#open end math

[wingedschool]

State of matter first part.

So LM was asking about how we dissolve salt and other stuff. Since we all just getting rid of the cold, and one of the method that we used was to gargle in salt solution, the question would pop out sooner or later. 

We were happy for another lab day!

Dissolution clockwise: flour, turmeric, sugar, cinnamon, and pepper.

Item : Provide solid (make sure sand/powder consistency): A: pepper, sand, coffee ground, rice. B: salt, sugar, flour, turmeric, green tea, charcoal. Also make sure mix it up in front of the learners. Liquid : water for sure, and maybe milk or something alike to show color changing. Stirring tool like spoon or chopstick. Paper for hypotheses/prediction, observation, and conclusion.

Steps: Look at the dry solid and write or say hypothesis.  Take solid in pairing A and B. Test on the liquid. Write observation.

Q: Are there different results on these solid? Why do you think that is?

Observation and conclusion

Then of course, open end math time!  Q: The comparison of dissolving time are : Salt : Flour : Green tea = 1 : 3 : (Salt + Flour)/2. Hint: Decide on how long one of the three above dissolve then count the rest.

LM got this one really quick. I am glad that our struggling start had improve considerably. LM understand division better too. 

Tally works wonders on understanding division.

Lab day was deemed...success!!

Care to share about your lab day?

[wingedschool]

What make number relations bffs with pipe cleaners?

New year is here and we just went to the beach in winter a couple days ago. After a question in one of the facebook group we belong to, the open end math topic showed up in our mind. Ooh it has been a while apparently.

So one day of open end math. 

It’s beach day and we forgot to bring the toys. Oh no! It’s alright, we ended up collecting the shells and rocks to build sand cake. For everytime we go to the water, we can only bring 4 shells and rocks total. How big is our sand cake? How many times do we need to collect?

It starts up simple. LM decided that 4 shells and rocks is equal to 2 shells and 2 rocks. Then LM drew the size of the shell, rock, and the sand cake. Uh oh, it’s irregular shape, so how can we calculate it?

Tools:  Pipe cleaners. Beads. Graphing papers. Color pencil or water color. Paper glue.

Enter the graphing paper. Whooop, finally we are using it for other than just doodling. The topic I ended up introducing is approximate, number relation, subatizing, table, and graphing!

Sand Cake, original shape in color and approximate in pencil and  Sand Cake counted with 10 x 5

The calculation on sand cake : 1. 50 (from 10x5 unit) x 14 (from tallying) = 700.  2. the rest = 3 (columns) x (35 rows) = 105 3. total = 700 + 105 = 805

Number relation(ships) and subatizing.

Then we discuss on the irregular shape of shell and rock. It was challenging to calculate it against the total so we move it around. This was how LM finally understand that 43 + 19 = 44 + 18 = 47 + 15 = 40 + 20 = 50 + 12.  1. We used three different colored pipe cleaners (found in any art store). 2. Purple and black for our original numbers 43 and 19. 3. The sparkled cleaners to move numbers from one to the others.  4. Attached the moved numbers to different pipe for different scenarios above. 5. Finding out that all are equals to the same amount, which is 62.

And for subatizing LM put groups of fives, groups of tens for different pipe cleaners and add the remaining number, such as 3 on 43 -- 8 groups of 5s-- and in another pipe cleaner 3 on 43 -- 4 groups of 10s -- also.

We looove pipe cleaners!!

Original shape of rock, in grey (19), and shell (43), in red, counted and approximated. Application of number relationship from 43 & 19 to 44 & 18.

Since every collection yields 2 shells and 2 rocks, we multiply it by approximation. From 124 x 10, we went down until 124 x 6 by using table. 

Approximation on collecting times, 6 is not enough so it’s about 7 times.

We love graphs paper too!!

This wasn’t a planned math day, but that’s how we like it. Do you have any tips on your math day?

[wingedschool]

Out of comfort mold

After pushing LM’s out of comfort zone, the entrepreneur bug has finally caught on. Success!! With a price, now LM keep on asking to sell our bathbombs, even to the neighbor. Whoops, not sorry.

So we used that topic for our open end math. LM decided to draw and it really made it a lot easier, with a lot more dollar sign. Gotta like that dollar sign.

