Reply To: Lesson 5-4: Question

[Victoria Murphy]

I chose a problem from Jon’s Math is Visual site about growing geometric patterns. I took a screenshot and added below.

I am anticipating that in order to find what is next or further down the line, students might:

Draw the next few images (which even how they add on the “eggs” might be different for all.

Some may set up a proportion (although, we haven’t used this word yet so they may see it more like equivalent fractions).

Someone might do a double number line. (I don’t anticipate this one to be a popular strategy as it is not modeled much in the previous grades)

Someone may make a table

And someone will definitely write an equation (those are usually the ones who take math classes outside of school).

My goal of the lesson is to create the equation to go with this pattern (and ones that follow), but after giving them time to solve first what comes next in the sequence and then what comes further down the line, I would review the strategies, ending with the equation strategy. If, maybe in one particular class, no one uses the equation method, I would actually add on to the questions giving ones that might not be as easy to “skip count” into and help the class get to the equation.

I do love the mathisvisual.com site. And I see some 3-act tasks, but when googled, I get many older 3-act tasks that I am struggling to find the purpose for (although, I do realize that each one probably has many purposes). My concern is the research time…is there an organized place to go for ideas for 3-act tasks?