Cereal Container Unit

Cereal Container Unit

Contents

I.  Teacher Notes

II.  Outline of Lessons

III.  MYP Unit Planner

IV.  Student Handouts

V.  Rubrics

Cereal Container Project

Teacher Notes

Necessary Materials:

·  Rulers

·  Grid or graph paper

·  Standard size white poster boards

·  “Real” cereal containers with nutritional information

·  Compasses

·  Protractors

·  Crayons, colored pencils and/or markers

Time Required:

·  Three to four weeks of geometry and measurement lessons (see the lesson plan outline)

·  One and a half weeks of in class work on the actual container project

Project Introduction:

It works best if you introduce this cereal container project prior to covering volume and surface area lessons. This will allow for the teacher to refer to the project during the lessons and will help with student motivation and interest. When you introduce the project it’s best to only give the titles of the stages for the project and wait to give the students any handouts until it is time for them to complete each individual stage. Make sure not to give the “evaluate other peer groups” and “individual reflection” handouts until the students reach that stage. If they see it prior to completion of the project it is likely that you will only get cereal boxes, and not the other types of prisms and cylinders. This project is intended to be done in groups, but it could be easily modified for individual work. I would keep the group size around three students. If you want the students to work outside of the classroom, then it would probably be best to let the students pick their group members. Make sure you tell the students that one group member will need to purchase and bring a poster by the time the class begins to work on stage 1. Give them an appropriate amount of time to obtain the poster. Each stage should take about one class period and potentially some work to be done at home.

Stage 1 (Build your cereal container):

First give the students the handout and have the students read out loud the questions and instructions. Then encourage them to be creative with the shape of their container by saying “Think about what type of container might grab a customer’s attention; a cylinder, a box, a triangular prism, etc.” The more variety of 3D figures that students choose the more opportunities for class discussions and comparisons. If you have a group that chooses a cylinder then they will probably need some teacher guidance about the number of vertices, faces and edges of the figure. A teacher demonstration of a paper net and a life size poster net is very helpful for the students. Monitor and give feedback as the students are working.

Stage 2 (Find the volume):

Since the handouts will be turned in as part of the project booklet, the students will need their work to be logical and neat. I would have them answer the questions first on notebook paper, look over and revise their work, and then put it on the final draft on the actual handout. Remind the students to measure in centimeters at this stage. Working with centimeters helps them do more precise measurements. Students that have a base shape that is not found on the formula chart will probably need some teacher guidance and encouragement. Monitor and give feedback as the students are working.

Stage 3 (Find the surface area):

Again, I would remind the students not to write their work on the handout until they are sure it’s the final version. Emphasize the importance of neatness. Students that have difficulty with surface area might need to first study the net before they calculate their answer using a formula. This stage should take the students almost the entire 45-minute class period if they are measuring precisely and checking their work. I would encourage groups to check their formula answer by finding the area of each individual face and then computing the total. Monitor and give feedback as the students are working.

Stage 4 (Decorate the container):

Require the students to brainstorm the graphics and pictures they will use on the container before they actually start drawing it on the container. Some groups might need guidance as to what is the “front” and “back” if their figure is anything other than a rectangular prism. Also, show the students where to label the volume of the container and where to put their names. I would allow two days to complete the decoration, or assign part of it for homework.

Stage 5 (Visually display the nutritional information):

It is important that you ask, about three days in advance, for one student in the group to purchase or bring from home a cereal container that has nutritional information on it. Stress the importance of creating rough drafts and using proper tools such as the compass and protractor for the circle graph and ruler for the bar graph. If a group has a cereal container that does not have recommended daily intake (RDI) information on one or more of the listed mineral and vitamins on the handout, then pick a substitute mineral or vitamin for them. Monitor and give feedback as the students are working.

Stage 6 (Evaluation of other peer groups):

Allow for a full day to complete both this handout and the one from the next stage. Prior to the students moving around the room to look at other containers, make sure you lay some ground rules for their behavior. I tell them that they cannot move to the next group’s container until the two minute timer goes off. I use a kitchen timer or stop watch to keep track of this. It’s also important to remind students that they need to be respectful and courteous when they comment on a group’s product. It should be constructive criticism and not negative. A classroom discussion about the container that will sell, ship, or stock best has a lot of learning potential. During a classroom discussion I remind students of proper etiquette for discussion such as raising their hand and waiting their turn to be called on.

Stage 7 (Individual reflection):

If you are running low on time, the individual reflection can be done at home for homework. You will need enough handouts for each individual student. Highlight that the evaluation of group members will be kept confidential and encourage honesty. The last question that asks the students to make a connection of the net to the formula will need some teacher instruction. I would be sure to model this during the surface area prerequisite lesson listed in the lesson plan outline.

