Ratios with Michael Jordan

Ratios and Proportions.

I LOVED this activity, but unfortunately, it's not something we do in 5th grade. BUT...my goal is to try and work it in at the end of the year with my kids. :)

We started by looking at this picture of Michael Jordan's hand. WOW. I put my hand on top of it and it was just crazy how big that man's hand is!!! 

Then we measured with a ruler (cm) his hand and then mine. 

MJ's hand was 24 cm and mine was 17cm

ratio = 0.708 or 71%

Our goal here was to see what Michael Jordan must feel like when he holds a pop can and when he grips a basketball. So using our measurements we began to create objects proportional to our hands. We used this to help us create the objects. 

 

It's kind of hard to read...but it's just telling you that the distance around a pop can is 20.9 cm and it's height is 12.2cm. To scale the can down to my size I multiplied both of these numbers by my 71%. Then I got a piece of paper and measured it out, taped it up and walla...a miniature pop can. :)

(You do the same thing for the basketball, 74cm) 

Here is my hand holding a can of pop. It felt so funny...and SMALL

Then we used a balloon to represent our basketball. Isn't it just crazy how small the ball looks?!? (Mine has a circumference of 52.5cm and a normal one is 74cm!!) No wonder he could hold the ball over his head, through his leg, spin in a circle and dunk! Haha..just kidding. 

This little activity was so fun and really got us thinking about our hands in compassion to his (ratio) and then we were able to construct ideas proportional to Michael Jordan. How neat!!!

Although it did cross my mind that kids these dats are probably more and more going to be asking "Who is Michael Jordan?!?" So I was thinking this would be really cool if we could get the hand print of a modern day player. (Possibly from my team, OKC Thunder!!!) So if anyone out there reading this runs into Kevin Durrant or Russell Westbrook, just ask them for a hand print and send it my way. 

'Preciate ya! 

:)

Estimation Jar

When you think Estimation Jar, you usually think younger grades. Or at least I did. This last week at the Creative Mathematics Math Camp, I learned how valuable this is in the 5th, 6th and 7th grade classroom. Estimation is something that kids struggle with a lot! Probably a great deal of this comes from the fact that our curriculum teaches it in a matter of a week or two during the school year.... and that's it!

Estimation is something that should be taught weekly if not daily. And how in the world do we have time to do that you ask?!? With an Estimation Jar. Each week, there is a poster giving the problem along with the jar.  Of course the problems are more complexed with the older guys and not your basic "How many pieces do you think are in this jar?" questions. 

I know this is close to impossible to read (thank you, iPhone) but it says:

Estimating Jar

Estimate the total number of continents on the globes in the jar.

and then this was the jar. 

so the kids are doing a multi-step question. 

1st: Estimating the amount of globes they think are in the jar

2nd: Multiplying that number by the amount of continents on the globe

The way it was explained (and I plan on doing this the same way next year) is that the Estimating Jar will be introduced on Tuesday. I will have a poster up with the question and the jar in front of it. Students will get to problem solve and estimate Tuesday, (and Wednesday) place their estimations on post it notes and post to the board. Thursday we will take some time to go over the students estimates and strategies on possible ways to get to the correct answer. Estimating Jar and Problem of the Week (a blog to come) will take the place of my warm up activities. It will take about the first 10-15 minutes of each class and will be something the kids can come in and begin on their own. I am really excited about the new structure of my math class next year. 

I leave you with pictures galore! We each brought in a sample Estimating Jar this week with a question.  I hope this gets the ball rolling in your head and sparks some ideas like it did for me. :)

Math Camp

For the last four days, I've been attending probably one of the best workshops I've ever seen! 

Math Camp 2012

I'm a big fan of Kim Sutton! I've been to 2 of her workshops so they are always sending me emails when they come to Texas. In the small case you've never heard of Kim Sutton...you should definitely find out who she is. (Or click the picture below) She's like a Marilyn Burns or Debbie Diller.  The way she teaches math is unbelievable. Just about all the math teachers at my school use her ideas, activities, or products, and they are so beneficial in our classrooms. If you ever get the opportunity to go to anything put on by Creative Mathematics (her company) DO IT! ...and no, no one told me to say this. It's just my and a million others opinion. :)

Like I've said, I've been to 2 other Kim Sutton workshops. When signing up for Math Camp, I was a little bummed that my grade level was with another teacher and I wasn't able to be with Kim. BUT...the minute we started I knew why this guy was traveling with Kim Sutton. I loved my teacher, Paul Agranoff.

 The ideas and strategies he gave us were phenomenal!! I am so excited to start getting all my new ideas together...and "Katie-ify" them. :) Over the next few days/ weeks I have blogs planned sharing ideas we learned at camp. I did get Paul's permission to share his ideas...so please take what you want and continue to share them. 

