Written by: Ally from Top Knot Teacher
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Making Memories and Yummy Treats in Math Class
Multiplying fractions may not be the hardest concept we cover in 5th grade….but my students are always very quick to tell me that it is LESS than thrilling to study! Last week, I was struggling to come up with a great activity to “pull it all together” and test each student’s depth of knowledge, when I came across Tara’s (Teaching on Lemon Lane) “Brownies for 2” activity. I knew instantly that my students would be on board for math if snacks were involved. Who doesn’t love cooking chocolaty goodness?? Monday came and just as I had initially thought, the day was a blast. Students were engaged, covered with flour and sugar, and having great math talks about fractions all day long!
If you are looking for an activity to test students’ understanding using real-world applications….look no further. Here are a few of the things I did/learned about this amazing product….. 
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- I had all the ingredients in my cabinet. This is a game-changer! No need for an emergency trip to the store and a big grocery bill.
• Ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, eggs, butter, oil, and chocolate chips!
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- We started off in small groups working on the worksheet part of the activity! I let them work in either a group of 2 or 4! Tara has several options that fit your class size and how you want to implement the activity!
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- Differentiate the instruction by picking the types of measuring cups and measuring spoons you allow them to use. I had my more advance students use measuring cups and spoons that were smaller fractions. This made them add fractions and find equivalent fractions as they measured their ingredients.
• For example, They needed 1 cup of sugar… I only gave them a 1/4 cup, 2/3 cup, and 3/8 measuring cups.
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- Embrace the mess and mistakes. This was hard but led to so many great conversations and teaching
moments. • One group made a mistake on their salt conversion… they realized it when the taste-testing time came around. We went back to their work and found the error and discussed how they would change the recipe next time! We are still laughing about how “yucky” their salt brownies were!
- Embrace the mess and mistakes. This was hard but led to so many great conversations and teaching
What a great day in our little 5th-grade classroom! Thanks, Tara for an outstanding product that meets the needs of teachers and students! I can not wait to use some of your other products….. I have already downloaded Grit Challenge #1 and will let you know how it goes!
Click Here to Purchase through Teachers Pay Teachers
Click Here to learn more about the Grit Challenges Ally mentioned above! FREEBIES INCLUDED
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