Target 3 – Flexible Learning Environments. FWSU will maximize flexible learning environments by redefining the school day, promoting learning experiences that extend beyond the school classroom, and fostering creativity, innovation, and differentiated learning opportunities for all.
Action Step – Develop opportunities for students to collaborate, innovate, create and conceptualize in all learning settings.
Indicator of Success for this Goal -Students are engaged in answering authentic questions and solving problems in collaborative settings.
Fletcher Elementary second grade students have been estimating and counting with a collection of items, as a fun and engaging way to address the Number and Operations in Base Ten featured in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics. The collections ranged from colored chips, to pencils, to sea shells, to marbles, to Pokémon cards.
This week, students were inspired by reading the book “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin“ by Margaret McNamara and their teacher was inspired by an Annenberg Foundation teacher resource video lesson about counting pumpkin seeds. When she received a gift of a small pumpkin from one of her students, Mrs. Weis decided it was time to investigate.
The question was posed – “How many seeds?”. The students made estimates that ranged from 80 seeds to 500 seeds. After cutting the top off of the pumpkin and getting a glimpse inside, some students revised their estimates. And then the scooping began…
The kitchen staff helped by drying the seeds on a baking tray. Estimates were revised yet again after seeing all the seeds spread out. Each student then had a modified egg carton, cut to resemble a ten frame, in front of them.
The students filled their ten frames and the class counted by tens, then by hundreds, until finding out that their pumpkin had exactly 401 seeds. Their individual reflection and writing allowed students to think about the process of estimation and the strategies they used to count large numbers.
And guess what…one estimate was just one seed off!