It’s that time of the year. No, not spooky season, although, we do like that time of the year as well. One of our favorite events that we like attending, and have attended in the past, is coming up. Next week is the 54th Annual NIEA Convention & Trade Show! This year’s NIEA Convention & Trade Show will be held at the Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico from October 18-21, 2023. 7 Generation Games will be there! Be sure to catch AnnMaria at NIEA this year at the convention and then for her presentation on October 21st. – details below. We hope to see you in Albuquerque!
AnnMaria’s Presentation Details: “Teaching Indigenous languages through educational game design” Saturday, October 21, 2023 9:00 – 10:15 AM (Workshop Session J)
7.SP.A.1 Understand that statistics can be used to gain information about a population by examining a sample of the population; generalizations about a population from a sample are valid only if the sample is representative of that population. Understand that random sampling tends to produce representative samples and support valid inferences.
Minnesota State Standard – History Sub-strand 4, Standard 15 “North America was populated by indigenous nations that had developed a wide range of social structures, political systems, and economic activities, and whose expansive trade networks extended across the continent.”
⏰Time
20- 30 Minutes
📲Technology Required
Device with web-browser – Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer, phone or tablet
📃Summary
The two videos here combine math and social studies, because, clearly, the Maya understood math. The concept of distributions is introduced in the context of trading, explaining why some objects are more valuable. Students play AzTech: Meet the Maya, which teaches measures of central tendency. The lesson concludes with a question and another video on distributions.
📚Lesson Plan
1. Watch video – Mayan Trading (1:57)
Also available in Spanish! – El Comercio Maya (1:58)
El Comercio Maya
The Mayan trading video is based on an idea from one of my favorite history teachers, who says that history is more than just names and dates but also how people lived, what they used, what they did. It also has a bar chart of the relative value of objects. It explains that the Maya traded less common items for more common ones and that items that were more difficult to obtain were more valuable.
José tried to trade a banana for a quetzal feather and a villager threw a spear at him. Why would the villager do that? Explain using math. Extra points if you can discuss distributions in your explanation.
José ofreció intercambiar un plátano por una pluma de quetzal y un aldeano le lanzó una lanza. ¿Por qué haría eso? Explica usando la matemática. Puntos extra si puedes hablar de distribuciones en tu explicación.
4. Video giving the answer to the word problem on distributions (5:15)
Also available in Spanish! (5:15)
Explicando distribuciones y variabilidad
This five-minute video introduces distributions and variability and gives an example of computing a weighted mean from a frequency distribution.
You can view your students’ progress on mastering these standards by viewing your teacher reports. The link to the teacher dashboard for AzTech: Meet the Maya student reports can be found on this page. You should have received a password during the Growing Math training.
State Standards
Minnesota State Standard 6.4.1.1 – Determine the sample space (set of possible outcomes) for a given experiment and determine which members of the sample space are related to certain events. Sample space may be determined by the use of tree diagrams, tables or pictorial representations.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.D.8 Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.3 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems.
⏰LESSON TIME
30 minutes without gameplay, 45 minutes with gameplay
📃 SUMMARY
In this lesson plan, students will learn how to compute perimeter, apply those skills in game-based practice problems and solve perimeter problems using an interactive web-based activity with virtual manipulatives.
📲 TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED
Device with web-browser (Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer); or iOS (iPhone/iPad) with access to Google apps.
📚 Lesson Plan
1. Video: How to Find the Perimeter and Polygons (3:00)
Watch this animated video that explains how to find the perimeter of different polygons, including rectangles, triangles and squares.
Or watch it in Spanish: ¿Cómo encontrar el perímetro de un polígono? (3:12)
2. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY WITH ASSESSMENT: Interactive perimeter problems activity
NCSS theme – The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world.
Minnesota State Standard – History Sub-strand 4, Standard 15 “North America was populated by indigenous nations that had developed a wide range of social structures, political systems, and economic activities, and whose expansive trade networks extended across the continent.”
⏰ Time
40 minutes
📲 Technology needed
Internet connection on a PC or Chromebook laptop, tablet, or phone.
📃 Summary
This Ojibwe clan lesson for Grade 3 is focused on Ojibwe culture. Students learn where people and places are located and why they are there. They will become familiar with the causes, patterns and effects of Ojibwe settlement and migration. They will learn of the different population centers in Ojibwe society and investigate the impact of human activities on the environment.
