Explorer badges

Joshua

Lilly

Nettie

Ilora

Max

Elam

Ida 

Ruben

Joe

Luca

Hana

Olivia

Emy

Jazmin

canaan

??

Nettie

Capucine

Céleste 

Tue 18th - Brixton session - odd and even

We'll continue with the number bonds and split 3 ways.  Following additions to today:

Record scores of first game of split 3 ways between each person and get them to write their name on the score chart (which will be a table allowing two games).  We can ask what they want to do with results.


The starting game can look at numicon representations of numbers.  I might get out the Venn Diagram (where is that?) circles.  We can look at what numbers they represent, get explorers to group them.

Hopefully they will at some point group them as odd and even whether using the words or not.  I can then get them to put them in order, and find number bonds to different numbers.  Get them to see if they notice anything about the numbers they need to put together.
It might be good to have two groups working on those and one group working with groups and adding to 20.  I would have to think carefully about them changing around and getting a chance to do each activity.

The investigation would also be good.  Finding how many ways numbers can be split.  We could look at it in terms of the shapes but also just as numbers such as would happen in Kakuro.

I would like to see if I could demonstrate Kakuro with blocks and get them to explore some possibilities.

Same ending game but I will get them to put them in piles of ten and record the number there at the start.  We can update as we go through asking others what has changed.

A domino game would be really good where they go around the park finding dominoes with particular traits

Resources needed
A3 of the add to 20 sheet
two way table for competition
Domino property cards

Mon 17 Aug - Brixton Project session 1 evaluation

The first Brixton session.   The space is really good and we made use of most of it.  I think the starting space needed more thought, chairs and tables etc.  Possibly start with warm up activities that are in different places and are just puzzles using trial and error.  and then call everyone together for the first group activity.

The code names worked well.  It would be good to get them using the code names also.  I'll prepare shields for each of them and hopefully can award them personalised certificates at the end.  I should get a kind of spy/explorer theme.

The number bonds activity was just the kind of thing I want to happen more.  I introduced the concept with the number line.  Explorers talked about it a bit and were all interested in showing what they could do.  I got a few examples and then split them up into random groups to do different tasks linked to number bonds and linking numbers up to make different totals.  All the explorers noticed that the number bonds went 'backwards' and those on the hundred square saw other patterns linked to the hundred square arrangements.

We moved on to splitting 3 ways.  I got Nd9 to start things off witha few of them outside.  We all moved out side and the two of us did a demonstration.  I tried with a few others and then got them all playing each other.  I should have got them moving around a bit more and maybe recorded results of different games.  I might produce a sheet for that tomorrow to remind them of the games and get them to see how to record scores or use a table.

I moved on to the 3 way sheet a bit too quickly.  I should have mixed the games by getting a few people to use the sheets against others still using blocks.  Some really got on well with the sheet though.  It's a good format.  I just need to add the shapes I think.

The game at the end was a good end to the session.  We got some observations.  I noticed Nd9 playing really well.  He was checking for best moves and counting whenever he could.  Some were just taking part as they didn't quite understand it yet but every one wanted to win certain colours and got involved.  I'l have to add special chips to it in future or change the win ratio for colours in future sessions.

We'll stay looking at this tomorrow but work on the competition, investigation and Kakuro.  I'll start with some odd and even work using numicon possibly

17 Aug 15 - number bonds

Basically the same plan as 30 Jul but with a few additions and changes.
Number bonds
Starting challenge: number bonds to 100 challenge.  Using the 100 square, get children to put numbers in to spaces that form number bonds to 100 with them (e.g. 48 goes with 52).  It would be good to do a similar thing with numbers 1 to 12 and 1 to 40 for others and may be have them switch around.

Three way split
This will be basically the same.  I'll include some adding to 100 grids as an extension.  It would be good to try some of them with the game that they take turns to put a number in the circle (1 to 9 say) and if they get more than 20 they lose.

Investigation
How many combinations with 9 or 10.  It would be good if I had some combinations hidden and they have to see if they can find it.
I need a way to maker this task more prominent so it can move on to the next activity.

Adding to 1000
Use the targets and look at the game.  This uses dice to fill a grid that should add up to 1000 or as close as possible.

I really want to introduce challenges such as Kakuro and some Subitising games but will need to see. An exploration section would be really good.

We can end with Nim or coloured countdown match with centre game.

