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South Hadley Middle School
South Hadley, MA
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Suburban
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Level: Middle
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School Design: Traditional
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Content Presented By:
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Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
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Summary
The practice: Inquiry and Problem Solving in Middle School Mathematics
- "Petals Around the Rose" problem gives students data and an answer, but neither a formal question nor explicit conditions.
- Students begin making judgments about right and wrong solutions without depending on teacher for verification.
- Students generate a list of conditions and try to make the problem simpler.
- Students collaborate to solve the problem.
Petals Around the Rose, a game of dice, offers a change of pace, a non-traditional problem that engages students in light-hearted activity. At the same time, it requires them to use several important strategies, including "guess and check," listing known facts, and drawing samples/diagrams. As described here, the game was played with a heterogeneous mix of 25 seventh-grade students. It shows how the students were able, together, to develop a feeling of success and power and a positive view of problem solving.
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