100 Best Web Resources for Educators

About a week ago I received an email from Online Masters in Education letting me know my blog had been nominated as one of the 100 Best Web Resources for Educators. They're a website catering to current and prospective educators who service many accredited colleges and universities across the US. To be completely honest, this was a total shock to me especially since my last post was, uhh....May 21st. Whoops! No way would I ever make the final cut.

Well, today I received word that through their research and evaluating factors such as peer recommendations, web presence and content quality Katie Lately was chosen as one of the 100! *blink, blink* You read it, they chose my blog as one of the 100 Best Web Resources for Educators!

I think I am most excited at the fact there is a list of 100 great blogs all in one place. I am so excited to go through all the elementary (maybe some middle) school blogs and get some great ideas myself! I recognized a lot of the great ones I already follow, CONGRATS ladies!!

If you don't have time now, please bookmark this article and come back to it later. For real, this is some great, valuable, AMAZING stuff!!!!

100 Best Web Resources for Educators

There is now an apple (like the one above) on my sidebar. If you click the apple, it will take you straight to the article...for future reference. Thank you to the people who nominated Katie Lately and the committee who chose it to be on the final list! I am very grateful of this honor. :) Get ready folks...some great teacher ideas coming to a blog near you SOON, I promise!!!

I'm Here, I'm Here

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth...I'm here! So sorry for the rather long hiatus, I guess my brain is on summer vacation too. :) I am currently attending a 4 day Math Camp put on by Creative Mathematics <---AMAZING! ...and I'm already (day 1) so excited to share some ideas that I plan on using this next year. Stay turned for more to come...

End of the Year Activities

As we wind down this school year (5 more whole days, 2 half days...but who's counting) I wanted to share some of my end of the year ideas we do in 5th grade. I just took some pictures at school today and then drop boxed them on my computer. Do you use Dropbox? It's pretty much amazing!

We are still rotating to regular classes until Wednesday so here's whats going on in Math. MATH MANIA! If I would've been smart, I would've downloaded the file...but feel free to borrow and recreate using this picture. The kids are loving it! I listed 30 or so math activities (most taken from stations throughout the year) and listed them all. The kids get free reign over what they want to do these next few days and when they complete a task, they just mark it off. And it gives this teacher some time to do all these end of the year things I'm suppose to be completing. ;)

After Memorial Day, we come back for a full day and then 2 half days. We stay in homeroom all day and do some great stuff.

We read "Last Day Blues" I just love this book and so do my 11 and 12 year old kids. :)

Positive Note Cards:

Each kid gets 20 index cards. On each card they write the name of every student in our class. I let them decorate it and make it cute. Then they have to write one thing they really enjoyed about each kid on the back. (some sort of compliment) When we're all done, we pass them out so that every kid has 20 nice things written about them on a card. We use binder rings and clip them all together. It makes a fun thing to take home at the end of the year. :)

Snapshots of 5th Grade:
We make a list of everything we did over the year. We split all the events up and each kid writes about something different and illustrates it. They can draw it on either a Polaroid Frame or a Film Strip. Then we hang them in the hall in August so that our new kids can get excited about everything we do in 5th.

Mystery Person:
This is fun. I got the idea from Jordan earlier this week. (who, by the way, has tons of other good ideas)  I went through and wrote a little something about each kid and the teachers. They will have to figure out who is who. I can't wait to see if they get them all. If you are interested, I have this activity for sale in my TpT store. 

I also do a homeroom word find from www.puzzlemaker.com at the beginning and end of each year

Let's see...we also re-read our goals and letter to self that we sealed at the beginning of the year, clean and pack up the room completely. Shaving cream our desks (which is way fun but gives me a migraine EVERY SINGLE YEAR...but they love it!) and that's about it. :)

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the great mom's out there!

I would like to give a quick shout out to my mom, who I think is THE BEST one out there. Gmonee, I love you to the moon and back. And then to my sisters. Thank you for making me "Aunt Katie" and giving me the best job out there. I love those little girls to pieces...and little Hud too! Those little chickens are so lucky to call you guys their mamas!

I wanted to share a video for all the mom's out there. It's only a minute and a half, but its a beautiful song written JUST for you! I dedicate it to my Mama!! It was made through my church, Gateway, so I hope you enjoy. Happy Mother's Day to you all!!! {just click the link below}

Mother's Day Song

Lyrics...

As you held me in your arms
As you kept me safe from harm
Never ending gifts of love
For your child

After countless hours of care
When you've whispered a thousand prayers
Every effort with none to spare
Just for your child

So in my eyes you define what a woman should be
And I love that you'll always be mama to me
When I think of the love you have given so unselfishly
You're the image of God to me