Teaching Tree Diagrams and Combinations

To introduce combinations and tree diagrams  to my 6th grade:

I showed the following Cyberchase clips

(before having the students play with Mr. Potato Heads, of course.)

If you haven't heard of Cyberchase, it is a PBS show that correlates with state standards.

It is a cartoon TV show where the "Cyberchase Gang"(good guys) try to stop "Hacker" (bad guy) and end up accomplishing this by using math.  

It is always followed by a "Real World" three minute clip starring "Harry" or "Bianca" that follows up on the same math idea as the episode.

"Cyberchase" - A Day At the Spa

Disclaimer: Since this is on youtube, the episode is cut into three parts...

you can show all three as a treat, or just the third to cut right to the "math".

1) Starting at the beginning of this clip the "Cyberchase Gang" must use tree diagrams to solve the mystery and find the combination so that they can stop Hacker (the bad guy). (I explain give the set-up to the clip verbally rather than watching the whole episode. At this point in the year, they've seen enough Cyberchase clips to get the gist of the story lines.)

2) Fast-forward to 4minutes and 34seconds and you will see the "For Real" closure to the episode where Harry gets a job working at a sandwich shop and uses the idea of "combinations" to promote the sandwich shop by saying they have 120 combinations to choose from!

I really can't say enough good things about clips from Cyberchase. Hope you like it too!

Test Prep

Standardized testing season is quickly approaching...

so I am joining in on the Standardized Testing Linky Party!

Here are a few things I have found useful in the past few years...

1.Online Test Banks:

I have found that Massachusettes releases 50% or so of the questions/answers/topics each year. 

If you click on the site below, you will be brought to the log of questions broken down by year, grade, and subject from years 2005-2010.**

 http://www.edinformatics.com/testing/mass.htm

  

**I don't teach in Massachusettes, but I did find that many of the questions overlapped**

2. Lakeshore Learning Test Prep Cards

This breaks up the monotony of test prep.  The cards are fun to flip and keep the students busy.  Can be used as a station or as whole group activity (if you buy enough..)

• I bought both a 4th and 5th grade set for my 6th grade resource class as a review of old skills.
•  I printed a blank bubble sheet free from online and had them bubble their answers as they went. 
• I used it as a center during class for about two weeks...each day having the students got pick a new set to complete as a timed "warm up".

Happy Pi Day Linky Party!

No matter how big or small your pi day celebration...

How do YOU celebrate Pi Day?

[Any and all circles posts welcome...pi day can be celebrated on days other than March 14th...]

Please link up to the relevant post, rather than your whole blog to make it easier for people who click the link in the future!

If you contribute to the linky party, grab the code via the link below to add the collection to your post! get the InLinkz code

Preparing for Pi Day...

Preparing yourself for Pi Day?

Please start to think of ideas and posts to share ideas...

and check back again later this week (Wednesday) for the Linky Party!

{Linky Party Coming Soon...}