📚 Lesson
The downloadable Google Slides presentation is available here. This has a digestible summary of the Ojibwe migration, and why and how it happened. The Ojibwe clans are introduced as well as the new lifestyles that the Ojibwe adopted after they migrated to the Great Lakes area and Ontario, Canada.
Game
Making Camp Bilingual can reinforce clans and culture studies using the Life section.
Select the LIFE button from the main choice screen.
From the LIFE choices, click on the box in the middle of the bottom row, the one with the four people, and watch the video about Ojibwe social structure. Answer the questions that follow the video.
Next, select the box on the bottom right. Watch the overview video on clans and totems. Answer the questions.
Students can also click on each individual clan totem icon to learn more about each Ojibwe clan and answer a question about each of them to earn points.
Return to the wigwam and trade with the points earned in this lesson.
Students can use the language button to switch between English and Spanish while watching the videos.
Alternatively, students may also play Forgotten Trail, which is an adventure game that homes in on the Ojibwe migration. Two kids in the game retrace the Ojibwe migration on their own and learn more about Ojibwe history along the way.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5 Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context
⏰ Time
30-40 Minutes
📲 Technology Required
Device with web-browser – Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer, phone or tablet
📃 Summary
Students play a game teaching basic statistics and history. Next, they are given a presentation with problems students solve finding mean, median, mode, range and outliers.
📚Lesson
Play a game teaching basic statistics and Latin American history
Meet the jaguars in AzTech: Meet the Maya
Play AzTech: The story begins. Students who have finished this game can continue on in the series in AzTech: Meet the Maya. Allow students 15-20 minutes to play.
Students can click on a button in the left of their screen to choose the language and play the games in either Spanish or English.
Assess knowledge of Mean, Median and Mode as a class
This presentation can also be assigned for students to complete at home, if learning remotely. Slides with answers can be deleted, or left in for students to check their work.
Review as Necessary
If students need a review, they can watch this video on how to find the mean
Finding the Average video
Or, watch the video in Spanish
Encontrando el promedio
ASSESSMENT
You can view your students’ progress on mastering these standards by viewing your teacher reports. AzTech: The Story Begins and AzTech: Meet the Maya links can be found on this reports page. You should have received a password during the Growing Math training.
A second form of assessment is available through this the questions in the presentation.
Related lesson/ Differentiated Instruction
If your students need instruction on computing the mean, try this lesson, Understanding the mean, with skunks. This review can be done with the entire class or assigned to individual students as needed.
Mean, Median and Mode – The English only version of this lesson plan that includes English resources.
CCSS. Math 3OA.A.4 Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.C.7– Fluently multiply and divide within 100
NCSS The study of people, places, and environments enables us to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world.
⏰Time Required
10 minutes
📲Technology Required
Computer/tablet with internet access for reporting student assessment data from Making Camp Bilingual.
📃Summary
Ojibwe History Integrated with Math If your students are like most people, you’re having a hard time getting them to focus. Each of these three activities only takes a few minutes and teaches Native American history or multiplication. These 10-minute lessons can be done as stand-alone activities at the beginning or end of a class to raise student engagement, or the three in this unit can be combined for a single 30-45 minute lesson.
Step 2: If students are playing the game for the very first time, they will watch the two introductory videos that talk about Native Americans and how to play the game (5 minutes). Then you will see the Making Camp choice screen.
Step 3: Have students click the NUMBERS (NÚMEROS) box to view the six math challenges. You can press the round, green button at the bottom left with white squares to return to the choice screen at any time.
Step 4: Have students click on the top left box (with cards) to play a memory game. In this game, you match multiplication problems with their answers. You may assign this activity for 5 minutes of multiplication drills.
Activity 2
The Multiplication Dog
Step 1: Have students click on the icon with the dog.
This lesson opens with a paragraph explaining that some tribes used dogs to haul heavy loads, using a type of sled called a travois. The player then has the opportunity to earn a dog and items for their dog in the game by answering multiplication problems. The game resets when it is finished, and also takes about 5 minutes.
Activity 3
Reaping the Rewards of Math Practice at the Wigwam
The player should now have enough points to get a wigwam and at least two items to supply their wigwam.
Step 1: Click on the wigwam icon on the bottom left. This will play a video on how a wigwam was built, followed by a second video that briefly discusses that trading existed between and within tribes long before the settlers came.
Step 2: The player then has an option to trade points for items for their wigwam.