Teacher Notes 2

Outline of Lessons for Cereal Container Project

This outline consists of fifteen lessons that are necessary to cover prior to the completion of the project. The Cereal Container Project is meant to serve as a summative assessment for the measurement concepts of perimeter, area, surface area and volume. Many of these lessons contain prerequisite skills that are essential for the students to be able to do in order to classify, create, and measure their shapes.

I.  Spatial Thinking

a.  Points, Lines, and Planes

i.  define, name and identify points, lines, planes, segments, rays, parallel lines, and perpendicular lines

b.  Angles

i.  define and indentify adjacent, vertical, congruent, supplementary, complementary, acute, right, obtuse and straight angles

ii. draw and find the measure of angles

iii.  find the measure of angles based on angle relationships

c.  Classifying Polygons

i.  classify triangles and quadrilaterals by their sides and angles

ii. define and indentify regular polygons

iii.  name polygons based on their number of sides

d.  Congruence

i.  define congruence

ii. identify corresponding parts

iii.  find the measure of angles and sides based on congruence

e.  Circles

i.  explore and discuss the value of pi

ii. define what a circle is and define the parts of a circle: radius, diameter, circumference, and chord

II.  Perimeter and Area

a.  Measuring in Customary Units

i.  measure lengths of segments using inches and feet

ii. write customary units as fractions, mixed numbers and decimals

b.  Perimeter

i.  define perimeter

ii. walk the perimeter of an irregular shape for kinesthetic learners

iii.  measure and find the perimeter of regular and irregular polygons

iv.  develop formulas for the perimeter of rectangles and regular polygons

c.  Circumference

i.  define circumference

ii. develop the circumference formula

iii.  find the circumference of circles given the radius or diameter

d.  Area: Parallelograms

i.  define area and square units

ii. indentify the height and base of rectangles and parallelograms

iii.  develop the area of a parallelogram formula

iv.  measure and find the area of rectangles and parallelograms

e.  Area: Triangles and Trapezoids

i.  discover the relationship between parallelograms and triangles

ii. develop the area of a triangle formula

iii.  identify the base and height of a triangle

iv.  measure and find the area of triangles using the formula

f.  Area: Circles

i.  discover the formula for area of a circle by the relating it to a parallelogram

ii. review the order of operations as it pertains to exponents

iii.  measure and find the area of circles using the formula

g.  Area: Regular and Irregular Polygons

i.  deconstruct a figure with 5 or more sides into shapes on the formula chart, such as triangles and rectangles

ii. measure and find the area of a regular hexagon by adding the areas of the composite shapes

iii.  measure and find the area of an irregular pentagon by adding the areas of the composite shapes

III.  Surface Area and Volume

a.  Space Figures and Nets

i.  define and classify three dimensional figures

ii. create nets and match nets with their corresponding solids

b.  Surface Area: Prisms and Cylinders

i.  define surface area

ii. find the surface area of prism and cylinders using their nets

iii.  discover the formulas for surface area of prisms and cylinders from studying the net and matching the parts to the formula

iv.  measure and find the surface area of prisms and cylinders using a formula

c.  Volume: Prisms and Cylinders

i.  define volume and base area

ii. develop the formulas for volume of prisms and cylinders

iii.  measure and find the volume of prisms and cylinders using a formula

Outline of Lessons 1

MYP unit planner

Unit title

/

Cereal Container Project

Teacher(s) / Pamela Cordova
Subject and grade level / Mathematics, Year 2
Time frame and duration / 5 weeks

Stage 1: Integrate significant concept, area of interaction and unit question

Area of interaction focus

Which area of interaction will be our focus?
Why have we chosen this? / /

Significant concept(s)

What are the big ideas? What do we want our students to retain for years into the future?
Human Ingenuity
In this unit students will produce a cereal container that could be sold in grocery stores. It will lead students to examine, experience, and reflect on the creative process. / To understand and apply concepts of surface area and volume in authentic situations.
Recognize and value the many factors that go into designing and producing a marketable product.

MYP unit question

What constitutes a great design?

