We have been working on ratios and unit rates for about a week now in 6th grade.
They are making me crazy.
If I am working a problem my students can tell me exactly what to do.
If they come to the board and work a problem, they get it right 95% of the time.
Ask them to do it on their own though and you would think I was asking them to solve a Calculus problem.
So I did what any teacher would do. I went to Pinterest for a wonderful lesson that would make this click for my students.
I found this pin.
Click on the pic to go to the pin.
I loved the idea of having my students write out the steps. I hoped that would clear up their confusion.
I picked up some Dollar General Sales Papers and put my students in pairs.
I asked each student to choose 2 items from the sales paper and write the steps for calculating the unit price.
Then they put their 2 items with their partner's 2 items on a poster.
I think they turned out great!!
Great idea! Do you find Pinterest to be helpful most of the time? How do you scaffold your students when they seem to grasp the concepts as you are teaching but are still struggling on their own?
ReplyDeleteI used to teach 6th grade math and I can't agree more with your comment about kids getting it when you are modeling on the board and then crashing when they are sent off to do independent practice! I think you are wise to use the real-world visuals that are in your pictures. Soooo glad I stumbled across your blog (even though I teach 6th grade science). Good luck in your new placement. It can be very stressful to adjust to a new curriculum. Hang in there!
ReplyDelete-Kate
Kate's Classroom Cafe
I did something similar with my 7th graders who act like they have never seen unit rate but every teacher knows that is a lie.
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