Teacher Guidance
Teaching Journey & Lesson Plan
The Story: Counting Persimmons on the Farm
One Monday morning, a student shared a picture from her weekend adventure on her family’s farm. She excitedly recounted how it took a whole year for the persimmons to grow and described the care her family gave to the trees. She explained that the persimmons she picked were in one basket, while her brother’s were in another.
Her story captivated her classmates, sparking curiosity and questions: “How many persimmons did you pick? How many did your brother pick? Who picked more?” The students engaged the class by giving hints like “up” or “down” when they guessed the number of persimmons in each basket. This lively discussion about numbers, comparisons, and estimation turned into a math lesson rooted in a real-life experience. Together, the students discovered that she had picked 9 more persimmons than her brother, connecting mathematical concepts such as subtraction, comparison, and estimation to her story.
The Lesson Plan: Math Through Students’ Stories
Target Age Range:
Ideal for children aged 3 to 8, with flexibility to adjust the complexity of problems and concepts based on developmental levels.
Concepts:
Estimation
Comparison
Counting
Problem-Solving
Objectives:
To connect mathematical concepts to students’ real-life experiences.
To encourage inquiry, problem-posing, and collaborative problem-solving.
To develop reasoning, communication, and flexible thinking skills.
Materials Needed:
Photos, objects, or artifacts brought by students (e.g., fruit, toys, drawings)
Whiteboard and markers
Manipulatives (e.g., counters, cubes, or similar objects)
Steps:
Invite and Share Stories:
Encourage students to bring photos, objects, or stories from their lives outside of school.
Begin the lesson by inviting one student to share their story with the class.
Example: A student shares a picture of picking persimmons, baking cookies, or building blocks at home.
Allow the class to ask questions to learn more about the story and connect with the storyteller.
Identify the Math Connection:
Use guiding questions to uncover a math problem within the story:
“What can we count in this photo or story?”
“Are there things we can compare or measure?”
“Can we guess how many or how much?”
Work as a class to identify a math problem related to the story.
Example Problems:
How many persimmons are in each basket?
How many more persimmons did one person pick than the other?
What is the total number of persimmons picked?
Brainstorm Solutions as a Class:
Encourage students to propose different ways to solve the problem. Write their ideas on the board.
Discuss strategies and tools they might use, such as counters, drawing, estimating, or comparing.
Solve the Problem Together:
Collaboratively work through the problem using manipulatives or visual aids.
Examples:
Use counters to represent the persimmons in each basket.
Create a drawing to visually compare the two quantities.
Let the student storyteller guide or validate the solution.
Reflect and Extend:
Reflect as a class on the process:
“What strategy worked best?”
“What was challenging or fun about solving this problem?”
“What other math questions could we ask from this story?”
Invite the student storyteller to add a new problem or scenario based on their story.
Repeat with Other Stories:
Encourage other students to share their photos, objects, or stories.
Use the same process to identify and solve math problems as a class.
Why This Supports Students’ Thinking and Conceptual Understanding
Connecting Math to Personal Experiences:
Using students’ own stories makes math relevant and engaging. It demonstrates how math is present in their everyday lives, fostering curiosity and excitement.
Encouraging Inquiry and Problem-Posing:
The open-ended nature of this activity allows students to ask questions and create their own math problems. This builds critical thinking and analytical skills.
Promoting Collaborative Learning:
Working as a class to identify and solve problems fosters communication, teamwork, and respect for others’ ideas.
Developing Flexibility in Thinking:
By exploring multiple strategies to solve problems, students learn there are often many ways to approach a math challenge. This encourages adaptive thinking and creativity.
Enhancing Math Concepts Through Real Contexts:
Through stories, students explore concepts such as estimation, comparison, subtraction, and addition. The real-world context makes these abstract concepts more concrete and accessible for young learners.
Extension Ideas
Create a Math Wall:
Display photos, objects, or drawings from students’ stories alongside the math problems they created.
Story Sharing Circle:
Dedicate a weekly session for students to bring new stories and artifacts, fostering a routine of storytelling and math exploration.
Incorporate Literature:
Pair students’ stories with related picture books or storytelling activities to enrich the experience further.
By weaving students’ personal stories into math lessons, educators can create a classroom environment that nurtures curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, while helping children build meaningful connections to mathematical concepts.