Student Work #6

            In my kindergarten classroom they had the task of finding a color and then a shape that was in the color that was selected at random. The task is explained step-by-step below.

             The mathematical goal of this task is to practice shapes. The task could elicit student thinking by if they can’t find the shape then you as a teacher know that they need some more work on shapes. The task doesn’t really ask them open-ended questions, so you can’t really tell what they are thinking. You can only tell if they know or do not know a shape and the color.

            Two ways of representing this task is by using the 8” x 11” paper to display the spin wheel. Then having the concrete pieces for the students to search through. Another way to represent this task could be by when they spin to get the color and the shape, then they have to color in the shape on a separate piece of paper.

            Two ways that this task could be approached is the student spins the paperclip to a color and then collect all the colors and then when they spin the paperclip to a shape then they find a shape within the color they have. Another way to approach this task is to spin the paperclip on the shape first and then find all the colors that are in that shape. So say I spin a hexagon, I’d have to find all of the hexagons in blue, red, and yellow.

            The task here is to place a paper clip in the center of the top circle and then put a pencil through it creating a “spinning paperclip”. One partner spins the paperclip. They can either land on blue, yellow, or red. Next they have to spin to get a shape. The shapes include, circle, triangle, hexagon, rectangle, square. Once the student has found the color and the shape then it is the next students turn. So for example the student spins they land on blue, and then they spin for a shape and land on hexagon. Now they must find the blue hexagon.

            As the children go throughout the task, I can observe if the children know their colors and if they know the five shapes provided       on the sheet. I can also see if they are able to pick the color and shape out of a large pile of shapes. Some children may be able to draw the shape, but maybe they would have a hard time picking the shape out of a “sea” of other shapes and colors.

            Two ways to advance the students learning is by having them draw the shape and the color that they selected, instead of finding it in a pile of shapes. This advancement of the task is making the task a more concrete task. Another way to extend the task is to include different shapes for the students who are more advanced.

            Three questions I still have about the task:

1.     How could this task be transformed into a more high-level task?

2.     What are other ways students could represent their learning of the shapes?

3.     Other then learning shapes, how might this task be useful to students in their future?

Answer to #1.) This task could be more of higher-level task by having the students represent the task in different ways.

Answer to #2.) The student could select the certain shape and then they’d have to make the shape used multiple of the shapes to make up a bigger version of the shape that they selected.

Answer to #3.) Learning shapes are important for more reasons then just to know what they are. Knowing shapes is important to the students’ future because of geometry throughout all years of their schooling. Knowing shapes can also help with spatial awareness.