In math recently, third grade has been hard at work learning and practicing division. They came from second grade
with an understanding of division as creating equal groups, and we built upon
this by exploring the relationship between multiplication and
division as well as a number of different strategies they can use to solve division problems. To practice these strategies, we have been playing games, working through problems and even using Smarties candies to get
some hands on practice with dividing.
Most recently in our exploration of division, we read the
story The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins, about two children who are
about to evenly share a batch of twelve freshly baked cookies when the doorbell
rings and friend after friend arrive.
With each new number, the pair has to figure out how to share the number
of cookies equally. They find that the
number of cookies dwindle quickly with each new arrival!
After reading this story, students began writing their own “doorbell
rang” stories. Each child chose an item to
share and a number that could be divided evenly in a number of different ways. While the basic outline of each story is quite
similar, the stories are very different based on both the item that is being
shared and the personality of the child writing the story. Students have chosen to write their stories
about items ranging from waffles, puppies and toy cars, to pairs of high heeled shoes,
stuffed animals and much more. It will
be a joy to share the completed stories with families at the upcoming parent teacher
conference.
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