Math Inquiry Lesson

I had my second observed lesson by my field instructor this past week and I decided to do a group inquiry math lesson. The students had to create a table by measuring an ice cream cone and paper scoops and then to take that information and turn it into an algebraic equation. I was surprised to see that all of the 5 groups were able to come up with an equation with very little or no help from me. I liked using questioning to guide their thinking and make them think more critically about what they were doing.

I really enjoyed this lesson because it looked so different than our other math lessons, which are all typically direct instruction. I think the students could really benefit from more inquiry lessons because it allows them to take their knowledge and apply it in a new way. I think my cooperating teacher would like to do that too, it's just always a battle of time and trying to stay on track with the curriculum.

Hopefully I'll be able to work in a few more inquiry style lessons this year because it made teaching math more comfortable for me. It really takes some of the pressure off of the teacher because I'm able to spend some time with small groups instead of trying to instruct the whole class. I don't have to think of a way to say something so the whole class gets it, rather I can focus on the needs of one group and where they are in their thinking. Students were also able to learn from and help each other which I really liked.

45 Most Powerful Images of 2011

I just came across a website that shared the 45 most powerful images of the year, and all of them are fascinating. I was thinking of all the ways you could use some of these images in a classroom. I was thinking that you could select an image and have students write a story surrounding the image. What were the people thinking in the moment the picture was taken? What is their story? What are they feeling right now? You could also have your students do a quick free write immediately after seeing a photograph to get their instant reactions. Students could also write a poem in response to one of the images. So many of these photographs are based on current events that could peak students interest in what they are studying, or in the world in general.  You could base research projects on some of these photos, or have each student select an image to base a project off of. I was very moved by a lot of these photos and forgot about how many things happened this past year. Please check out these photos. How could you use some, or all, of these photographs in your classroom?

Chil' Puyehue volcano erupts. (Reuters)

A woman jumps from a burning building during the London riots (Amy Weston/ WENN.com)Please check out these photos.

Teaching Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving coming up, I've been wondering what is the best way to teach this important holiday? I think we can all agree that the textbook descriptions we all read may not portray the complete truth of the holiday. How do you enhance that dry information to give a more complete picture from a different perspective (ahem, like the Indians!). Since we've been talking about primary sources in our social studies methods class, I was wondering how that could be incorporated.


Has anyone ever seen or heard of primary documents from the Indians perspective used for teaching Thanksgiving in the classroom? I think role playing would be a great way to teach about the history of Thanksgiving. I also think it would be interesting to have the students write diaries form either the Pilgrims or the Indians perspective and then compare the differences.


I would love to hear how people have seen Thanksgiving taught in classrooms. How can we give students a more complete picture of this holiday?

It worked!

A few weeks ago I taught my literacy read aloud lesson to a group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders. The class was a fine arts, hour and a half block class. I read a book called "The Houdini Box" by Brian Selznick. I chose this book because it was a short story and the author is also pretty popular among this age group. He also wrote "Wonderstruck" and "Hugo Cabret," which is being turned into a movie that comes out this Thanksgiving. I like his books because he incorporates very detailed illustrations that help tell the stories, about half of his books are made up of illustrations. I thought it would be interesting to incorporate a Brian-Selznick inspired art project into my read aloud lesson.


After I read the story and we discussed it, we moved into the art portion of the lesson. I told the students that Brian Selznick draws his pictures on small pieces of paper with a magnifying glass and then blows them up 400% to put in his books. We had collected fall leaves from outside (I can't resist how pretty these leaves are) and then all the students got to study the detail on their leaves with a magnifying glass. Then they used their magnifying glasses to guide their sketches that they did on a 2"x2" piece of paper with a mechanical pencil. Using the mechanical pencil and the magnifying glass allows the students the incorporate a lot of intricate and small detail that wouldn't be possible with the naked eye and a normal pencil. While the students were drawing, I played a few NPR radio clips of Brain Selznick talking about his books, and then I played some classical piano music.


I was so happy when the hour and a half was over because I had survived! And I had finally implemented one of my many hypothetical lessons that we keep writing for our classes. It was fun for me to come up with an entire lesson from scratch and then actually see it work! I feel like the students came away with a better understanding of Brain Selznick, the author and the illustrator. I also think they enjoyed themselves, which was a bonus!


I'm including some examples of the students artwork. The photos include their leaf, the small drawing (which was their original drawing), and the large drawing (which was blown up 400%). Hope you enjoy them!


How do you think I could have added to this lesson? What would you have done differently? I think this lesson could be modified by book, author and illustrator choice and used at almost every grade level. How do you envision this lesson for a 1st, 3rd, or 5th grade class?