Thursday 13th Aug - difference - evaluation

For this session, I worked on the concept of difference mostly.  It worked so much better than last week.  I really need to run through the activities before the session if I can though I can't see how there will ever be time.
We started with hi lo.  This is a game I should use much more often.  It is really straight forward but gets kids thinking and talking about possibilities.  In the two sessions I tried to get students to think about what the difference between the current and next one would be and I didn't manage to get that across.  I should have had special plus minus cards (e.g. ±6 etc.) with certain differences on that could have been used in a get out of jail sort of way.  Maybe anyone who is out has to pick up a card with a particular difference on it and if that comes up, they are back in.  It worked well as it was though and should be done more often.  Also a good move was to get them to pre arrange a grid of cells to put their answers in.  With the second group, I had the conversation at the beginning about which signs to use to show higher and lower.  This produced different results.  Actually I did ask this in the first class but just got a + sign.  In the second class I got arrows, < > and H & L instead.
I moved by giving them some cuisenaire rods and asking them to figure out what numbers they could represent.  This ended up as a great activity for exploring for some groups and especially when parents got involved.  Not every group jumped on it straight away. I think this should be done in pairs instead of larger groups.  Linking it to a story or encapsulating the challenge into a narrative of some sort might improve it.  It was a good challenge as it was, especially for the second group.  Other extensions might be to get them to prove that the numbers couldn't be a certain set or to say why they can't all be odd numbers or why there could be lots of different possible sets of numbers.  Still more meaning needs to be injected here.
That activity moved on to the odd one out quite seamlessly.  Other than the fact that some were not sure what criteria created the group or the odd one and that the word odd linked to odd/even which meant that a few chose 3 for the wrong reason.  Also getting them to show the 4 number sentences that could come from any group of 3 was neglected which was a shame.  I think it is an important link.  I think I'll push that in a future session.  The triangle template was ok but I should have a set up number sentence template also.  Will prepare for next session.
The King and prince's towers was the best breakthrough.  The story aspect really helped them get the idea of the challenge.  Ax was a star at this activity and did such great work with it (with the help of our facilitator).  Id and Mx struggled a bit more with this session but I guess as their first session back it is normal.  Still excellent explorers.  One issue that came up was building the tower in a more elaborate way than just a column of blocks.  Jz came up with a great way to get around trying to create a tower with an odd sum and even difference (pic on right).
Still need to get on to a few more challenge questions.  What differences are possible for a given number of bricks?  What is the pattern in differences? What patterns can you see?  They would need a stronger grounding in odd and even as a concept though.
The ending game needs to be formalised a little but it is really good.  I should look into playing it a few times and see what kind of strategies I can find.  Again it's odd and even that seems to be the key. In Brixton we'll definitely need an odd/even day.

Date tbc - Multiplication, Area - no longer in this number programme

Key outcomes - link multiplication to area and length and width
Extension - link to volume and higher dimension ideas - Prime factor links

One issue is that not many explorers have done the session on equality and difference.  This can be done before that I guess but it might be worth re planning that session and doing it instead, especially for the first group.  Alternatively it could be done later.

Pre session activity - grids.  Look out for the use of grids.  How many cells in them?  Any grids that have too many to count.  How many rows and how many columns?

Intro game = multiplication grid challenge with hold'em style dice (four dice of which you choose yours and one other.) think about the explanation for this game.

Working with timestables
Possible activities (will need to assess the mood for this)  timestable chant
Napier Bones
Digital root patterns
Unit patterns
Colour coded hundred square - poster with 2, 3, 5, 11 possibly - can be finished off at home.  It could be important for the concept of prime numbers

The goal here is to get a few activities that allow explorers to concentrate on the idea of multiplication as a sequence or as repeated addition.  This won't be done explicitly but just as a way to access multiplication answers.

Multiplications as rectangles
Investigation.
What type of shapes can be created by different numbers.
1 d numbers - primes
2 d numbers - can only make rectangles
3 d numbers - can make cuboids
higher dimensions can create multiples of the same cuboid

Self access puzzles (possibly in  a take home format?)

Cows puzzle - http://www.puzzlephil.com/puzzles/kuhweide/en/

Shikaku puzzles

Make use of primitives representation of prime factors
This is a great example of using them in a project like we would like to do

I'll need to think more about how to get the concept of primes and prime factors linked into this.  Factors also will need some thought.



