep figuring the conversions of how many of each unit is in another unit.

Second, introduce the meter and units of the meter. Give the students a toothpick, small ring, short straw, ribbon, and meter measuring device. Have the students measure the items, finding the item that is closest to a millimeter (width of end of toothpick), centimeter (width of ring), decimeter (length of straw), and meter (ribbon).

Third, introduce the gram and units of the gram. Pass around the jar of beans (kilogram) and the paper clip (gram) let the students feel the difference in weight.

Lastly, introduce the liter and units of the liter. Put a drop of water next to the liter water bottle so that students can visually compare the liter to milliliter.

As a challenge, discuss cubic measurements in the metric system. Give the students base ten blocks, and let them measure the cubic area of the units piece (it’s one cubic centimeter). Then let them measure and experiment with finding out how many cubic centimeters is in a cubic decimeter (the thousand cube).