Estimation Exploration
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of an Estimation Exploration is to practice the skill of estimating a reasonable answer, based on experience and known information. In the Activity Synthesis, discuss what students know about the Estimation Exploration routine and what they need to think about to create a routine like the example.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “What is an estimate that’s too high? Too low? About right?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Record responses.
Student Task
What is the length of this earthworm?
Record an estimate that is:
| too low | about right | too high |
|---|---|---|
Sample Response
Sample responses
- Too low: 3 inches or less
- About right: 321 inches to 343 inches
- Too high: 4 inches or more
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “What do you know about the Estimation Exploration routine?” (It's not about finding the exact answer. We make estimates that are too low, too high, and about right. The estimates could be the value of an expression, the number of items in an image, or a measurement.)
- Consider asking: “What would you have to think about if you were going to design an Estimation Exploration like this one?” (There needs to be something in the image that gives a clue about the general length of the object. Choosing an object with a length that is not a whole number of inches.)
- Record and display responses for all to see.
Standards
Addressing
- 3.MD.4·Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
- 3.MD.B.4·Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units–-whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
20 min
15 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
Estimation Exploration
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of an Estimation Exploration is to practice the skill of estimating a reasonable answer, based on experience and known information. In the Activity Synthesis, discuss what students know about the Estimation Exploration routine and what they need to think about to create a routine like the example.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “What is an estimate that’s too high? Too low? About right?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Record responses.
Student Task
What is the length of this earthworm?
Record an estimate that is:
| too low | about right | too high |
|---|---|---|
Sample Response
Sample responses
- Too low: 3 inches or less
- About right: 321 inches to 343 inches
- Too high: 4 inches or more
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “What do you know about the Estimation Exploration routine?” (It's not about finding the exact answer. We make estimates that are too low, too high, and about right. The estimates could be the value of an expression, the number of items in an image, or a measurement.)
- Consider asking: “What would you have to think about if you were going to design an Estimation Exploration like this one?” (There needs to be something in the image that gives a clue about the general length of the object. Choosing an object with a length that is not a whole number of inches.)
- Record and display responses for all to see.
Standards
Addressing
- 3.MD.4·Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
- 3.MD.B.4·Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units–-whole numbers, halves, or quarters.