Bees are Buzzing
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. Making an estimate or a range of reasonable answers with incomplete information is a part of modeling with mathematics (MP4).
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display image.
- “This is an image of a bee hive.”
- “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
How many bees are in the image?
Record an estimate that is:
| too low | about right | too high |
|---|---|---|
Sample Response
Sample responses
- Too low: 0–250
- About right: 250–450
- Too high: 450–1000
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “Is anyone’s estimate less than 100? Is anyone’s estimate greater than 1,000?”
- “Based on this discussion, does anyone want to revise their estimate?”
- “What are some other insects or bugs you know or have seen?”
Standards
Addressing
- 4.NBT.A·Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
- 4.NBT.A·Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
20 min
20 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
Bees are Buzzing
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. Making an estimate or a range of reasonable answers with incomplete information is a part of modeling with mathematics (MP4).
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display image.
- “This is an image of a bee hive.”
- “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
How many bees are in the image?
Record an estimate that is:
| too low | about right | too high |
|---|---|---|
Sample Response
Sample responses
- Too low: 0–250
- About right: 250–450
- Too high: 450–1000
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “Is anyone’s estimate less than 100? Is anyone’s estimate greater than 1,000?”
- “Based on this discussion, does anyone want to revise their estimate?”
- “What are some other insects or bugs you know or have seen?”
Standards
Addressing
- 4.NBT.A·Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
- 4.NBT.A·Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.