Though we initially planned to capitalize on the math that would naturally be part of a service learning project involving plants, we had to pivot because we were not sure that the 4th grade would be assigned to the same task as their last visit.
The rest of this reflection was co-written with Tammi -
Instead, we have decided to work on the Donut Shop Project, a low floor high ceiling task that 4th utilizes during play practice to practice the use of the addition and subtraction algorithms in a way that students can work independently to practice skills in a creative and engaging way.
Math Skills:
Addition of 2 and 3-digit numbers
Subtraction with regrouping
Arrays and area
Multiplication by 10
Multiplication - hourly wage and shopping
Reflecting on our past experience, we found that the project was a success. It was introduced in the math lab and everyone started the project by picking the type of space and price of their donut shop. They went on to budget for furniture, and then this "pre-packaged curriculum" lost its luster. The students were motivated to create their own specialty donuts. This inspired Tammi to create an ordering catalog that included all the ingredients they were coming up with in order to make the specialty donuts. This allowed students who were ready to make conversions, such as if I need 60 cups of sugar, how many 5-pound bags would I need? However, this wasn’t at the skill level of all our mathematicians.
We used the idea of lab day to make the entire unit accessible to all while still allowing for more proficient students to engage in challenging problem-solving as well. We modified the basic donut recipe so students could practice multiplying by the powers of 10 (x10 and x100), modified planning sheets so that only arrays would be used in creating their stores, and adjusted prices of the various ingredients so each student would be able to work at their individual levels. We made sure to adjust the packaging of materials for the basic ingredients in cups and ounces, and left varying types of units as conversion challenges for those who are ready (gallons, pints, etc). We left the day with a completely revised, read-to-go unit. The only part that hasn’t been planned yet is contacting local donut shops (Julaina’s contact on Geary Avenue & Burke’s parent who works at the donut shop in Larkspur). Being able to visit and speak to donut shop owners will allow the students to also consider wages and how to recruit employees, as well as what is needed in the planning to guarantee that the shop turns over a profit. Angelique and Tammi worked together to add these financial literacy components to this unit. It’s ready for its second iteration!