Assessment

What task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question?
What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show what they have understood?
The assessment task is the cereal container project that contains real-life problems and investigations. Throughout the different stages of the project students will design, create, solve problems, and reflect on the process.
Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?
Knowledge and Understanding
· Know and demonstrate understanding of concepts from geometry and statistics
· Select and apply general rules correctly to solve problems including those in real-life contexts
Communication in Mathematics
· Use different forms of mathematical representation
Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?
Criterion A (Knowledge and Understanding)
Criterion C (Communication in Mathematics)

Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to the learning activities through inquiry

Content
What knowledge and/or skills (from the course overview) are going to be used to enable the student to respond to the unit question?
What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed? How can they be unpacked to develop the significant concept(s) for stage 1?
Name and classify different geometrical elements. Finding the perimeter/circumference, area and volume of regular and irregular two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.
TEKS addressed:
7.6C - use properties to classify three-dimensional figures, including pyramids, cones, prisms, and cylinders
7.8B - make a net (two-dimensional model) of the surface area of a three-dimensional figure
7.8C - use geometric concepts and properties to solve problems in fields such as art and architecture
7.9A - estimate measurements and solve application problems involving length (including perimeter and circumference) and area of polygons and other shapes
7.9B - connect models for volume of prisms (triangular and rectangular) and cylinders to formulas of prisms (triangular and rectangular) and cylinders
7.9C - estimate measurements and solve application problems involving volume of prisms (rectangular and triangular) and cylinders
7.13A - identify and apply mathematics to everyday experiences, to activities in and outside of school, with other disciplines, and with other mathematical topics
7.14A - communicate mathematical ideas using language, efficient tools, appropriate units, and graphical, numerical, physical, or algebraic mathematical models
TAKS addressed: Objective 3 (Geometry and Spatial Reasoning), Objective 4 (Measurement), and Objective 6 (Underlying Processes and Mathematical Tools)
Week 1:
Introduce the project to the students by describing the purpose of the project and discussing the stages of the project. They will only receive the project introduction handout (page 1) at this time. Put them into groups or allow them to choose groups and ask each group to bring a poster by week 4 when they begin the first stage of the project.
Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4:
Unpacking - Lessons on geometry concepts such as spatial thinking, classifying polygons and solids, perimeter, circumference, area, surface area and volume.
Weeks 4 and 5:
Work on the 7 stages of the cereal container project.

Approaches to learning

How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?
Collaboration – the students work in groups and this requires them to delegate and take responsibilities, adapt to roles, and resolve group conflicts
Reflection – students will evaluate other peer groups, members within in their own group, and they will also do self-evaluation
Thinking – student must brainstorm and plan their container, and apply knowledge and concepts of surface area and volume in a logical progression
Transfer – make connections across mathematics, marketing and language arts
Learning experiencesHow will students know what is expected of them? Will they see examples, rubrics, templates?
How will students acquire the knowledge and practice the skills required? How will they practice applying these?
Do the students have enough prior knowledge? How will we know? / Teaching strategiesHow will we use formative assessment to give students feedback during the unit?
What different teaching methodologies will we employ?
How are we differentiating teaching and learning for all? How have we made provision for those learning in a language other than their mother tongue? How have we considered those with special educational needs?
Students will review exemplars and rubrics in order to understand what is expected of them. There are rubrics for each stage of the project.
Students will acquire knowledge by classroom lessons that include class discussions, student-led discoveries, note-taking and teacher modelling. They will practice these skills by doing homework and they will receive feedback for improvement.
Students will apply the knowledge they learned in the lessons in order to classify and find the volume and surface area of their cereal container.
The students need to have basic measuring skills, such as how to use the ruler, compass and protractor. The students will do exercises during the lessons to establish if they do have these basic skills. If they are lacking the skills it will be addressed during the lessons. / Formative Assessments – Homework will be collected and graded. Feedback is then given to the students about the work. Classroom discussions will allow students to summarize and examine their findings. The students will also be observed by the teacher as they work in groups on their project. They will be given guidance if they are not on the right track.
Teaching Methodologies – During the geometry and measurement lessons students will receive direct instruction. The lessons will also involve inquiry based learning when students are asked to discover relationships between the formulas and figures. Project-based learning is a substantial part of this unit.
Differentiation – The formative assessments described above allowed for exploration of different learning styles and for individual differentiated instruction during class or tutoring. Special education colleagues, ESL teachers, and counsellors are available for assistance in differentiated instruction.

Resources

What resources are available to us?
How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be used to facilitate students’ experiences during the unit?
Materials for cereal container project: rulers, graph paper, standard size white poster boards, cereal boxes from home or the store that have nutritional information, compasses, protractors, and markers.
Language A teacher: can give feedback on the persuasive description and other writing that will be put on the cereal container.
Websites:
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=228
http://illuminations.nctm.org/lessondetail.aspx?ID=U122
http://www.nutritionresource.com/foodcomp2.cfm?id=0800

MYP Unit Planner 2