1, 2, 3 Math! September 22, 2015

1, 2, 3 Math! September 22, 2015
Posted on 09/22/2015
By Lucy Wittenberg 


The 4th and 5th grade students all worked together on a math challenge to start the year off. We reminded each other that math is a creative, engaging endeavor that requires collaboration, smart use of math tools, hard work, and a positive mind set.  


This was the challenge: Use only four 4s and any operation to find equations that equal the numbers 1-20. Students took on this challenge with enthusiasm and persistence.

The buzz in each classroom was contagious!
 Throughout our work we learned about how parentheses are used in equations, square roots, and even factorials. (One student reported that she stayed up way past her bedtime working on this with her parent!)

Here are some of the equations they came up with:

4 + 4 - 4  =  1 

4

(4 x 4) - (4 + 4)  =    8  

4! -  4 -  4/4     =   19

4 + 4 + 4+ 4 = 16

The strategies students used to support each other, share their thinking, and model their mathematics shows that the are off to a great start in their math learning!
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