Estimation Destination

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Do you have a pile of cuisinaire rods and several vague math ideas? Are you looking for exciting estimation activities to engage your fledgling mathematicians? Consider yourself at home! On this Internet Field Trip, you'll encounter activities and lesson plans that will take the novice guesser and turn her, or him, into an expert estimator.

Several sites offer simple activity lesson plans that you can implement with the help of classroom manipulatives. Try an Estimation Contest in which students guess the total number of cereal bits in different-sized containers. This activity provides exposure to the subtle difference between a common guess and a learned estimate. Then turn up the level of difficulty as students Cube-It. Budding mathematicians estimate the dimensions of the largest cube that can be made from 50 or 100 smaller cubes.

With estimation basics under their belts, encourage students to make the leap from manipulatives to online interactive activities with two variations on an estimation activity. Have students begin with the matching game, which is easier. Students match a number card with its closest rounded up- or down-counterpart. Once they've mastered this estimating game they can move on to the Concentration version.

Next, lead young mathematicians to Guess the Number!, an estimation activity that involves number ranges. Students suggest a secret number to the computer by choosing the lowest and highest number in the range of possibilities. Then the computer allows the user several guesses to come up with the correct answer. Children use estimation skills as the computer tells them to guess higher or lower.

At the last stop, the more advanced estimator can play several games, including, estimating the sum of two numbers and estimating the difference of two numbers. Both games generate arbitrary number pairs. Students add or subtract the comibnation and match the answer with the nearest rounded tens number provided from a list. This activity ups the skill ante by introducing addition and subtraction.

Order Up Some Sunscreen
Next month, millions of people will rush to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But how will Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson--the actors who play Harry, Ron, and Hermione--spend their summer vacation away from Hogwarts? Emma and Rupert may head to the beach, but probably not Daniel! When outdoors, he tries to stay in the shade, and always wears plenty of sunscreen.

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