Lesson Plan : Healthy Math

Teacher Name:
 Cindy Miller
Grade:
 Grade 6
Subject:
 Math

Topic:
 Number Sense Mathematical Reasoning
Content:
 estimation rounding
Goals:
 My goal for this lesson is for the students to be able to connect what they learn in math to everyday activities and how that connects to their health. This is primarily a review of content learned in 5th grade.
Objectives:
 SWB use estimation skills to round numbers to the nearest whole number SWB complete division problems used in problem solving (prior topic) SWB write explanations to word problems
Materials:
 worksheet, pencils, computers, projector
Introduction:
 Teacher led discussion about how math can be connected to our health. Teacher asks, "Do you know how many calories you will burn today?" "Why is that important?" Students respond.
Development:
 Teacher introduces the topic of why we need to exercise to keep ourselves in healthy physical and mental shape. Teacher provides the example of if you are just sleeping, you burn off 55 calories an hour! But if you go skateboarding, you could burn off 420 calories or more--just for having fun! Teacher shows some examples of calories burned and rounds them off to the nearest ten or hundred. Students discuss why we may want to round these numbers. Using the projector, the teacher goes to the Calorie Counter website. Teacher explains the
Practice:
 Students use computers to complete the worksheet, Burn Up Some Brain Cells. Students go to the website, www.diet-i.com/health/calories-burned.htm. They must use the Exercise and Calories chart to complete the worksheet. On the worksheet the students must round off each number to the nearest ten or hundred. The students must also use division skills to answer the problem-solving questions.
Accommodations:
 Learning Support: These students complete the activity the same as everyone else; however, they will only complete three questions for independent practice. Gifted/Talented: These students will use the site to create other types of problems using estimation and division. They must create a typed worksheet of their problems.
Checking For Understanding:
 Students exchange their own problem-solving worksheet with other students. Students answer the questions individually.
Closure:
 The students write in their journals what estimation means and show an example.
Evaluation:
 Teacher made problems that relate to the health topic and math topics of estimating, rounding, and division.
Teacher Reflections:
 My students really enjoyed completing this lesson. One of the perks was that they were able to use the computers. It seems that any time I can incorporate using computers, they are always excited and really get into the lesson. It was really neat to connect the idea of how we use math when discussing our healthy lifestyles. They usually don't connect the two. I love it when they see the connections. With an activity like this, it makes it more meaningful to them. We had all kinds of discussions going about who burned more calories in a day because of their different activities. They really got into it! I not only see this as being a good lesson for math but a great motivator for getting them out and doing something. I know they will be coming in and asking to get on the computer to look at how many calories they burned the day before. I don't think I would make any changes to this lesson. It worked well for teaching the concepts, as well as being a worthwhile activity.

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