Session 3: Do
As you saw with the Fibonacci lesson, teachers using an inquiry-based approach to teach mathematics will bring in rich problems or scenarios that aren’t easily solved. Students will often work together to speculate how to begin solving the problem, try different strategies, and explain and justify their ideas. There are several resources on the Internet to find these kinds of problems and scenarios. One resource is NRICH which aims to provide “rich mathematical tasks” to enrich (get it? NRICH=enrich) math class. In this activity, you’ll try solving an inquiry-based elementary problem from the NRICH website called the “Coded Hundred Square.”
A hundreds square is a square that contains all of the numbers from 1–100. Elementary teachers use these to help students see patterns and develop numeracy, which is a fancy word for mathematical literacy. For example, students can discover that all of the numbers in the column under the 5 end with a 5. In this problem, you will decipher a hundreds square that is written entirely in symbols with no numbers. Just like a hundreds square, it begins with 1 and ends with 100. Feel free to work with a partner—a teacher using this problem in an elementary class would most likely ask students to work in pairs so that they could discuss their thinking.
- If you have a computer with Flash installed, you may use the Coded Hundred Square interactive, and drag and drop the symbols into the correct place.
- Otherwise, print out this 2-page document, and use scissors and tape.
- After you solve the problem, read the Getting Started, Solution, and Teachers’ Resources pages that are written for teachers to help them introduce the problem and facilitate a discussion.
