When the Chips Are Down - Maths Investigation

This is an upcoming maths investigation wherein students will learn about:
*Nutrition Information Panels and how to decode them
* fairly comparing chips by looking at ingredient and kilojoules of each variety per 100 grams
*the concept of a milligram and how to represent numbers using decimals
*using Excel to collect, graph data, manipulate it and analyse it
*planning  a mathematical investigation and publish a report with specific findings to answer posed questions
* sample sizes (We have 20 different types of chips and a broad selection of brands, one will be tricky include.) Using a sample of 20 would mathematically be easier to handle especially if students want to discuss their findings in terms of percentages.
*reliability in sample selection

Some of the most popular brands

Some of the new kids on the block

Students will be looking closely at the fat and sodium content, and kilojoules in a very large sample of potato chips. So how do the new organic and gluten free varieties stack up against the seasoned favourites? Is there anything such as a healthy chip? We will be giving the Chick Pea Chips the taste test, along with Kings Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper ones. All the packets will be in the room as well as some photocopies around the room. The NIP of the chip packets will also be scanned and added to this blog so students can access the information from home. As many students are in and out of the classroom on some days this blog will make a g good reference point for concepts and lessons they miss.

 Investigation Questions:

1. What brands of chips are the unhealthiest? (Look at the amounts of fat, sodium, carbohydrates and   
    sugars. Where possible use mean, mode, median and range.)

2. Which brand of chips contained the most and the least
     amount of kilojoules?  (Find the average amount)

Doritos Cheese Supreme Corn Chips

Select Supreme Cheese Corn Chips

CC"s Tasty Cheese

Smith's Salt & Vinegar

Smith's Barbecue

Macro Organic Corn Chips Spicy Barbecue

Macro Gluten Free Grilled Chicken Chips

Cheezels  Original Cheese

Cheezels Rashers Cheese & Bacon

Kettle Original Sea Salt Chips

Samboy Barbecue Crinkle Cut Potato Chips

Twisties Cheese

Doritos Original Corn Chips

Thins Original Chips

Freedom Foods Chick Pea Chips

Kings Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper Organic Potato Chips

Grain Waves Wholegrain Chips Smoky BBQ

Thomas Chapman Gluten Free Certified Organic Chips

Thins Original Fries (French)

Baked Lentil Chips Cracked Pepper

This one is a pretty tricky inclusion as it does not give the details per 100grams, only ingredients based an a 28g serving.  Two ways of working the quantities for 100 grams were modelled to students.

Students had the experience of sampling some of the new brands out such as the lentil chips, and the chick pea chips.

Sampling some of the newer brands out

   

Emotive Texts

Students need to have a handle on this if they are to write convincing persuasive texts, which is our next port of call in literacy. (We have also been focusing on idioms). Each table had to write about an incident about a boy or a girl being bitten by a dog in a park, or wherever the group decided. Four viewpoints have to be represented with the writer trying to persuade the audience that their version is the most convincing. The viewpoints come from:

the dog

the child,

the parent of the child

the dog owner

Most students really tried hard with this and I have asked students to revisit and further refine their written pieces last Thursday night for homework.  Some students have started publishing their pieces and are gaining experience inserting a relevant image. Students can either write the top copy up by hand or publish it.  They will be receiving  feedback back from me regarding the grammar, content and general layout over the next two weeks. Students will be expected to set themselves goals. Some students have chosen to hand this in by Tuesday the 12^th March. The top copy will be housed in their “Gift” portfolio.  Here are some examples of completed work by some students. 

Mondrian art pieces

Our current art work focus is on Piet Mondrian. Students have used his works as inspiration for their own.

The Spelling Program

The Spelling program in the classroom is comprised of many elements:

1. Each week students complete a spelling unit, usually based on a visual pattern. There are  two levels focusing on the same pattern each week. We have covered "ate" words, "ei" words and this week are looking at the different sounds "ch" can make which is many e.g. chart, chassis, choir, chronicle, character. This unit is thoroughly explained to each group and an hour is given in class time. The remainder is to be completed for homework on Tuesday night and can be handed in for marking either Wednesday morning or Thursday morning. Some really focused students finish the unit on the day so I am not going to reward this efficiency with more homework. "Go and read a book you really enjoy,"  I say.

"ei" words at two levels of complexity

"ate" words at two levels of complexity

2. Each day the students run spelling bingo, a game based upon the weekly pattern. The students take turns at running this each morning. They like to experiment with the different tools available on the Smart Board.

Spelling Bingo Week 2 (Example of the two levels)

3. The students are tested on their level each Friday and add any errors to their Individual Spelling Lists. They each have a card and are expected to accumulate five ticks on each word. These can be student-tested, teacher-tested or parent-tested. I would appreciate if parents could assist with the monitoring and testing of the words on this chart. Students should learn five to ten of these each week. These lists also contain words mispelled in other pieces of work across maths, science, English etc.

Example of an ISL card

4. Danger words: these are the most commonly mispelt words in the class for this term and these are displayed on a chart in the room for student reference when proof-reading their work. Students who spell any of these words incorrectly must write them out fifty times each. The same rule goes for the teacher! Note, a lot is two separate words.

The Danger Words this term

5. Students book work across the subject areas is checked regularly and spelling corrections are made on sticky notes in their books. Students have to add these corrections to their ISL cards.

Corrections made in students' Science journals

5. Word Painting: Painting the words on the concrete with water outside of the classroom in the courtyard. (Can you paint your ten words before the first one evaporates?)

6. The Demons as identified by spelling guru Peter Clutterbuck. These words, in progression of difficulty are those most commonly mispelled by students from grade 2 to grade 8. Students work through these at their own rate. I usually suggest they learn 5-10 at a time. These are individually teacher-tested and there are some great rewards.

Origami

A litter of origami dogs

On Friday the 1st of March some of the students decided to have a go at making an origami dog with a nodding head.We used special furry-looking paper squares. The skill required was quite basic and students had to follow an instructional text. Come in and see our Origami board. This will be a focus throughout the year for wet weather and as an add-on to our visual arts program. The paper-folding techniques will get progressively more challenging as the year goes on. The origami sessions fit nicely with the school's focus on  the Japanese language and culture. Japanes is out LOTE.   Photos of students will be posted up regularly on our origami board on the display board in the art area in the classroom. Origami will be offered during the art afternoons as an additional activity to the main focus. Students can opt into the paper folding fun if they wish. At the moment, in our art time,  students are working on Mondrian inspired drawings.

The next origami lesson will focus on the Samurai Hat and the Croaking Frog.

Samurai Hat

Croaking Frog

The following animation of how to make the croaking frog is excellent:

http://www.en.origami-club.com/fun/croakingfrog/anime-croaking/index.html