The Rookery

 Today we did a brief assessment before we began our math unit on fractions.  I asked the children to respond to several questions including:  "Amy ate 1/3 of a pizza.  Cathy ate 1/3 of a pizza.  Amy claims she ate more than Cathy.  Could she be right?"

As students finished the assessment, I sent them to our meeting area to compare answers with other students and "fight for their solution."  I was very surprised when the volume rose and it became clear that there were some heated discussions occurring.

C.H., armed with a charming picture he drew of a flat pizza and a pizza heaped with toppings was arguing that the pizzas could have had different amounts of toppings.  Other students countered that 1/3 = 1/3 so Amy couldn't be right.  One told us, "It depends on how you draw the thirds — if one of the thirds was a half, the other two would be smaller so it would depend on which third you ate."  Several students pointed out that Amy could have eaten a third of a family size pizza and Cathy a third of a small pizza (there were many giggles at the thought of Amy eating that much pizza.)  "How do you slice an odd shaped pizza into thirds?  It depends on how they slice it."  The dry erase markers were grabbed and side arguments broke out.  There was an outcry when I announced it was time for art and the discussion continued into the hallway, students slicing imaginary pizzas in the air.

I am always amazed at the power of a simple question to ignite thinking and discussion.  Many students were swayed by others' ideas (although loathe to give up their own completely.)  Listening in gave me so much information about the students' understanding and how to best teach them in the weeks ahead.  Mostly, I was charmed by their passion and thought you'd enjoy the story.