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Back to Math Fun (Volume 3) Lesson Plan

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
  --Literature
  
• Mathematics
  --Applied Math
  --Measurement
  --Process Skills
  
• Science
  --Process Skills
  

Grade

• K-2
• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12
  

Brief Description

Students solve a math problem presented in a Chinese folktale.

Objectives

Students will

• use critical thinking skills.
• work as a team to find a solution to a problem.

Keywords

literature, math and literature, folktale, folk tale, China, Chinese, elephant, problem, critical thinking, cooperative learning, measurement, weight

Materials Needed

• A copy of the Chinese folktale Weighing the Elephant at Whootie Owl's Stories to Grow By. Weighing the Elephant also can be ordered from Amazon.com.

Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students work in small groups to solve a problem in the Chinese folktale, "Weighing the Elephant," by Ting-Xing Ye.

Introduce students to the story before reading it aloud. Have students identify China on a world map. Then begin reading the story. The story tells about a large elephant, "the largest and most extraordinary creature anyone in the land had ever seen." The Emperor had no idea how much the elephant weighed. Because no scale in all of China was large enough to weigh the elephant, learning its weight required a creative solution. Read to the point in the story where the Emperor's 8-year-old son is about to share his solution.

Arrange students into small groups and challenge them to work as a team to find a solution to the problem of how to determine how much the elephant weighs. Give students 15-20 minutes to consider the possibilities and then invite each team to share its solution with the class. Accept all well reasoned responses. You might even have students choose which solution they think is the best one.

Finally, finish reading Weighing the Elephant to learn the young boy's solution.

Assessment

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

MATHEMATICS: Measurement
GRADES Pre-K - 2
NM-MEA.PK-2.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-MEA.3-5.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-MEA.6-8.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-MEA.9-12.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement

MATHEMATICS: Problem Solving
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-PROB.PK-12.2 Solve Problems That Arise in Mathematics and in Other Contexts
NM-PROB.PK-12.3 Apply and Adapt a Variety of Appropriate Strategies to Solve Problems
NM-PROB.PK-12.4 Monitor and Reflect on the Process of Mathematical Problem Solving

MATHEMATICS: Communications
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-COMM.PK-12.2 Communicate Their Mathematical Thinking Coherently and Clearly to Peers, Teachers, and Others

MATHEMATICS: Connections
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-CONN.PK-12.3 Recognize and Apply Mathematics in Contexts Outside of Mathematics

SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography
GRADES K - 12
NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms

Find more math fun activities in this week's Lesson Planning article, Math Fun (Volume 3).

You will find many additional math activities in Education World's Math Center.

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