Clicking on the wigwam in the lower left corner will bring the player to their wigwam. Purchased items appear here for decoration and interaction.
Clicking on an item brings up a text box with information on how that item was used or obtained by the Ojibwe people.
Some items also perform actions when clicked. For example, the parfleche opens to show pemmican inside; when clicked, the dog walks across the wigwam.
Assessment
Making Camp Bilingual offers Data and Reports for teachers to access after students are finished playing.
State Standards
Minnesota History Substrand 2, Standard 3. Historical events have multiple causes and can lead to varied and unintended outcomes.
The lesson above has a companion lesson for English Only Learners. 10-Minute Multiplication Practice with Ojibwe History is the same lesson from above but provides the resources in English only, featuring Making Camp Premium.
Students are introduced to the various means of problem solving in a brief presentation. They watch a video on visualization, then solve a problem that asks them to visualize. After watching a video on building a model, students build and/or draw their own model of a multiplication problem or property. Lesson concludes with game play to reinforce these problem-solving strategies and learn more. This lesson assumes that students have some familiarity with multiplication of one-digit numbers and division with one-digit divisors.
📲 Technology Required
If teaching in person, the teacher will need a computer and projector or smart board to show the videos, or students can be given the links to watch on their own devices. Students will need a PC, Mac or Chromebook or tablet. Making Camp Bilingual, Making Camp Lakota and Making Dakota are all playable on any web browser on those devices. Spirit Lake: The Game, playable on Mac or Windows computers also teaches these same concepts. Students will also need access to the games.
📚Lesson
Watch a Video: Visualize (2:38)
Or watch it in Spanish – Visualizar (2:38)
This video teaches you how to visualize a problem. Visualization may help you solve it more easily. If you use objects to imagine quantities of numbers in certain problems, you will be able to find the solution faster.
Short presentation and problem (10 minutes)
After watching the video, teachers can present this short Google slides presentation or assign to students in Google classroom, giving another example of visualizing a problem.
You can simply save to your own Google classroom and then assign to your class to include both types of problems or modify to add more explanation or delete whichever one does not apply to your class before assigning.
Play a game (15 minutes)
Assign students to play Making Camp Bilingual (plays on any device) to practice these problem-solving strategies and more with multiplication and division.
Two assessments are built into the lesson, on visualization and building a model. Teachers can also see which standards students have attempted and how many problems they have answered correctly in the Making Camp Bilingual teacher reports.
The lesson above has a companion lesson for English only learners. Problem-solving Two Ways is the same lesson from above but provides the resources, videos and Google Slides, in English only.
Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
⏰ LESSON TIME
55 Minutes
📃 SUMMARY
This lesson plan will have students reinforce the previously presented concept of long division of 3 digit dividends by 1 digit divisors through a short review, an animated video, a fill in the blank division word problem activity, and game play.
📲 TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED
Students will need a PC, Mac or Chromebook or tablet. Making Camp Premium and Dakota are both playable on any web browser on those devices. Students will also need access to the games.
📚LESSON PLAN
Start the lesson by having a short review on dividing 3-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors. It is suggested to review the activity that was assigned in the previous lesson, “Build Your Own Division Problem” lesson. You can find the review copy of the activity here: “Review – Build Your Own Division Problem“. (15 minutes)
How to Use Division to Solve a Problem – Start with this animated video on how to use long division, with 3 digit dividends, to solve different word problems. (Time – 1:24)
3. Have students work on the activity “Fill in the Blank: 3 Digit Dividends“. The activity has students fill in the blanks to complete the division word problem, identify the problem, and solve it. (Corresponding “Fill in the Blank: 3 Digit Dividends” Activity Jamboard that’s also linked in the activity above can be used by students as space to work out their division word problems.) (20 minutes)
4. Have students play Making Camp Dakota: Past & Present using our Games Portal for Kids. The division in Making Camp Dakota will be more practice for students on problems with 3 digit dividends divided by 1 digit divisors. (15 minutes)
ASSESSMENT
The “Fill in the Blank: 3 Digit Dividends” activity is not only allowing students to continue practicing the concepts previously introduced and reviewed in this lesson, but also serves as an assessment of how well the student grasps the concept of division using 3 digit dividends and 1 digit divisors.
