Measuring the Brownies

Submitted by: Robert Winecoff
School: Skipwith Elementary

Summary

This lesson utilizes a Promethean Board as a spring board for a multilayered student collaborative lesson. Students work together to convert the ingredients they will use into common English measures. They also work together to measure, mix and prepare brownies. A delicious real world authentic task. The lesson begins with a short review of measurement. There is a flip-chart that starts the process of making “Pretend Brownies”. The lesson quickly evolves into making real brownies. Each group has jobs that, when worked cooperatively, will ensure the proper mixing of the brownies. The measurements that are needed in the recipe have been purposefully set so that in most cases, there is a two-step measuring. It ends with the brownie batter, ready to be baked.

TIPC Ratings

This was a teacher directed activity that used limited pre-selected information sources. The students were using research about the English measurement conversion taught in an earlier lesson.

This lesson was very strong in this area however the students did not use any digital tools. However, they did work in teacher defined groups with defined roles to complete the task. They established group norms and work to address the authentic task.

The students had to work as a team to achieve the needed measuring conversions. You could also observe students justifying their problem-solving practices and supporting them with words and illustrations. Students are also forced to respond to numerous purposeful questions as this lesson develops. It is easy to see that students are engaged in this authentic task.