Graffiti Minds On

Michael invited his PLC into his classroom today so we could be part of a lesson study with him.  He had planned a lesson where the students had to divide an area of land into smaller parcels or plots.  The lesson started with a great minds on activity.  He had the students do a graffiti of what they knew about area, perimeter, 2D shapes, converting units, and measurement in general.  Each table had 1 minute to write out what they could, and then they passed it onto the next table who would add to it.  When each page got back to the original group they were given 4 stickers, and had to put the stickers on the things that were the most important to remember about each topic.  Here are the pictures of the activity:

During their action, they solved the problem in small groups.  The problem involved converting the measurements into one common unit, and also finding out the area of two different plots of land and deciding how many of the smaller plots would fit into the bigger plot of land.

The consolidation was a chance for the students to offer each other some descriptive feedback on what was done well, and what needed to be improved upon.  Each group was given another groups work, and 4 post-it notes.  They were reminded to be respectful of each others' work, and to write down 2 positive comments and 2 comments about things that they could do better.  Here are some of the work samples and the comments that were given:

This group got the right answer, but made a few calculation errors in the converting.

Clear, step by step instructions.

Diagrams and multiplication - But units are missing.

Nice clear final statement.

Calculation error in their conversion.

After the lesson we headed back to the staff room to debrief.  One of the other teachers said that she thinks she may do the graffiti as a way to see what her students know before they head into measurement.  Then add to it as they go along.  This way, she'll get to see misconceptions that they have, and also know what formula they know off the top of their heads, and what they are unclear on.  Because this is a combined Grade 6 / 7 class we also discussed making the action more of a parallel task where the numbers and units were different for the Grade 7 students.  We also talked about how the shape could be more challenging (e.g., a trapezoid or parallelogram) and how the dimensions could involve a decimal place.  This could not only make the conversions a little more tricky, but can also bring up the idea of having to round up or down to get a final measurement.  We also talked about the fact that none of the students left any space for a path to walk through.  It may have been interesting to see if they would have said 39 units and 1 unit worth of space to move around in.

A great lesson, with an even greater de-brief session.  Thank you everyone for participating in such a great professional afternoon.