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Technology Infused Lesson Plan

Title: Things that Come in Groups

Subjects: Beginning Multiplication

Learning Level: Third Grade

Abstract:

Third grade students gain knowledge of beginning multiplication facts by photographing things that come in groups. The students write story problems to represent their pictures and use Hyperstudio stacks on Macintosh computers to present their results to others. The stacks become electronic flashcards that are based on objects familiar to the students.

Invitation:

How can we relate multiplication to our environment? Why should we multiply numbers instead of using repeated addition? Students will learn multiplication facts using objects that are familiar to them. They will learn how to write story problems and multiplication statements to represent their pictures. Interactive electronic flashcards will be created with their pictures and associated story problems.

Tasks:

• Students first take a written pre-test to assess their knowledge of multiplication facts.
• Students brainstorm in a classroom setting led by the teaching staff on things that come in groups of two to 12.
• Students draw pictures of items that come in groups and are taught the multiplication statements to represent the total quantity of items.
• Students practice writing story problems based on the items in the pictures they have drawn.
• Students are introduced to HyperStudio in a computer lab by creating a stack called "All About Me."
• Next, the students bring in objects that come in groups from home and photograph these at school with a digital camera.
• Students import the pictures into HyperStudio and type story problems to go along with these pictures.
• To make multiplication facts interactive, students write the multiplication statements and add action buttons with two incorrect answers and one correct answer. If the correct answer is given, a new problem appears.
• The teaching staff grouped all the cards together to create a stack of electronic flashcards.

Situations:

Students worked on the concepts of multiplication one hour each day for two months in a classroom setting. They also worked in a computer lab three hours a week for one month.

Interactions:

• Teacher led brainstorming session and introduction to multiplication facts.
• One-to-one assistance with writing multiplication facts and story problems.
• Interaction with technology by learning how to use digital cameras and HyperStudio.
• Peer-to-peer learning by helping others with using the digital cameras and HyperStudio.
• Cooperative learning by sharing final electronic flashcards with others.

Tools:

• Digital cameras
• Color printer
• Computers with HyperStudio software (using classroom computers and a computer lab)

Assessment:

A pre-test and post-test were taken by the students to assess their multiplication knowledge. These exams show significant increases in the understanding and knowledge of basic multiplication facts. The product developed also provides a tool for self-assessment of the multiplication facts.

Projects:

The electronic flashcards provide an ongoing learning tool in the current class. For future work, students could take more pictures and create additional flashcards in the stacks. This project could be introduced to other third grade classes and used as a review at the beginning of fourth grade.

Standards: (Minnesota Graduation Standards and ISTE)

In the Minnesota Graduation Standards Learning Area Four: Mathematical Applications Primary Level; Content Standard: Number Sense, Objective 3 states that "a student shall use number relationships to represent information and solve problems by solving problems and justifying thinking by selecting appropriate numbers and representations; using operations and organizing data using pictures."

The students show evidence of this by use of the multiplication statements, construction of story problems, and the use of pictures to represent these.

Author(s): Kim Evavold-Bolf, Suzy Sheda, Karen Moen.

Submitted by: Kim Evavold-Bolf and the Degue Digits Collaboratory, Arrowhead "Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology" Project, Dept. of Education, University of Minnesota Duluth.

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