"A research center of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, youcubed provides tasks, courses, and scholarships to inspire all students with open, creative mindset mathematics. Teachers and students will find learning opportunities, videos, lessons, and evidence-based ideas to support their math instruction and learning" (https://www.youcubed.org/our-activities/).
Students work together to make different number combinations for a given number.
We often see growth pattern tasks that focus on numerical questions like ÒHow many squares are in the 100th case?Ó or ÒHow many squares are in the nth case?Ó These are good questions, but we only ask them after we focus on what the shape looks like and how it grows. We start by asking students ÒHow do you see the shapes growing?Ó and we ask that they make their answer entirely visual, that they forget about counting and numbers. Color coding is often a great tool for this.
This task comes from a book in a series of three books by Math Solutions, called Math for All: Differentiating Instruction. This is another investigation where students can practice addition and think about combinatorics Ð a nice way of organizing counting. The task ends with asking students to write about their thinking.
It seems that taxis have been a part of my life for years. When I was a teacher and academic in London I would see the iconic Black cabs zipping around the streets of London, and I would occasionally travel in them. It was years later when these Black cabs became important again, as some of the first evidence on the plasticity of brains Ð even adult brains Ð came from studying the brains of drivers of Black cabs in London (see video link below). Researchers found that after their intensive spatial training the brains of the drivers of Black cabs strengthened and grew. Years later I was teaching my freshman class when I met Tessa, who proposed this taxi activity for youcubed.
Jo has used this task with a lot of success on the first days of school with very hesitant students. Soon after setting the challenge the board area becomes full of students putting up their solutions, then returning to their seat to look for more. For students, it is a very safe and non threatening activity. It builds number sense and is a fun challenge. This task is also a really nice way of helping students become comfortable sharing their work in front of the class. The first appearance of four 4Õs was in English mathematician: WW Rouse BallÕs Mathematical Recreations and Essays in 1892, and then revisited by Constance Reid in ÔFrom Zero to InfinityÕ in 1955.
Children will develop the concept of inclusion, that larger numbers ÒincludeÓ smaller numbers.
This is a great game with lots of strategy. High school students enjoy playing! The game provides a great way to practice and build fluency in single digit multiplication. If a player needs support, tools like calculators and times tables can be provided. We have also included two versions of the game board, one 6 x 6 grid and the other an 8 x 8 grid. During and/or after playing students can discuss strategies. During play students can justify their product at each turn through words, symbols or pictures. Students will also enjoy making up their own rules for new games.
This game is a great way to practice and build fluency with the addends 0 Ð 12. As students develop new strategies they will begin to use subtraction. Encourage students to discuss, write about or illustrate their strategies after they have played. You can also ask students to explain why they are choosing their addend and to justify the sum of their addends during play.
Students explore the area of trapezoids as they draw different examples of trapezoids.
This task helps students build number sense as they practice calculating. The task has more than one solution which is nice. At the end it asks students to write a clue that gives the task only one solution.
My heart is always with youcubed. HereÕs a tessellation of our logo!