Teamwork in Grade 9

Today Grade 9s tried the 1-100 task, where they circle numbers in order.

The first time through, as individuals, and we timed it…it took about 8-11 minutes. I took photos as they worked to debrief the class later.

Next, working in groups of 4 (each student has a different colour marker).

If students follow the rules, and take turns circling numbers one at a time in order, they will see some neat patterns emerge. On the left, the rules were followed. On the right is what you see if there’s a group of more/less than 4, or students aren’t taking turns.

this round took 4-6 minutes. It emphasizes that when we work together we can accomplish things quicker, and help each other. Many students naturally started looking ahead for their number, or pointed out numbers for peers, or were counting out loud to help themselves keep track.

For the final round groups strategized, and moved themselves, or furniture, and made a plan before attempting the task again.

This group decided to work around the desk so everyone saw the numbers right side up. They drew a grid to help narrow down their search areas, they spoke out loud, and helped each other find the numbers. This round took under 2 minutes for some groups.

At the end of the lesson I showed the pictures I took, and we discussed the ways that they worked well as a team.

The final stage of the task was to brainstorm in groups what good teamwork looks like, sounds like, and feels like. These ideas will be combined to make a list of group norms for teamwork.

At the end of this task we had some time left, so we did an intro sheet which starts with graphing their math life. This was inspired by a workshop by Liesl McConchie (@lieslmcconchie on Twitter).

Students think back to how they felt about math over the years, and represent that on the graph. While they worked I circulated, and had some discussions with students about the peaks and valleys on their graphs and learned a lot about them, and how they view their journey through math class.