We can end with grid games (2048 would be good)
Nim and see how understanding of tables might help you win.  Use the choose one of three rules and win challenge.

Maybe Doubling should come in as a concept somewhere.

Aug 6 - Equality difference and balance - Evaluation

This was an odd week.  First session only had one new explorer with us. None of our regulars so I just we started with last week's challenges and number bonds/split three ways.  We finished with Nim.  It was a good introductory session as I got to know quite a bit about what he can do and how he reasons his way to an answer. I should have an introductory session for all new students like this.  Worth thinking about.  I could get some of the cornerstone activities that we do regularly and assess number bonds, multiplication, shape ideas and so on.
The second session was almost doomed from the start.  I didn't get the things I needed ready and my printer stopped working.  That said, I should have been able to get through it with if I had had a clearer idea of what out comes I wanted.  I got bogged down on activities (not for the first or last time probably).  In hindsight, I should have set it up as exploring how difference works.  I had activities pointing towards this and plenty of opportunity to explore at each level.  The younger ones could play the balance game, the older ones could have worked on the challenge.  The older one could have supported and also worked on the consecutive challenge.  I was not in charge of my options so to speak.

The first game hi lo was reasonably engaging but I'm sure I could have got more out of it.  It should have been leading to the concepts of equality and difference.  I could have had points or a way back into the game for those who were out by getting them to guess the difference also.  We could have then done + and - instead of H & L.  I should have had cards that they just hold up.

The cuisenaire activity also started well and they the younger ones did really well with that and showed a lot of reasoning skills.  The older ones did useful reasoning also.  It just was too stand alone and I don't think that anyone was sold on what they were doing.  I was not clear enough myself.  I wanted them to associate numbers with the amount and use difference to confirm the number that it should be.  Larger blocks would have been good also and more of a choice.  Getting IN to ask certain questions and critique thinking through the questions also would have been a better way to get them involved in the thinking that I wanted.

Getting the number sentences from the three blocks was a good choice of an activity for the session but poorly run.  It needs more of a hook or competitive edge.  To add to this it would be good to present 4 numbers and see if they can find the odd one out.  For example, In the case of 2, 3, 6, 8 it would be 3 as it cannot combine with two other numbers.  I should have got them to link the bars to the number lines also.  So many missed opportunities.  I couldn't find or print number lines of course. Organisation!  Set up a grid for them to write the three numbers that combine in triangle vertices and the odd one out in the middle. I could have explored one number that could change to include the odd one and things like that.

The towers activity was just a mess.  It could have led on from the previous activity.  The strips of laminate just confused the challenge.  The little ones had no way to get into the activity.  A story would have been a good intro for this.  It could have been that the king's tower has to be 5 higher than the Prince's and they have to use a certain number of blocks. I could have highlighted methods such as trial and improvement (just moving one at a time and evaluating each time) or getting the right difference and putting the rest on equally.  IN came out with really good methods but I didn't use it. Again this could have been on challenge cards once I had confirmed that explorers had the activity.  I should really have got the really little ones playing with the scale (limited weights!).  Actually the scale activity went reasonably well for them.  They had some success after a while.  It just needed to be clearer from the start.  I challenge them all individually to find ways to balance it and then record the solutions.  I could have got the little ones to explore that further after seeing everyone do it.

Arithmagons are a great activity to add to these or to extend the towers activity.  Again no link.  Not thought through well enough (until now). Start with the puzzle intro that I used (covering up the edge numbers of a completed solution and asking them to guess what's there.  A few of these examples would be a good intro to the puzzle.)  The challenge could be to find the link with the previous (towers) puzzle.

The ending game also really good if the lessons have been learnt from the previous activities.  This week's session.  It deals with the same idea of difference and equality.  Before playing it, a structured talk about what had been learnt would have been good.  It would be great if I could have had concept cards that I showed at the beginning (odd, even, one more one less, balance etc.) and got some ideas about meanings from them and told them that these ideas might be important in the session.  I could then check what the links were or if any had been discovered.  Odd and even is really important for the game and I could ask them to see if they can tell why.  It is also important for the towers and the balancing activity so I should have asked them about it.   It probably would have been good to do a specific odd and even adding thing in the previous session.  I think it was planned but not executed. Definitely try to get it included in future sessions

I understand this session a lot better now and so it is good in that respect.  It's a shame that yesterday those in the session had to suffer it but hopefully they were not too badly affected.