Most classrooms have a Calendar hanging somewhere on the walls, but I wonder how often we use it for a mathematics Investigation?
After seeing the date 22 2 22 (and making the previous blog) in made me think I should share more calendar ideas
There are many investigations we can encourage our students to do, from the very young
skip counting, Counting in Ones, 2's 3's etc
Odds, Evens,
What do you notice about Monday 4th and Monday 11th? Is it the same for other days of the week? Why?
To older students who may be able to add and multiply to find various other number patterns.
7 times table
Adding Seven
Depending on whether the students are working individually, in pairs or small groups, they should have a blank calendar in front of them.
I encourage a THINK, PAIR, SHARE approach. Each student has time to think, investigate on their own, then with a partner or the group discuss their findings and if necessary come up with a consensus, finally share with the larger class. In my experience too many "quick thinkers" are the first to be asked for an observation, while the shy, plodders are never asked to share and they are are often embarrassed to share. By discussing in a pair, small group it empowers all the group and they all own what will be shared with the class.!
Activity 1 Adding 4 Adjacent Numbers
Draw a square around the four numbers 4, 5, 11, 12. Now ask the students to add each of the numbers together 4 + 5, 4 + 11, ... (they should get 6 number pairs) and see if they notice any patterns in the sums(answers)?
Try it with other adjacent sets of 4 numbers. Do you get similar patterns?
Extension: a. Repeat for Multiplication
b. I have just realised we could move into some Combinations and Probabilities (If 2 adjacent numbers give us 1 number pair, 3 adjacent numbers give us 3 number pairs and 4 adjacent gives us 6, I wonder how many we get for 5, 6, 7 etc... (might lead into generalisation of a rule- Algebra)
Activity 2 A Box around 9 adjacent Numbers on a Calendar
Start with the question, "What patterns do you see in this set of 9 Adjacent numbers?"
Possible answers might be: Diagonals added together have the same sum
Diagonals and the Middle row and column have the same sum
Please accept all answers and allow the groups to check the observations.
"What do you notice about the middle number?"
Its the average (Mean) of each row, column, and diagonal
"What do you think we might find in a box of 16 numbers?
There could be a place for listing predictions and then checking these
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