Have you catch the entrepreneur bug? So now you would like to sell bathbombs and get $15.00 or more. Each buyer usually buy 2 bags bathbombs. How many buyer will come to your place? How much does one bag bathbomb cost? How much then do you get after selling?



Whoa, the living expenses were pretty high there or maybe the bathbombs are as big as both palms (watch out LUSH, you got a rival here). :D. After a short break, we chose Kente cloth Legend for our open choice reading. LM needed some review on her long a (a_e). We started on these instant flash card idea a couple session ago. It helped tremendously, since our old flash card disappeared behind the couches (or washed) and our file got stuck inside an unconnectable hard drive ( sobbing on long hours of filing it).

It’s a work in progress now.  

Back again on Kente Cloth, we found out that different places in the world always have this colorful fabric, wonder why there are more muted cloth nowadays. These are pretty!

courtesy of http://www.mariespastiche.com/2015/02/learn-all-about-ghanaian-kente-cloth.html

made by @wingedschool​

It was so great that this story somehow also teaching not just LM, but me, that things just don’t fall into one specific mold (or in this case category). This is a legend from Ghana that is also a folklore/tales and a myth. Had quite a few raised brows before we settled on just having all three. It was challenging before we decided to make flash card about different kind of fictional stories to answer the first question above. We will definitely post it next time so ya’ll can use it too!

LM’s summary on The Legenday Kente Cloth.

We learn to help making the summary by asking Who and What for now. There’s a lot of what, maybe should’ve slip a little bit of how there. Then of course...the Kente Cloth craft!!! Needed : A couple of construction papers. (We use 2 for the straight thick ones and use leftover construction paper for the edging ones) Edging scissors (we use fiskar’s , bought it either on ebay or craigslist, it’s used but awesome). Glue (get it in Staples on back to school sale, 25c for 4, sweet). Color pencils or markers or watercolor and paper tissue (anything left over, optional). 

Cut papers into straight strips about 1-1.5 inch wide, widthwise and lengthwise. Cut really thin strips with edging scissors. Differ the strips with : a. Glue the edging papers on the thick straight ones.  b. Doodle or draw on the other thick straight ones. And/or,  c. Wrung the paper tissue and glue on the thick straight ones. 

Last but not least, start weaving! (we only glued the edges)

Found us in instagram @slothchef. 

LM got a bit frustrated from the paper because unlike fabric or strings it’s less flexible, but we’re learning. If the edges were not cut neatly the end result would have some hanging, but it’s ok. LM decided to cut some of it and left the rest.

We made one with traditional color and another one modern style. Lots of thumbs up for a great introduction to weaving.

Anyone ever do weaving? Care to share your experience?

[wingedschool]

Honor the sacrifice.

11th hour of 11th day of 11th month of the year. It is Veterans’ day in USA. Our day begun with much excitement after the sleeping in morning. Flu season is riding on the rising tide and have reached our shore.

It is also mean summer in November, according to SoCal weather. Unfortunately, beach is out of the question for today. So we started with a Veterans’ Day open reading. (Material was made upon LM’s decision).

Not long after, we had a sewing session, to finish a table runner that we started last week for thanksgiving. It’s just like an empty pillow really, for lack of a better word. But ironing with one hand on the back and pressing the pedal for sewing machine felt amazing for LM. With experimenting, mistakes, like letting the machine run all over the fabric, happened.  Oh well. We can undo that.

We found a suminagashi video, so we already know our next project! We will look at Ebru too from Ottoman Empire. Stay tune!

Math open end time. In this story LM will be making a mini sculpture to celebrate today. 

You need to bring sand and rocks to make statue for Veterans’ Day. A cup of sand = 300 gr, pebble = 100 gr, medium rock = 200 gr. Clay and water is provided to glue everything together. You bag can only carry at max 2000 gr. How many each item do you decided to bring?

Hint : use multiplication.

Tips : you could replace zeroes with a letter to make it easy.

Last but not least for this Veterans’ Day, we decided to review on our interviewing skills. Since we are still working on it, this is our first draft.

Maintain eye contact.                        Greetings: Hi/Hello                         Introduce yourself/interviewer           Ask for permission to interview.         Tell the interviewee or people who you ask why you want to interview them. Tell the interviewee how did you find them. Tell the interviewee what do you like about what they are doing. Then ask your written questions one by one.

Does any of you have tips on interviewing skills?