Initially for the activity this week, I was struggling to find a way to integrate the dance like arm movements of Sarah Chase into an activity appropriate for early primary children. After a conversation with some colleagues, I came up with the following extensions to ‘3 against 2’.
Body Addition
Step 1- Extending the activity
1. Introduce students to the idea of the position of an arm as representing a number. For students in grade one (my target audience for this activity) working with the numbers 1-3 is the appropriate level of complexity. For example: arms down = 1, arms straight out to the side mid-body level = 2, arms up to the sky = 3. These numbers would stay the same regardless of which arm, so both sides of the body would be the same.
Practicing – 1. students mirror teacher movements as teacher calls out the number 2. Teacher calls out a number and students show that number with their own arms. 3. Students work with a small group of 3 – one student calls out a number and the other two demonstrate that number with their arms
2. Once students are comfortable with the meaning of the arm placement as representing a number, and have practiced the movements, combine both arms in an addition equation. For example, one arm down and one arm straight up is the addition equation for 1+3 = 4.
3. Students can work with a partner to come up with arm placement for the numbers 4,5,6 and then 2 students together can act as an equation with an equal sign in the middle (perhaps in groups of 3, one person can hold an equal sign written on a small whiteboard or piece of paper).
4. Students could show their equations to the class and have students figure out the arm position for the numbers 4,5,6 based on the side of the equation they already know.
Step 2 – Sketch of Curriculum Idea
BC Curriculum Connections: There are many connections to BC Curriculum in these activities, below are listed the most salient connections.
- Numbers represent quantity, Number concepts
- Addition and subtraction with numbers to 10 can be modelled concretely, pictorially, and symbolically to develop computational fluency.
- Develop mental math strategies and abilities to make sense of quantities
- Model mathematics in contextualized experiences
- Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving
- Develop and use multiple strategies to engage in problem solving
- Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms
Guiding Questions
1. Can students use their bodies to represent numbers?
2. Will (and if so, how) the embodied experience of using their body to represent numbers, increases students understanding of numbers (i.e. the constancy of numbers) and their ability to work with numbers (adding and subtracting)?
Integrating Embodied Learning
As learners work through the extensions above, the physical movement can be incorporated into more typical classroom mathematics activities in the following ways:
- As students are learning the meaning of the arm position, teacher can demonstrate and students can write the number on a whiteboard and hold it up - this allows teacher to see if students understand the arm position in relation to number, gives students practice printing numerals, adds a written element to the activity
- Another option is for students to use loose parts to represent the number the teacher is demonstrating with their arms (rather than writing it out) I.e. Take the activity outside and students use rocks to show the number the teacher is demonstrating with their arms.
- Similarly, when the activity moves to equations, students can represent the equation in different ways – through loose parts, using a stick and writing it in the dirt (if outside and an appropriate space is available), writing in a math notebook or on a whiteboard.
Possible Extensions
- Challenge students – how can we use our arm positions to show subtraction equations?
- How can we use our bodies to show bigger numbers?
- Is this a way of subitizing?
- Working with the ideas of more and less – 3 students work together the person in the middle chooses which way to place the ‘more than’ sign based on what their partner is doing.
- Make up a number dance? (Open-ended activity that teacher would use to further the learning, based on what students do…)
- Add a different type of physical activity, outside or in the gym, using different equipment (rather than arms, for instance bouncing a ball) to demonstrate and represent numbers and addition/subtraction
Very interesting ideas for primary students, Joy! If it were me, I don't think I would worry about the 'equals' symbol, especially if one student is doing the two numbers that add to the sum with their two arms (if that's what you're intending?) (For example, if you were making 5 by doing the arm position for 2 with the left arm, and 3 with the right arm.) Otherwise, if you have one student do a two-arm version of 2, and another student do the two-arm version of 3, how would you show that the sum was 5??
ReplyDeleteVery cool ideas for doing this outdoors, with the combination of collections of loose parts, numerals drawn in the dirt with a stick (or could be on pavement with sidewalk chalk), and agreed-upon arm positions representing numbers!
Here's another thought that occurred to me while reading your post: in case any of the kids are taking ballet classes, there are 5 positions in ballet (positions of the feet and arms), numbered 'first position, second position, ...' etc. As math teachers, we could pick up on these if we wanted to. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-the-basic-ballet-arm-and-foot-positions#the-5-foot-positions-in-ballet