few_shots: 
Example 1:
Problem/activity:
Task
Materials
One 10-frame per pair of students (see example below)
[IMG]
Counters, 10 per pair of students
Decks of number cards 0-5 (with 4 of each number) or two 0-5 dice
Setup
This activity is done in pairs. The students sit side by side with 10-frame and deck of cards or dice. If they have cards, the cards are shuffled and placed face down in front of them.
Action
Player 1 flips a card or rolls the die. They place that many counters on the 10-frame. Player 2 flips a card or rolls the die. They place that many more counters on the 10-frame next to the counters already on the ten frame. The students count the total together.
A recording sheet can be added when the students have been introduced to equations and number sentences. For those students who can handle higher numbers, a deck of 0-10 cards and two 10-frames can be used.
This game can also be played alone.


Concept/skill: 
Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings (Drawings need not show details, but should show the mathematics in the problem. (This applies wherever drawings are mentioned in the Standards.)), sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.

Answer: 
Yes. This task involves representing addition with objects such as number cards and dice.

Example 2:
Problem/activity:
Task
 Arrange the fractions in order from least to greatest. Explain your answer with a picture.
 $\frac{1}{5}, \frac{1}{7}, \frac{1}{3} $
 $\frac{2}{5}, \frac{2}{7}, \frac{2}{3} $
 $\frac{5}{6}, \frac{3}{6}, \frac{1}{6} $
 $\frac{5}{12}, \frac{8}{12}, \frac{4}{12} $

Concept/skill: 
Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size.
 Grade 3 expectations in this domain are limited to fractions with denominators 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

Answer: 
Yes. By arranging the fractions in this problem, students learn to compare fractions by reasoning about their size.

Example 3:
Problem/activity:
Problem 1
Solve using the standard algorithm. If you get stuck, use an area model and/or the partial products algorithm to help. Then assess the reasonableness of your answer.
a.
$$5,803\times46$$
b.
$$63\times2,116$$
Problem 2
Dunkin' introduced a croissant doughnut in 2014. In the first three months of its debut, they sold 7,870 dozen of them per day. How many croissant doughnuts were sold in the first three months?


Concept/skill: 
Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

Answer: 
Yes. This set of problems involves multi-digit whole numbers because the numbers in each problem are four and two digit integers, and the mathematical calculations involved in both problems focus on multiplication. The first problem explicitly asks the student to solve its subproblems using the standard algorithm.

Now, does the problem or activity shown below enable students to learn the full intent of the following concept or skill?

shot_info: im_task_001477_pos_0

K

im_task_000157_pos_0

3

fl_problem_000674_pos_0

5
standard_description: Explain why the sum or product of two rational numbers is rational; that the sum of a rational number and an irrational number is irrational; and that the product of a nonzero rational number and an irrational number is irrational.
problem_activity: Activity
Students first encountered irrational numbers at the start of this unit as a way to denote the side lengths of squares. They also spent time attempting to find a number of the form
\(\frac{a}{b}\)
, where
\(a\)
and
\(b\)
are integers, that is equal to
\(\sqrt{2}\)
only to have it revealed that
\(\sqrt{2}\)
is irrational. Now that students have recently done a lot of thinking about decimal representations of rational numbers and how to convert the infinitely repeating decimal representation of a number into a fraction representation, we revisit irrationals to further the point that no such fraction representation exists for these numbers. For many irrationals, long division doesn't work as a tool to calculate a decimal approximation because there are no two integers to divide. It can be said that a square of area 2 has a side length of
\(\sqrt{2}\)
or that
\(\sqrt{2}\)
is a number that, when squared, has a value of 2 (with
\(\text-\sqrt{2}\)
being the other number). All this means is that different methods to approximate the value need to be discussed.
In this activity, students will approximate the value of
\(\sqrt{2}\)
using successive approximation and discuss how they might figure out a value for
\(\pi\)
using measurements of circles. Students will also plot these values on number lines accurately to the thousandth place to reinforce the idea that irrational numbers are numbers. Therefore, irrational numbers have a place on the number line even if they cannot be written as a fraction of integers.
Launch
Calculators are okay, but students should not use the root button or the
\(\pi\)
button. Before beginning, remind students that we have previously found decimal representations for fractions, and that knowing these representations made it easier to plot numbers on a number line. Today we are going to do the same thing with irrational numbers. Ask students “Earlier, we used long division to find decimal representations of numbers. Why can't we do that today with irrational numbers?” (Irrational numbers are ones that cannot be written as fractions.)
Follow work time with a whole-class discussion.
Action and Expression: Internalize Executive Functions.
Chunk this task into more manageable parts to support students who benefit from support with organizational skills in problem solving. For example, present one question at a time and monitor students to ensure they are making progress throughout the activity.
Supports accessibility for: Organization; Attention
Student Facing
Why is
\(\sqrt{2}\)
between 1 and 2 on the number line?
Why is
\(\sqrt{2}\)
between 1.4 and 1.5 on the number line?
How can you figure out an approximation for
\(\sqrt{2}\)
accurate to 3 decimal places?
Label all of the tick marks. Plot
\(\sqrt{2}\)
on all three number lines. Make sure to add arrows from the second to the third number lines.
[IMG]
Elena notices a beaker in science class says it has a diameter of 9 cm and measures its circumference to be 28.3 cm. What value do you get for
\(\pi\)
using these values and the equation for circumference,
\(C=2\pi r\)
?
Diego learned that one of the space shuttle fuel tanks had a diameter of 840 cm and a circumference of 2,639 cm. What value do you get for
\(\pi\)
using these values and the equation for circumference,
\(C=2\pi r\)
?
Label all of the tick marks on the number lines. Use a calculator to get a very accurate approximation of
\(\pi\)
and plot that number on all three number lines.
[IMG]
How can you explain the differences between these calculations of
\(\pi\)
?
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Student Response.
Activity Synthesis
The purpose of this discussion is to deepen students understanding that irrational numbers are not fractions. As such, their values are approximated using different methods than for rational numbers. Begin the discussion by asking:
“How long do you think you could keep using the method in the first problem to find more digits of the decimal representation of
\(\sqrt{2}\)
?” (My calculator only shows 9 digits to the left of the decimal, so that's as far as I could go.)
“Would this method work for any root?” (Yes, I could find the two perfect squares the square of the root is between and then start approximating the value of the root from there.)
Tell students that what they did in the first problem is a strategy called “successive approximation.” It takes time, but successive approximation works for finding more and more precise approximations of irrational numbers so long as you have a clear value to check against. In the case of
\(\sqrt{2}\)
, since
\(\sqrt{2}^2=2\)
, there was a clear value to test approximations against whether they are too high or too low.
Lastly, select 2–3 students to share their response to the last part of the second problem. Make sure students understand that since measuring has limitations of accuracy, any calculation of
\(\pi\)
using measurement, such as with the beaker and the fuel tank, will have its own accuracy limited.
Speaking: MLR8 Discussion Supports.
Use this routine to support whole-class discussion when students to share their response to the last part of the second problem. Call on students to use mathematical language to restate and/or revoice the strategy (or strategies) presented. Consider providing students time to restate what they hear to a partner, before selecting one or two students to share with the class. Ask the original speaker if their peer was accurately able to restate their thinking. Call students' attention to any words or phrases that helped to clarify the original statement. This will provide more students with additional opportunities to speak and describe the differences between calculations of
\(\pi\)
.
Design Principle(s): Support sense-making; Maximize meta-awareness


aligns: no