Name: Hope Rice
Date: November 15, 2001
Lesson Length: 30 minutes
Subject: Math
Topic: Problem Solving Using Cuisenaire Rods
Grade Level: 4th

Objective

The students will use Cuisenaire Rods to help them solve word problems that involve measurement division.

Connections

Kentucky's Learning Goals and Academic Expectations
2.10 Students understand measurement concepts and use measurements appropriately and accurately.

Kentucky's Core Content for Assessment
MA-E-1.2.2: Students will perform mathematical operations and procedures accurately and efficiently, explain how the skills work in real-world or mathematical situations, and are able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers using a variety of methods (e.g., mental, paper and pencil, calculators).

Context

The students have been solving word problems that involve measurement division. Many students are having problems with this concept. I feel that by introducing them to Cuisenaire Rods that it will make solving these problems easier. These rods provide a visual, tactile, and concrete approach to abstract math.

Materials/Technology

-Cuisenaire Rods (at least 72 per group)

*These should contain:
20 white
12 red
9 light green
6 purple
5 yellow
4 dark green
4 black
4 brown
4 blue
4 orange
-paper
-pencil
-ruler

Procedures

Initiation: Today, I am going to introduce you to a strategy that you can use solving word problems. This strategy involves using manipulative called Cuisenaire Rods. Cuisenaire Rods are a collective of rods in 10 different lengths and 10 different colors. Show the students the Cuisenaire Rods. First, let's get familiar with them . I mentioned that there are 10 different colors. Each color represents a different size. The smallest is white, and the longest is orange. Pass out Cuisenaire Rods to the students. Each student should have at least one Cuisenaire Rod of each color. Have the students to measure each Cuisenaire Rod to determine how long in centimeters each rod is.

Tell the students that they should remember the following information when solving problems.

Strategy: Now, let's do some activities to help us become familiar with the rods.
1) First, I want you to make a staircase using one rod of each color. Make it smallest to largest and then largest too smallest. Monitor the students by walking around and making sure they made their staircases correctly.
2) Pass out more Cuisenaire Rods (have students to work in-groups of three). Have students make a staircase using only white rods. Monitor students once again.
3) Lastly, have students make a staircase using each rod of a different color, showing how the next rod is chosen by adding one white rod to the present one.

Practice: Now, we are going to use our Cuisenaire Rods to help us solve some word problems. Look at the problem on the board, the problem reads 51 fourth graders going on a field trip in vans that hold 9 children each. How many vans will be needed? First, we need to decide which Cuisenaire Rod will represent the van. It's important that we remember that each van holds 9 students. Which Cuisenaire rod can we use to represent our vans. Students should reply with the blue Cuisenaire rod. Why will we use this rod? Student should reply that the blue Cuisenaire rod is 9 centimeters long, and that each centimeter can represent a student. Which rod should we use to represent the students? Students should reply with the white rod, which is one centimeter long and can be used to represent 1 student. In groups of four, I want you to use your blue rods representing the vans, and your white rods representing the students to tell me exactly how many vans will be needed on the field trip. Give the students about 10 minutes to work on this problem. Monitor the students.

Answer: Students should conclude that it would take 6 vans on the field trip to hold all 51 students. 5 of the vans will hold the maximum amount of students, which is nine. On the 6th van there will only be 6 students for a total of 51 students.

Students must complete the following problem on their own using Cuisenaire Rods. There are 30 slices of pizza being served at John's birthday party. Including John, there are 7 children at the party. How many slices of pizza will each child get? Monitor the students while they work on this problem.

Answer: The black rods represent the pizza slices, and the white rods represent the children. Each child will get four slices of pizza leaving two slices of pizza for anyone that is still hungry.

Closure: Have a student give the answer to the last problem. Have another student who got the same answer explain what strategy he or she used to get the correct answer. Lastly, I will tell the students that Cuisenaire Rods can be used for adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and in fractions. It may also be good to suggest to parents to buy Cuisenaire Rods for those students who are having a lot of trouble in Math.

Assessment: I will assess the students by monitoring them while they are working on the problems. I will be looking to make sure they use the correct strategy in finding the answer. I will personally help the ones that are having trouble.

Bibliography

http://www.ttac.odu.edu/Articles/cuisenai.html

Information for Ordering Cuisenaire Rods:
Cuisenaire Company of America, Inc.
P.O. Box 10888
Palo Alto, CA 94303