Teaching Rich Task Reflection

I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment! I always think it is good practice to create activities/lessons in which we can implement into our future classrooms. However, with this lesson specifically, I liked how there was an emphasis on the word “rich” and “group-worthy” because it made me think about what truly should be a part of a lesson to make it meaningful for students. I believe a rich, group-worthy activity goes beyond basic worksheets, simple computations, and teacher lectures. Rather, I think it means a lesson that is more student-centered and hands-on, interactive, engaging, connected to real-life, and has different instructional modes (independent, small-group, and whole-class). A rich, group-worthy activity is where students are learning the content in a fun and meaningful way. Sarah, Kaitlin, and I chose a rich activity known as “Kaboom Money.” Students had to take turns and pick out a popsicle stick with coins attached to it. The student would add the value of their coins and share that value with their group members. If the group members agreed, the student could keep the stick. If the group members disagreed, the student would put the stick back in. If the student drew “Kaboom,” all sticks would go back in the tub. In addition, students recorded their values on a corresponding worksheet and arranged the values from least to greatest. They discussed their values with their group as well as the whole class. This activity was rich because it was hands on, interactive, and engaging and because students were working with their peers as they figured out the value of the money on their stick (plus, the “Kaboom” stick added an element of fun and excitement to the game). Also, it involved various instructional modes (independent, small-group, and whole-class). Some adjustments we could have made to improve this lesson would be to have had the same version of coins, a teacher-made key, more vs. less examples, and/or have students total up all of their money. Also, we should have made sure there were no two same values in each tub (ex. make sure we don't have 25 cents and 25 cents in the same tub).

            In addition to writing and presenting my group’s rich activity, I found it a great experience to be able to listen and partake in the other group’s activities. The surface area tinman activity for 5^th grade was clever! Using a ruler, students had to measure the surface area of their given shape (i.e. sphere, cone, cylinder, etc) and then had to get tin foil to fully cover their shape. I thought this was definitely a hands-on activity that allows students to explore the concept of surface area in a meaningful way. Students were not just doing a simple surface area calculation. Rather, they were working with objects, calculating the surface area, and determining if they calculated the surface area correctly (Was their measurement or calculation error?). Plus, I think the tinman at the end is a great goal for students to work towards because they can see all of their hard work/measurements put together.The other group did an activity for middle school students focusing on ratios and rates. This activity was also interactive and engaging. Students had to measure the body parts of either their Barbie or G.I. Joe. Then, they had to create this drawing to scale like that of a human (on whiteboards). Students were truly engaging with the proportion/ratio concept in a fun way and exploring the differences/similarities between dolls and humans. It was interesting to see how Barbie had a small torso, small hips, long legs, a big chest, etc. For the tinman activity, I think it would have been better if they pre-cut different sized tinfoil to save time and make sure the students remain on-task. For the Barbie activity, I think it would have been beneficial if they had a discussion about appropriateness before conducting the activity. However, I think ALL activities were fun, engaging, interactive, effective, and involved students collaborating together to work on an age-appropriate math skill. I can picture myself using these activities in my classroom!