Estimation

Objectives

• Students will be able to estimate quantity, number, and size of various objects.

Kit Contents

• Red Program Folder

• Books (in kit)
  • Cobb, Annie The Long Wait
  • Murphy, Stuart J. Betcha
    
• Equipment (in kit)
  • Bag of Colored Beads
  • 3 Eye Droppers
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Tape Measure

Lesson

• Introduction
  • Students should understand that not everything has a finite, measurable answer.
  • Explain the need to estimate–to save time since you don’t worry about the fine details; to give a general idea of something.

• Activities
  • Beads should be poured into a cup (or jar, something with clear sides). Have the student estimate how many beads are in the cup. Ask the student how s/he arrived at that number. Discuss how that number was achieved and whether or not it is a reasonable estimation. Discuss other ways of estimating the total number (ie. Counting the number across the bottom of the cup and multiplying it by how many beads high it is. Counting some into a smaller cup and then relating that to the size of the larger cup.)
  • Have student count the actual number to see how close s/he was. Repeat the estimation process with a different size beaker so s/he can apply the prior knowledge from the first time.
  • Have student estimate how many eyedroppers of water it will take to fill a given measuring spoon. Discuss reasons for the estimation and then test the student’s theory by actually doing the procedure.
  • Discuss why estimation was either more or less than the actual value. Estimate how many measuring spoons full of water it will take to fill a chosen cup. Test estimation by counting the process.
  • Use knowledge of each to estimate how many eyedroppers full of water it will take to fill a given cup.

 

Kit Topics | Families Counts