4.1.1.6 – Use strategies and algorithms based on knowledge of place value, equality and properties of operations to divide multi-digit whole numbers by one- or two-digit numbers. Strategies may include mental strategies, partial quotients, the commutative, associative, and distributive properties and repeated subtraction.
5.1.1.1 – Divide multi-digit numbers, using efficient and generalizable procedures, based on knowledge of place value, including standard algorithms. Recognize that quotients can be represented in a variety of ways, including a whole number with a remainder, a fraction or mixed number, or a decimal.
Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
⏰ LESSON TIME
50 minutes
📃 SUMMARY
This lesson plan will build upon the introduction to division with 3-digit dividends from the “Dividing 3-Digit Dividends” lesson. Students will be able to continue practicing dividing 3-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors through a short review, an activity where students build their own division problems, and game play.
📲 TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED
Students will need a PC, Mac or Chromebook. Students will also need access to “Making Camp Dakota: Past & Present” using our Games Portal for Kids. “Making Camp Dakota: Past & Present” is playable on PC, Mac, and Chromebook using any browser.
📚LESSON PLAN
Start the lesson by having a short review on dividing 3-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors. It is suggested to review the activity that was assigned in the previous lesson, “Dividing 3-Digit Dividends” lesson. You can find the review copy of the activity here: “Review – On Your Way Home.” (10 minutes)
Students will take the information reviewed and use it to complete the “Build Your Own Division Problem” activity. In this activity, students practice division using 3-digit dividends and 1-digit divisors through using virtual manipulatives. (20 minutes)
To end the lesson, students can play Making Camp Dakota: Past & Present to further practice division. Students can access the game using our Games Portal for Kids. (20 minutes)
ASSESSMENT
The “Build Your Own Division Problem” activity is not only allowing students to continue practicing the concepts previously introduced and reviewed in this lesson, but also serves as an assessment of how well the student grasps the concept of division using 3 digit dividends and 1 digit divisors.
4.1.1.6 – Use strategies and algorithms based on knowledge of place value, equality and properties of operations to divide multi-digit whole numbers by one- or two-digit numbers. Strategies may include mental strategies, partial quotients, the commutative, associative, and distributive properties and repeated subtraction. 5.1.1.1 –Divide multi-digit numbers, using efficient and generalizable procedures, based on knowledge of place value, including standard algorithms. Recognize that quotients can be represented in a variety of ways, including a whole number with a remainder, a fraction or mixed number, or a decimal.
The “Fill in the Blank: 3 Digit Dividends” lesson plan will have students reinforce the previously presented concept of long division of 3 digit dividends by 1 digit divisors through an animated video, a fill in the blank division word problem activity, and game play.
Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
⏰ LESSON TIME
30-45 minutes
📃 SUMMARY
This lesson will build upon the already introduced concepts and vocabulary of division in our “Introducing Division” lesson. Students will learn and be able to practice dividing 3 digit dividends by 1 digit divisors through a short review, activity, and game play.
📲TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED
Students will need a PC, Mac or Chromebook or tablet. Making Camp Premium and Dakota are both playable on any web browser on those devices. Students will also need access to the games.
Have students work through the On Your Way Home division activity where they take what they know and practice dividing 3 digit dividends by 1 digit divisors. The activity takes division problems and puts them into real-world context, visiting stores on your way home from the park.
Have students play Making Camp Premium and/or Making Camp Dakota using our Games Portal for Kids. The division magnets game in Making Camp Premium can be used as review before moving on to Making Camp Dakota. The division in Making Camp Dakota will be more practice for problems with 3 digit dividends divided by 1 digit divisors.
ASSESSMENT
Assessment is built into the “On Your Way Home” activity through the creation of their own division problem after repeated practice of 3 digit dividends divided by 1 digit divisors.
4.1.1.6 – Use strategies and algorithms based on knowledge of place value, equality and properties of operations to divide multi-digit whole numbers by one- or two-digit numbers. Strategies may include mental strategies, partial quotients, the commutative, associative, and distributive properties and repeated subtraction.
5.1.1.1 – Divide multi-digit numbers, using efficient and generalizable procedures, based on knowledge of place value, including standard algorithms. Recognize that quotients can be represented in a variety of ways, including a whole number with a remainder, a fraction or mixed number, or a decimal.
The “Build Your Own Division Problem” lesson plan will build upon the introduction to division with 3-digit dividends from this lesson. Students will be able to continue practicing dividing 3-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors through a short review, an activity where students build their own division problems, and game play.
