Scooter Quest Place Value
Curator: Kimberly Anglin
Find the house with the correct place value for the given numeral.
Grade Level: K
PSSM Content Standard: Number and Operations - Use multiple models to develop initial understandings of place value and the base-ten number system;
CCSSM Content Standard: Kindergarten math - Number and Operations in Base Ten
Math Content: Work with numbers 11-19 to gain foundations for place value.
What is being learned? What mathematics is the focus of the activity/technology? Is relational or instrumental understanding emphasized?
Students strengthen their foundational understanding of place value. The activity emphasizes an instrumental understanding. There is no lesson that explains what “the tens place” actually means. It’s really just testing to see if the student knows where “the tens place” is located within in a given number.
How does learning take place? What are the underlying assumptions (explicit or implicit) about the nature of learning?
The activity provides five numbers. It will then say (for example) “2 in the ones place” and the student has to find the number that has a 2 in the ones place. The quicker the students goes, the more points they get and the quicker the activity increases in difficulty. Students learn their place value locations within a number by repetition. The assumption is that students have some background in place value instruction but it’s, unfortunately, not a necessity that they have a relational understanding prior to using this activity.
What role does technology play? What advantages or disadvantages does the technology hold for this role? What unique contribution does the technology make in facilitating learning?
The technology provides an endless supply of drills - asking which number is in the ones/tens/hundreds/thousands place and providing 5 numbers to choose from. It gives instant feedback and increases in difficulty. It’s a possibility that students could just click and guess the answers the whole time but it’s not likely that they would because they enjoy trying to get the mail boy to deliver his papers as fast as possible. One disadvantage is that students will learn to memorize the location within a number each place value is, however they may or may not know anything about what it actually means for a number to be in the tens place. The activity only asks the questions one way so there’s no way to tell.
How does it fit within existing school curriculum? (e.g., is it intended to supplement or supplant existing curriculum? Is it intended to enhance the learning of something already central to the curriculum or some new set of understandings or competencies?)
This activity is directly aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten Mathematics. It can also work for higher grade levels as well because the numbers go into the thousands. It is intended to practice what is learned in class. It does much more than a worksheet is capable of.
How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning? (e.g., Are computers used by individuals or groups? Does the technology/activity support collaboration or individual work? What sorts of interaction does the technology facilitate or hinder?)
The students will use this either individually or with a partner on the Smartboard. Students who work together can help each other and when students work alone, it is a good assessment of their knowledge of the topic.
How are important differences among learners taken into account?
The technology aspect of it is fairly simple - point and click. However the students will have to recognize their numbers and the words; ones, tens, hundreds, thousands. Students who are at a very basic understanding of place value will not do as well as those who know it well. However, as students play the game more, they will get better at it, and it will get more and more fun as the students get farther along in the activity.
What do teachers and learners need to know? What demands are placed on teachers and other "users"? What knowledge is needed? What knowledge supports does the innovation provide (e.g., skills in using particular kinds of technology)?
Teachers need to take into consideration the differences among each student’s computer skills, reading abilities and understanding of place value. They must also consider if and how they plan to track student’s progress using this activity. One way is to observe students in class to see if they are improving. Students need to know how to work with a partner or independently, depending on the directions. They must also know if, when and how to ask for help. (ie; How many failed attempts at the game should a student make before knowing for sure that they need to ask for help?)
Grade Level: K
PSSM Content Standard: Number and Operations - Use multiple models to develop initial understandings of place value and the base-ten number system;
CCSSM Content Standard: Kindergarten math - Number and Operations in Base Ten
Math Content: Work with numbers 11-19 to gain foundations for place value.
What is being learned? What mathematics is the focus of the activity/technology? Is relational or instrumental understanding emphasized?
Students strengthen their foundational understanding of place value. The activity emphasizes an instrumental understanding. There is no lesson that explains what “the tens place” actually means. It’s really just testing to see if the student knows where “the tens place” is located within in a given number.
How does learning take place? What are the underlying assumptions (explicit or implicit) about the nature of learning?
The activity provides five numbers. It will then say (for example) “2 in the ones place” and the student has to find the number that has a 2 in the ones place. The quicker the students goes, the more points they get and the quicker the activity increases in difficulty. Students learn their place value locations within a number by repetition. The assumption is that students have some background in place value instruction but it’s, unfortunately, not a necessity that they have a relational understanding prior to using this activity.
What role does technology play? What advantages or disadvantages does the technology hold for this role? What unique contribution does the technology make in facilitating learning?
The technology provides an endless supply of drills - asking which number is in the ones/tens/hundreds/thousands place and providing 5 numbers to choose from. It gives instant feedback and increases in difficulty. It’s a possibility that students could just click and guess the answers the whole time but it’s not likely that they would because they enjoy trying to get the mail boy to deliver his papers as fast as possible. One disadvantage is that students will learn to memorize the location within a number each place value is, however they may or may not know anything about what it actually means for a number to be in the tens place. The activity only asks the questions one way so there’s no way to tell.
How does it fit within existing school curriculum? (e.g., is it intended to supplement or supplant existing curriculum? Is it intended to enhance the learning of something already central to the curriculum or some new set of understandings or competencies?)
This activity is directly aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten Mathematics. It can also work for higher grade levels as well because the numbers go into the thousands. It is intended to practice what is learned in class. It does much more than a worksheet is capable of.
How does the technology fit or interact with the social context of learning? (e.g., Are computers used by individuals or groups? Does the technology/activity support collaboration or individual work? What sorts of interaction does the technology facilitate or hinder?)
The students will use this either individually or with a partner on the Smartboard. Students who work together can help each other and when students work alone, it is a good assessment of their knowledge of the topic.
How are important differences among learners taken into account?
The technology aspect of it is fairly simple - point and click. However the students will have to recognize their numbers and the words; ones, tens, hundreds, thousands. Students who are at a very basic understanding of place value will not do as well as those who know it well. However, as students play the game more, they will get better at it, and it will get more and more fun as the students get farther along in the activity.
What do teachers and learners need to know? What demands are placed on teachers and other "users"? What knowledge is needed? What knowledge supports does the innovation provide (e.g., skills in using particular kinds of technology)?
Teachers need to take into consideration the differences among each student’s computer skills, reading abilities and understanding of place value. They must also consider if and how they plan to track student’s progress using this activity. One way is to observe students in class to see if they are improving. Students need to know how to work with a partner or independently, depending on the directions. They must also know if, when and how to ask for help. (ie; How many failed attempts at the game should a student make before knowing for sure that they need to ask for help?)