News From the Nest April 17-21, 2023
Spotlight on Learning: A Math Journal
Over the course of this semester, Mr. Gibson’s Math 10 class has taken on a challenge that goes beyond exponents and factoring: a Math Journal! Every couple of weeks, a new, open-ended question is given to the class and students must use logic and reasoning to determine the answer. Recently, students were shown a jar full of M&Ms and we’re instructed to guess, with one condition – they couldn’t just guess! The students had to show some level of mathematical reasoning in how they achieved their answer. The exact amount of M&Ms was painstakingly counted by hand by Mr. Gibson as he had to count all the way to 505. Students were allowed to look and hold the jar; they were also allowed to ask the brand of jar and where the M&Ms were bought. These types of questions are intended to challenge students to model with mathematics in situational contexts. Students can apply the math knowledge that they have to something as trivial as what you would see at a carnival. The students worked hard and creatively – the incentive was the jar of M&Ms! Their answers varied from 100 to 1000. Remember that the actual total was 505 - take a peek at the winning calculations!