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I could not find a video of this being taught but I plan to use this inquiry in August as a learning activity for introducing place value and base ten. When I first saw this I was a little confused. It is so open-ended even I was having trouble conceptualizing what I would do with it. I'm excited to see how the students react/learn/experiment with this tool!

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I love doing number talks in the morning with my students. It gets them really talking based on a picture prompt in partners or small groups. We then come together and discuss their findings.

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Using Literature:
I have used this book in class, "Amanda Beans Amazing Dream" when teaching and learning about multiplication. I love hearing the kids' thinking while we listen to the story. They comment on the multiplication that they "see" while viewing the images and listening to the story. After the story is over, I go back over the pages and we explore the images together. I pose the question what examples of multiplication do you see in the images? The students work with a partner and a white board to show a multiplication sentences or arrays they find based on the images. I invite kids up to the smart board to circle examples of multiplication and arrays in the book (there are so many in the book). They enjoy searching for examples of multiplication in "real life." The students enjoy sharing their thinking out loud. I use the images like a "number talk." The kids really gain an understanding that multiplication is faster and easier to use than just adding. After reading the book we search for examples of multiplication around our classroom and the school. The students document their findings in their math journal. They show their thinking in images (groups, arrays) and write a multiplication sentence to go with it to represent their findings. They can then meet with another group to share their findings. This could also be done digitally and students could document their thinking by taking pictures with an I-pad/ chrome book and document everything in a digital journal. It would also be fun to get kids to make a video of their discoveries of multiplication in our school. An idea might be to get the kids to create their own "dream image" that represents multiplication. This can be used as a form of a check for understanding and provides an opportunity for self-reflection on what they learned. It also lends itself well to getting the student to write and solve a multiplication problem of their own.

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Mr. Boyd Reads Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream

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This is a great example of a math learning engagement through inquiry because the students are active in investigating the connection between area and perimeter and it can be easily differentiated and used in many areas of mathematics.

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So we were looking at area a while ago. This led us into a conversation about the properties of 2D shapes. And then we spent some time with perimeter.
Now had come the moment I dread - when area and perimeter collide in the minds of the students and they come away dazed and confused. (How many times have you seen that? Hopefully we had clarified each of the concepts clearly enough.)
Anyway, the time had come to pose a favourite question of mine:

In fact, I wrote a post about this almost 2 years ago.
Here's what we came up with this time:

This group chose to use a hexagon for their example. The perimeter of the yellow hexagon was 15cm. Good stuff.

They found that 2 trapeziums (trapezia?) had the same area as the hexagon but a different perimeter. Well done.

Another group chose to use the Base-10 blocks. They made a 10x10 square (a=100; p=40) and then reorganised the blocks to make a 5x20 rectangle (a=100; p=50).

So just to be annoying, I asked them what would happen if they put all the blocks end-to-end? Same area but what would be the new perimeter? And then if you cut that rectangle in half long ways....
So, everybody happy. Yes - you can have the same area but with different perimeters.
Next question:

Previously I have done this as two separate activities but today we had time and we were on a roll so we kept going.

And here is what the kids came up with:

Happy with this one - nicely set out and very clearly explained.

An interesting solution - not using regular shapes.

Solves the problem but not a lot of explanation.

The post I did 2 years ago that showed this activity was with Year 4 students. This time I am working with Year 5. Not quite as bright and colourful as the younger kids, not quite as diverse in their solutions and somewhat more structured in their presentation of solutions.

Wonder whose expectations have changed - theirs as students or mine as a teacher?

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So we were looking at area a while ago. This led us into a conversation about the properties of 2D shapes. And then we spent some time with perimeter. Now had come the moment I dread - when area and perimeter collide in the minds of the students and they come away dazed and confused.

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I always enjoy her videos, but this ties in so much of what we are exploring in this workshop. I love the Taylor Swift parody music video and I want to use it with my classes this next year.

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This learning engagement is a good example of an inquiry-based opener or enrichment activity. This allows students to use their resources, strategies, and critical thinking in estimation. There are multiple Esti-mysteries for each grade available, but the teacher needs to be careful to provide ample response time. Without allowing students time to sit with the clues or collaborate with peers, the pedagogy may leave the inquiry field. Students must have time to justify their own responses.

Estimation is critical and one of the most used mathematical strategies in real-world applications. Improving student confidence in this vital skill will affect their overall math confidence and self-esteem.