Discovering math mysteries is a daily routine for SHSID students. Math is not only a subject at school; it is also used in our daily life. Therefore, the theme of this year’s Math Week is to explore math in everyday life and apply math knowledge and skills to solve problems.

Grade 4: Chinese New Year Party Planning

As the Chinese New Year is around the corner, the fourth graders will work together to design a party for 25 people to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Students will use their thinking and communication skills to design their party events, location, and content.

On Monday, students worked in groups of five to plan the Chinese New Year party. Each person had a position: General Manager, Creative Director, Admin Manager, Editor-in-Chief, and Financial Manager, and they had different responsibilities in the group. The students discussed intensely the responsibilities of each person in the group and the rules to be followed and created and signed a teamwork contract.

On Tuesday, the students went on a “scavenger hunt” to get the food they could provide for the Chinese New Year party. The math teachers designed a lot of interesting questions, and the students enjoyed the process of finding the questions and working in groups to solve these math problems. The students participated and cooperated actively in group. Some were responsible for finding the questions, some were the brains of the group, responsible for figuring out the problems and, and some were good at controlling the progress......Students realized the importance of teamwork in solving practical problems and developed a sense of independent learning.

On Wednesday, students began a grade-level “Party Intentions Survey,” a hands-on application of the statistics and graphing methods they had been learning to understand fourth graders’ preferences for souvenirs, party games, and length of time. On Thursday, they presented the results of the “Party Intentions Survey” through bar graphs, line graphs, or other statistical charts. Finally, students analyzed the data to extract valid information that they could use to help them plan their parties.

On Friday, students began to complete their work plans. They used work schedules to organize their time and divide up tasks,whichdemonstrated their organizational and independent learning abilities.

The fourth graders will finalize a planning booklet and present the group’s plan in class. To engage their classmates in the Chinese New Year party they designed, they will also put effort into creating posters and videos. So stay tuned.

Grade 5: Explore the World of Measurement

The fifth graders’ math week was centered around “exploration and adventure.” For the first adventure, students worked in groups to measure the length and width of the Zhongxing Building with their own steps and to calculate its floor area. Each student was eager to join the team, and it was fun to measure the building with their own footsteps. The measurements made by many groups were very close to the true data.

For the second adventure, students were tasked with using their body parts to measure the classroom. “I can use my fingers to measure,” “I can use my arms, my fists, and many, many different body parts as a ruler” ...... “What other objects in life can also be used as rulers?” The students had many whimsical ideas, and A4 paper and ID cards became measuring tools in the hands of the students. After they practiced their ideas, they actively reflected on them and considered how to improve their accuracy next time. All of these thinkings and reflections are helping the fifth graders to become independent thinkers.

In the third adventure, students initially learn indirect measurements of object heights using shadows and the corresponding sides of similar triangles to measure the heights of streetlights and basketball hoops around the school buildings. Students brainstormed different ways to measure, each student explored more tools for indirect measurement independently, and they discovered and practiced indirect measurement as it applies to their daily lives.

For the fourth adventure, the students used grid paper and applied what they had learned about calculating the area of irregular shapes to calculate the area of the new ice rink and the sports field. Each student was very excited to calculate the length, width, and area of the ice rink and sports field where they played sports, and their interest in learning further increased when they used what they learned to solve life problems that were relevant to them.

Through a week of learning and practices, the students went on their fifth adventure—systematically reviewing and using the knowledge and skills they learned this week. Students from the Puxi campus went out of the Zhongxing Building to measure the perimeter and area of Zhongxing Lake. Students from the Pudong campus measured the mysterious island drawn by their teachers. The students started their task in group, each with their own method of measurement. They enjoy measuring items and applying what they had learned.

The math week enriched students’ math study and heightened their interest in learning math. Through thinking, practicing, and reflecting, the 4th and 5th graders discovered the infinite mystery of mathematic and are becoming more independent and self-directed learners.

(Written by Chen Qinli, Zhang Lei, Jia Lu Pictures by Puxi and Pudong Campus G4-5 Teachers Edited by Huang Shiyuan, Brie Polette)