One of the most creative assignments I completed in this class was an assignment that focused on cognitive development. The focus of the assignment was to create a game or activity for a skill that was currently being taught in my service learning classroom. I then brought the assignment to class for my peers to review. It is definitely an activity I am very proud of.
In my service learning classroom, the 5th graders had been working with fractions. One of the most important things the teachers implemented was the reduction of fractions and equivalent fractions.
Using the felt pizzas provided (magnets will be applied to every slice), students will practice reducing fractions in a very fun and hands-on way. The teacher will split the class into 4 teams by arranging the desks into 4 equal rows. The teacher will then place four pizzas on the white board directly in front of the four teams. Next to each of the 4 pizzas, the teacher will place a row of 8 game cards folded over so that the students can not see the problem until they unfold it. All rows will have the same problems in the same order. The teacher will say go and the first student in each row will run up to the board and open the first card. The cards will contain problems such as 8/16. The students will then use the pizzas (they may also use the markers and the board) to reduce each problem. Once they have finished they will write their answer above the pizza. The student will then take their team’s marker and run back to their row. They will then hand it to the next person in the row and sit down. The new contestant will then run up to the board and work on the next card, and so on. The teacher will sit and note what place each team comes in. At the end of the game she and the class will discuss the problems and she will give the correct answers to every problem. The class will then reflect on any mistakes. The first team to have finished and gotten every problem correct wins the game!
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