On May 16th, Grade 4 Math Group began a month-long math project. Students were transformed into young owners of a coffee shop and used their mathematical knowledge and skills to launch a new combo meal. Our school hopes that the students can actively participate in their learning, explore questions, find answers, and develop their communication skills, critical thinking skills as well as innovation capacities.

The project was divided into two parts. The first part was an independent task where students had to apply their knowledge of fractions to get familiarized with the current menu and to solve problems with the orders and staffing of the coffee shop. They were able to gain a clearer understanding of the coffee shop operation through this independent task, laying a solid foundation for the group task.

Moving on to the second part of the group task, the students worked in groups of five, signed a group contract, and set out the ground rules to be followed. They were required to design a new combo meal for the café, which included a main meal and a drink. Through group discussions, the students made an agreement on the content and price of the combo meal and the ways to store the ingredients. They designed and created the packaging for the food as well as a logo and video advertisement to promote it. The online group projects were challenging and placed greater demands on the students’ time management skills, organizational skills, and communication skills. Our teachers provided the students with a timetable template to facilitate planning, so that they could better plan their time and organize the progress of each sub-task in the group.

Deciding on food and buying ingredients sparked the most heated discussion for each group, as students considered the cost and how to attract customers with a lower price. Some groups served delicious burgers with healthy milkshakes; some chose Chinese fried rice with Coke; and others made lasagnas. Each group was trying to make their food tastier and fairly priced. Moreover, students applied what they had learned in class about geometry to design the packaging. They considered the volume and aesthetics to choose the most suitable package.

During the project, the teachers held regular individual meetings with each group to keep abreast of the project progress, help the students clarify their ideas, and offer advice based on the actual situation and problems encountered by each group, which kept the flow of the project smooth.Students made PPT to attend Group-Teacher Conferences.

When it came to the publicity design part, students turned waste into treasure by using unused materials from home to create food models for their designed meals. Each group brainstormed to produce their own unique advertising videos, and the creativity displayed in their works was amazing. Some groups incorporated animation elements to capture the audience’s attention; some groups had all members appear on camera, trying to attract more customers; and others used humor as the theme of their videos, bringing endless joy to the viewers.

The voting and reflection sessions brought the project to a perfect end. The teachers hoped that the students would affirm their achievements through self-reflection, find out their shortcomings and think about how to improve in the future. The aim of this math project was to stimulate students’ internal motivation and growth in a playful context. During the project, they took the initiative to undertake tasks and actively communicate to resolve conflicts in the project. In the practice, they learned about financial intelligence and exercised their critical thinking skills.

Written by｜Chen Qinli

Pictures by｜Teachers

Edited by｜Huang Shiyuan, Yang Xiyue (Intern), Kristjan Butler