Sequences and Problem Solving

Sequences and problem solving are the topic for the current unit.  Students look at a series of numbers and determine the "rule" and then determine the next few numbers. 

For instance:

Mel decided that each day he would eat half of the jellybeans that were left in the jar.

Monday       100 Jellybeans
Tuesday       50  Jellybeans
Wednesday       25 Jellybeans
Thursday       ?  Jellybeans

How many jellybeans were left on Thursday?
 

Students are now reading stories from the Junior Great Books series.  We will focus on understanding the true meaning of the stories.  Students will express their viewpoints about issues presented in the stories, listen to the ideas of others, and build their own interpretations.

The Shared Inquiry Discussion will be the highlight of these units.  I will ask the students open-ended questions that will allow the students to think critically, analyze inferences they might have made, actively listen to the ideas of others, and develop evidence to support their own ideas.

The 4th grade students are learning to solve basic algebraic equations.  Students transform an abstract equation into its physical counterpart.  They then proceed to solve the equation by manipulating "pawns" while keeping the "scale" in balance.
 

Over the next three weeks students will focus on learning five different techniques that will help them solve extremely difficult math problems.

•   Charts and Diagrams
•   Think 1
•   Venn Diagrams
•   Function Machines
•   Algebra
 
The following problem is simple to solve if you use a Venn Diagram:

In a group of 22 students, 7 children like math, 12 children like science, 6 children like English, 3 children like math and science, 2 children like English and math, 2 children like science and English, and 1 student likes all three subjects.  How many students don't like any subject?