Division of Fractions lesson using the Show Me App

At present I am trying to incorporate some aspects of an Inquiry Based Learning approach into my teaching, particularly within maths.

I gave this a go with teaching division of fractions recently.

Instead of teaching the concept of dividing fractions in a traditional chalk and talk approach, I armed the children with iPads and placed a problem on the board instead.

"Sean had 3 pepperoni pizzas. He cut them into quarters.   How many friends would he be able to give a piece of pizza to?"

The children were then challenged to work in pairs to solve the problem using the 'Show Me' App.

This is a brilliant app for use in maths class.  The children created slides to show how exactly they solved the problem.  I encouraged them to draw pictures and use as many notes and labels as they could.

The app then allows them to record their voiceover as they flick through their slides.   I was so impressed by the level of understanding by many of the children.

To complete the task I asked the children to try and write an equation for the problem.  Many of them did this without any support!

Finally we discussed the equation and what it meant.  We then completed some more problems.  Definitely a more interesting and active means of learning about division of fractions!

Yvonne

Polar Bear Christmas Art

We created these cosy polar bears just before Christmas using chalk pastels and black sugar paper.

I think they're the only ones enjoying the chilly spell at the moment! 

Music Genre Project

Project work often falls under the SESE area.. but why not in music?

If you want to try something different with your class, or you're exploring the notion of 'genre' in music this is the perfect project! The class will love it! 

I distributed this task sheet to the children: Music Genre Project  .  Feel free to download and edit as appropriate to your class. 

The children worked individually on a project.  I wrote down a variety of different genres on slips of paper and put them in a hat.  Children then chose a slip of paper/genre from the hat and worked on this for a week. 

This would work well alternatively as a group project.  

In order to keep some variety in the projects I distributed the slips of paper.  However, if there is a style of music a child is particularly passionate about I would encourage them to go with this!

The children were given a minute to present their projects to the class. 

I encouraged the rest of the class to ask questions.  They also wrote down one interesting fact they learned for each project which was presented.  

This is a great project for a rainy day or as an early finisher activity. 

Here are some pictures of the final projects

Let me know how it goes for you! 

Yvonne 

Land League History Lesson

There are some topics within the 6th class history curriculum which can be heavy and hard to make fun or active... particularly (dare I say it) when it comes to Irish History.

I created this lesson to:

• Get the children researching and investigating. It's important that children discover or find the information for themselves and for a meaningful purpose. 
• Incorporate drama into the lesson.  Drama is a wonderful tool within history to help the children develop empathy.  It allows them to step back in time and into the shoes of the characters. 
• Develop teamwork skills.  Children had to work together to come up with an appropriate campaign. 

I have attached a copy of the task sheet I distributed to the children here: 

Land League Project Brief

I was amazed with what the children came up with! Some re created the scenes when Devoy, Parnell and Davitt joined forces.  Others distributed campaign leaflets, posters and voting slips.  Speeches and chants were made to win the support of the crowd.  Some children even brought in their own props and clothes to really get into character. 

Check out some of the pictures on our twitter page!
https://twitter.com/MissWardsClass

Finally I created a display of some of the posters and campaign slips created by the children.

This turned out to be one of my favourite lessons this year. 

The class LOVED it! 

Learning about the Land League will never be boring again! 

Let me know how you get on! 

Yvonne 

Angles & Lines Maths Trail for Senior Classes

As part of Maths week, I carried out a maths trail with my class on the topic of Angles and lines.  

What is a maths trail? 

"A Maths Trail is an organised walk through an area close to school where pupils can experience maths in the real world. A trail will help to highlight for them the huge use we make of number in our everyday life and how Maths surrounds us in even the most unusual areas" (PDST, 2014)

  

The trail I used offered the children the opportunity to explore the use of angles and lines in the environment around them.   Before starting I set out some ground rules. 

·      Children formed groups of three and four. 

·      I then assigned one piece of equipment to each child as follows:

o   Chalk

o   A large protractor

o   A metre tape

·      All children were given the task sheet and set out in their groups to complete each task.

TIP! Before setting out on the trail.  Make sure to discuss what is required on the trail prior to leaving the classroom!

The children absolutely loved the activity and for many helped increase their understanding of lines and angles. 

I have attached a free copy of the maths trail I used here! Google Docs Maths Trail File

Feel free to download and try it out with your class. (Please note: Share the file to your own account before editing! :))  Let me know how you get on!

Don’t forget to discuss your findings when you return to the classroom!

If you're thinking of creating your own trails, PDST have some great advice here and prompt questions: 

Maths Trails Overview & Prompts PDF

There are also some other examples of trails you can use here: 

Maths Trails Documents

Yvonne 

Free Maths Websites Suitable for Homework

The interest in maths websites which allow teachers to 'assign' a game or topic to be completed as homework or in class has grown considerably in the past year or two.  

The purpose of this post is to name some maths websites where teachers can 'add their class' and monitor their students progress as they play fun, free, educational games! 

• Prodigy Games A GUARANTEED hit with the class! This is a fantastic maths website where the children can play mathematical games against their classmates and other pupils around the globe.  FREE and very simple for teachers to use and generate a class. Teachers can assign homework tasks based on different areas of the curriculum and decide on the number of questions. Give it a go! 

• Khan Academy  Another fantastic free resource. This is slightly different to other maths websites such as prodigy maths (above), mangahigh, mathletics etc.  Children are assigned a mission to complete with a variety of maths problems and questions to complete.  The beauty of this website is that there are online videos which the children can watch to help them solve a problem if they get stuck.  The children can also work at their own pace, therefore catering for differentiation needs within the classroom.  A detailed break down of the children's success rates is available to the teacher, as well as the amount of time the child spends online and the areas in which they are struggling.  
• This is fantastic as it allows the teacher  an opportunity to pinpoint an area the child is having difficulty with and the chance to work on this.  This website is a little more fiddley to navigate and set up the class. However, bare with it! It is a wonderful tool when put in place.  

Why not give a some or all of these a go! I will keep the list updated as I make more discoveries.  Feel free to comment with others you may have found, or indeed your experience of the following examples.

Yvonne

Blog Update

I have been off the radar with my blog in recent months, but alas, I have returned from my hibernation! :P 

I received a few emails asking where photos of my previous displays have disappeared to! 

Let me explain! 

Unfortunately, I had to remove previous posts and photos as I have now moved to new teaching position in a new school. 

However, if there were any posts/displays which you were interested in, feel free to give me an email or comment and I will gladly share any details with you! 

In the meantime watch out for new displays coming soon.  Also, I often post on my class twitter account http://www.twitter.com/misswardsclass. 

In terms of the blog itself, this year I'm going to be taking a slightly different approach.   While I will still post classroom displays, I hope to also broaden the nature of the blog to demonstrate my use of active, discovery learning within my daily teaching practice. 

Finally, I hope to give readers some insight into some of the work I am currently undertaking as part  the Masters in Education and Training Management  (e-learning strand) in Dublin City University.  

This year as part of my final year thesis I hope to conduct some work in the area of mathematics and inquiry based learning.  This is an active, discovery based approach to teaching mathematics which I will be blogging about in the distant future. As I go through my journey, I hope that it may give teachers (particularly senior teachers) some ideas for their maths lessons.  

Watch this space! 

Enjoy the final week of Term 1 (where has the time gone!)  and Happy Halloween! 

Yvonne