Teachers, I need lesson plan help!

[Disneycrazymom]

I had planned to start a bird house building project tomorrow with my 6th grade math class. Unfortunitly the supplies didn't come in, every creative thought in my head is just gone, but I don't want to just give out a worksheet or "freetime". Give me a fun easy lesson (we are doing percent) but anything will be fine! Thank-you. (Oh and please don't mention you are on Spring Break, 'cause it seems like everyone is but us!)

 

[paigevz]

Facts always need refreshing. Play this game with division and multiplication. Kids work in groups of 3s. Give scoring paper if you want to do the second part of what I propose. Each group needs a pack of cards. (You can make them too, for part of the class if you need to with construction paper and markers and scissors.........easy). Anyway, two kids take a card without looking and hold them up on their foreheads. The third gives a product or quotient involving the two cards. The first one to say their own card by looking at the other kid's card and figuring it out based on the number given, gets a point/buck (or 5 or 10.........whatever).

Now, you can also take the last half of class for a silent auction. Auction off just little stuff, school supplies, whatever..................make a paper for each thing, and put a total on the top. The kids have to write down their bid in percents of the total. For example, a pack of markers is worth 50 points/bucks. Kid A bids 10% or 5 points/bucks. Kid B bids 25% or 12.50. And so on. You can have two columns for them to bid the percent and then write how much it would be in points/bucks. If you have an old Monopoly game you can use that money..........they love that.

Edited to say points and bucks in there, because I kept saying one or the other and thought it was confusing. We often call them "bear bucks" if our mascots are the bears..............



Anyway, you'd have to have the prizes, but that's it. You can make the cards in the first 5 minutes of class, no problem.

That's all I've got right now, maybe I'll come up with more later.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Thanks. They would like the auction and I have some supplies and goodies that would sell! I sure hope the wood comes on Monday! They have been looking forward to building and I hate to disappoint them.

 

[horseshowmom]

This really isn't percent (although you might could incorporate it), but it is building, and it is easy. When I was still in the classroom, I did it each year with my 7th graders as a team building activity.

Divide the teams into groups of whatever number works for you (I used 4, because I had 4 at a table).

Give each group the same supplies. In my case, I used two sheets of copy paper, masking tape (an arm's length worth), and a pair of scissors (they could do without this, if necessary, by tearing the paper on their own).

Their objective is to build the highest self-sustaining tower that they can possibly build (design is totally up to them) using only the supplies they were given. Everyone must participate, and the tower must stand on its own long enough to be measured. This activity took one class period (approx. one hour).

I printed out certificates from the computer for the members of the winning team (in each class and overall). The students LOVED this activity every year. The different 7th grade classes couldn't wait to find out who had the highest tower of the whole 7th grade. Since we're in a small town, I was actually able to put their pictures in the local paper, and they loved that.

 

[DisneyRoys]

Get together some menus from local restaurants. Divide the students into groups of two, three, or four and give the groups a menu. Have them decide what everyone would like to order. Add the total together of their group's food items. Then add in the % for sales tax. Then they could move into also figuring out what the appropriate "tip" would be for their waitress. I had my 6th graders do the math by hand and then again with the calculator to build their calculator skills. They loved this lesson.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Thanks these are all great ideas!

Today we ended up looking up football kickers and figured out the % of kicks they had that were "good". The boys really enjoyed it and the they got to work in the computer lab, which they always enjoy. I had requested a donation of bird house kits from Toys R Us but it looks like they are not going to happen so I'll just get the wood myself and be ready for our next class on Monday.