The areas of math that are included in this
activity are addition, subtraction, and arranging numbers on a number
line from least to greatest.
Materials needed: newspapers,
magazines, scissors, notebook paper, white butcher paper, markers or pens,
and glue.
This is a generative activity that requires the result of more than one solution. In this activity the students will be able to practice several mathematical concepts. (2) The day before actually beginning this activity the students are asked to go home and look through magazines and newspapers. When looking through these they should cut out any numbers that they may find. They should collect at least twenty different numbers that may range from single digit numbers to numbers in the hundred thousands. (3) In order to age specify this activity the instructor may limit the collected numbers to only numbers in the ones and tens to numbers in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, and hundred thousands. Before beginning the class discussion the instructor should have collected some numbers from magazines or newspapers to use as examples for the students. Before beginning this activity the instructor should make sure that all of the students have their numbers and they are layed out on their desks. If some students do not have their numbers then the instructor should let them look through some extra mags. or newspapers in the classroom. (6) To begin the whole class discussion the instructor should arrange his/her own numbers so that the class can see them. Then the instructor may ask questions such as " What could we possibly do with these twenty different numbers?" "Could we put them in order from the least to the greatest?" "Do you think that we might be able to arrange them on a number line ?" "There are many things that we could do with these numbers but today we are going to be adding, subtracting, and arranging them in order from the least to the greatest." Then the instructor will take any two of his/her own numbers. He/she will show them to the class and then write the numbers on the board so that everyone may see them. Then the instructor will pair the numbers resulting in ten pairs. The students will do the same with their twenty numbers. Then the students will go through the pairs and add them and write the addition problems on a seperate piece of notebook paper. After adding all ten pairs the students will make a number line. The number line will be on the white butcher paper. The students will draw a number line with their markers or pen. The number line will start at the smallest answer of the addition problems and go to the greatest answer. The pairs of numbers ( the addition problem) will be placed and glued above the sum of the problem on the number line. When the students are finished they should have ten numbers on the actual number line from least to greatest. Above the numbers on the number line should be the glued numbers that make up the ten different addition problems. All of the students number lines will look different and they will most likely have different numbers. (8) During the whole class discussion you may focus on addition, as described, or use subtraction problems to form the number line. Ordering from least to greatest is also a focus of this generative acitvity. (13) Following this activity the students may move on to adding and subtracting larger numbers than the ones used in this particular activity.