Turning 40 in Middle School

As many know, birthdays are a huge deal in our family, so it was only right to celebrate turning 40 with some of Hughes Huskies during Saturday tutoring!  Our 7th graders were challenged with the tasks of determining how much icing each cake would require, how many drops of food coloring to create the desired color of icing, the cost of how much it cost to ice the cake per square centimeter, and how big each letter could be, in order for the top of the cake to have a border.  The thinking and excitement that was sparked on a Saturday morning, was one of the best gifts a teacher could ask for!  

We first started with the task of determining how much icing we would need to cover our 2 tiered cake.  It was interesting to watch our learners tackle this problem because some just measured, while others drew nets and determined the composite area of the figure.  Once of the joys that comes with Saturday tutoring is that it's all of our kids, of various levels, collaborating together to determine their solutions. 

  

Once we figured out the surface area of the cake, it was time to create my favorite color of icing...turquoise!  Learners used both equivalent fractions and ratio tables to determine how many drops of blue and green we would need.                               

To say our learners were engaged is an understatement!  They absolutely loved creating & enjoying this birthday cake.  An extension onto this activity was for the learners to determine how many square centimeters each letter would take up on the cake.  As you can see, our 7th graders did a fabulous job of creating the best birthday cake, a teacher could ask for!  

Tackling Rational Numbers

During the spring semester, Team Stefibeth came together on various Saturdays to help our 7th graders grow in their mathematical knowledge.  Our first session focused on operations with rational numbers.

Learners were given the challenge of helping to bake cookies for our upcoming Super Bowl party.  Using the recipe, learners used their knowledge of rational numbers and proportionality to determine the amount of each ingredient we would need to feed 24 people, 30 people and then 6 people.  We spent our first hour calculating the amounts of each ingredient.  Some used proportions, while others used ratio tables.  We loved their mathematical thinking and justification as they proved each of their answers.  Upon completing the calculations, we headed to the kitchen and began to create our cookies!
This is where the true test of their knowledge of rational number skills came into play.  Based on the number of people they were chose to make cookies for, is the recipe they used.  Learners actively began measuring ingredients and stirring them together, rereading their new recipes and hoping for the best.  Once the dough was mixed together and the cookies were baked, the tasting began!  It's here where learners knew if they had done the math correctly!  



The discussions that came after their experience in the kitchens were priceless, but they were able to find just where they went wrong in their calculations!



It's hard to believe we did this activity for 4 consecutive Saturdays. Word spread fast and we had 7th graders begging to come for Saturday tutoring...just another example of the impact of working together and doing what's best for our learners yields ultimate success!