Cooperative Lesson

Krista Stapleton

EDP 621, June 20, 2001

Title: Fact Families

Level: First Grade

Time: 60 minutes

10 minutes for instruction and questions

5 minutes for group

Aspects of Cooperative Lesson

Heterogeneous Grouping:

The puzzle pieces make for random selection of groups.

No student will feel pressure about picking group members because he/she has no control over who his/her group members are.

Face to Face Interactions:

Each group has it’s own small area in the classroom. This will give them their own space to huddle and work as a group.

Students are also required to communicate face to face with many students during the hunt for group members.

Time: 60 minutes

10 minutes for instruction and questions

5 minutes for group assembly and finding area

5 minutes for group to complete fact family

20 minutes for individual illustrations

15 minutes for sharing of individual illustrations

5 minutes for closing discussion

Objectives:

Students will work cooperatively to complete a fact family.

Student will work with media of choice to illustrate a number sentence from the group fact family. Student should come up with idea for illustration on own, but should accept help from group members (if needed) when making illustration

Materials:

crayons

paper (construction, drawing and writing)

markers

paint and paint brushes

pencils

clay

6 sentence strips

paper bag

stickers (optional)

Background:

Students will participate in this activity after spending a week on fact families during math instruction. Students should be familiar with what a fact family is and how to complete a fact family before doing this activity. This activity will be a wrap up to the chapter on fact families.

Advanced Preparation:

Think of six different fact families (18 students in groups of 3.) I will use 3+2=5, 4+2=6, 3+4=7, 6+2=8 and 5+4=9.

Write one sentence from each fact family on a sentence strip.

Cut the sentence strips into three parts using a different puzzle cut for each sentence strip.

Mix up the puzzle pieces and put them into a brown paper bag.

Get six pieces of construction paper. On the top of each piece of construction paper write a number sentence using blanks. Like this, __+__=__.

Under the blank number sentence on each piece of construction paper, draw a picture to illustrate one of the number sentences above. Use each number sentence only once. These pieces of construction paper will be placed randomly around the room (spaced out) to show students where they will be working with their group.

Prepare eighteen pieces of white drawing paper with a blank number sentence (__+__=__.) Place three of these at each work area.

Procedures:

Spend the first five minutes of activity time discussing the expectations and directions for the activity. It will also be helpful to review the proper behavior when working in small groups.

Next, allow each student to (without looking) pick a puzzle piece from the brown paper bag.

After everyone has a puzzle piece, allow students to find the members of their group by matching up the puzzle pieces. They may look at the number sentence as well as the cut of the puzzle.

Once a student has found his/her group, the group members should sit together on the carpet.

After every group has been found and students are seated on the carpet, review the directions for the remainder of the activity. Answer any questions at this time.

Allow students to move around the room with their group looking at the illustrations on the construction paper mentioned in the Advanced Preparation section. This is how they will find their work area in the classroom. Once students have found the illustration that matches their number sentence, they should write the number sentence given to their group in the blank number sentence above the illustration.

Once students have found their area and written in the number sentence to begin their fact family, they should use the three pieces of drawing paper that have the blank number sentences on them to write the rest of the members of the fact family.

After all members of the fact family have been written, each student will pick a number sentence to illustrate from the three sentences that they came up with. Students may use any method of illustration. For example, they may write a song, paint a picture, use clay or write a story. Encourage the students to be creative, but also to be aware of the time.

While students are working, keep them updated with how much time is left to work.

If students finish early, encourage them to ask their group members if they need any help. Remind them that all three number sentences need to be illustrated at the end of 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, bring all of the groups back to the carpet with the illustrations and number sentences that they have worked on.

For the next 15 minutes, allow students to share the number sentences for their fact family as well as the illustrations that they have made for each number sentence.

Closure

The last 5 minutes should be spent on discussion of the activity.

Ask students if and how it was helpful to have group members.

Ask students what went well and what didnít go well.

Ask for ideas to make the activity better the next time.

Also, ask how they felt this activity helped them to better understand fact families.

al Skills

Students work on social skills during the hunt for their group.

Students must talk with their group to figure out the three missing number sentences in the fact family they have been given.

Students will also address the large group when sharing their number sentence and illustration.

Individual Accountability:

Each student will be responsible for representing a number sentence from the groupís fact family.

Evaluation:

Students will share their final product with the entire class and the teacher. If student has not followed directions or worked in a timely manner, it will be evident to the student as well as his/her peers.

Positive Interdependence:

Each group has a common goal, which is to illustrate the fact family they have been given. Group members are encouraged to work as individuals when coming up with the idea for the illustration, but to accept help from those that are finished when making the illustration.

Processing:

Students will have a discussion about the activity and group work for the last five minutes of the hour allotted for this activity.