#3241. A Remainder of One

Mathematics, level: Elementary
Posted Mon Oct 11 06:22:48 PDT 2004 by Alicia (aliciambittner@yahoo.com).
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Johnstown, USA
Materials Required: "A Remainder of One," by Elinor Princzes, plastic bugs, math manipulatives
Activity Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: remainders, even numbers

Instructional Procedures:
Anticipatory Set:
•The teacher will read A Remainder of One, by Elinor Princzes. Throughout the reading, the teacher will pause allowing for students to comment. Also, the teacher will ask the students for alternative solutions that they believe may be possible for "Joe's" problem.
•When the teacher has finished reading aloud, he/she will ask the students to reiterate what occurred within the story, as well as how "Joe" solved the problem he was faced with.
Developmental Activities:
•The teacher will give each student twenty-five plastic bugs.
•The students will be told to work individually.
•The teacher will then reread A Remainder of One. While the story is being reread, the students are to use the manipulatives provided to model the formation of the bug squadron. Each bug squadron from the story is to be recreated. The teacher will pause following each bug squadron formation to assure that all students are participating and correctly modeling formations.
•At this point, the students will gather all twenty-five plastic bug pieces. The teacher will walk around and collect each student's manipulatives.
•Following the collection of the manipulatives, the teacher will help to count off the students by fours. All students with the same number will work together as a group. If any students remain, the teacher will place them into a group that he/she feels the student would work best.
•The students will be told that they will be working in groups for approximately fifteen minutes. With their group members, they will choose any math manipulative of their choice from the math center.
•With group members, students are to select any number of manipulatives between twenty and fifty. For example, one group may choose to work with thirty-six bingo chips.
•After all members agree on a number of manipulatives to work with, students in the group are to find ways to create marching groups just as "Joe" had to do within A Remainder of One.
•All answers/strategies must be recorded within math journals.
•The students may group in any way they wish, with any number of manipulatives they wish ranging again, between twenty and fifty. If, when grouping the manipulatives, students have any "remainder Joe's," they must state so within their recordings.
•Throughout the problem-solving activity, the teacher will walk around the room, observing the students to make sure that all students are staying on task and participating with their group members.
•The teacher will also be spending time with each group, asking for students' reasoning, along with encouraging new strategies.
Closure:
•Each group will have an opportunity to share up to five strategies that they found when working with their manipulatives. During this time, students are to also specify how many manipulatives they chose to work with.
•Throughout discourse, the teacher will ask those students who are not sharing their findings if they may think of a strategy that the group presenting had not thought of.