Math with Connections & Kinesthetic Learning

Connection-Making Lesson Ideas

During our class this week, we were treated to donuts and muffins from Tim Horton's and were asked "Where is the Math?". This activity was fun for our class because we utilized collaboration, mathematical thinking, and creativity to come up with many possible methods of using the treats in Mathematics. Some examples we came up with include:

1. Algebra: 
• Are there enough donuts/muffins for the number of students in the classroom?
2. Fractions:
• Sharing the donuts by cutting into fractions
• Recipe cards (also implemented in measurement)
3. Geometry:
• Surface area of the sprinkles
4. Patterning:
• Rearranging the food into growing, shrinking, and repeated patterns

Using real life examples was fun because we were challenged to think about the ways we could later challenge students to make connections between Mathematics and their lives. This activity would also be fun to integrate on a cross-curricular level. For example, setting the stage in the classroom as though the classroom has been robbed. Students would then be encouraged to write a story about what may have happened in the classroom and then encourage the students to act out their scenarios - making reference to both the Language Arts and Drama curriculum. Another example may be of an Indigenous artifact placed on a desk at the front of the classroom and students are expected to write a story about it based on their knowledge of Indigenous history - making reference to Social Studies and Language Arts. There are many ways this activity may be incorporated and I am excited to implement it in my placement classroom.  

Kinesthetic Teaching Techniques

I had a lot of fun in class today as we learned about kinesthetic ways of teaching memorable pieces of information. The following are chants and dances we participated in to master the Metric Staircase and the Place Value System:

Metric Staircase: 🎶 Mickey Mouse can do many dangerous, heroic kicks 🎶 (mm, cm, dm, m, dam, ham, km)
Place Value System: 🎶 To the right, getting bigger; to the left, getting smaller 🎶

Not only is this a great activity for kinestethic learners, but for all students in general as they are encouraged to get out of their seats for an energizer that is memorable and will aid in their Math skills and knowledge. I am excited to incorporate these chants and dances in my classroom as my first block is with a grade 6 class and we will be preparing them to complete their EQAO testing.