| One Grain of Rice |
Grade:
Eighth |
Content Area:
Math |
Time Frame:
1 class period |
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Unit/Lesson Overview:
Finding a pattern in the story "One Grain of Rice". A lesson created by Patricia Engel and adapted for Excel by Glenda Speer
1.Apply guess and check, find a pattern, draw a diagram, and other problem solving strategies to develop inductive and deductive thinking.
2. Students will algebraically represent, model, analyze, and solve mathematical and real world problems involving patterns and functional relationships.
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Student Standards (TEKS)
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explanation of a TEK, click on the TEK |
| Language Arts: |
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| Math: |
8.16(A)
8.15(A)
8.14(D) |
| Social Studies: |
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| Science: |
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| Technology: |
S1
S2
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| Math: |
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| Additional TEKS: |
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I Can....
create a spreadsheet and write a formula to find a pattern.
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Assessment(s):
Printed spreadsheet or class presentation.
Independently, students will answer the following questions:
1. Find out how many grains of rice Rani received in all.
Explain how you got your answer. (1,073,741,823 - more than 1 billion grains of rice)
br2. What do you notice about the grains of rice received each day? Describe the pattern you see in the table. (doubles or "times 2")
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TAKS Objectives:
| Reading: |
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| Writing: |
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| Math: |
Obj. 2 |
| Social Studies: |
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| Science: |
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Bloom's Taxonomy
| Yes |
Knowledge |
| Yes |
Comprehension |
| Yes |
Application |
| Yes |
Analysis |
| Yes |
Synthesis |
| Not Chosen |
Evaluation |
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Big 6 Skills
| Not Chosen |
Task
Definition |
| Not Chosen |
Info. Seeking
Strategies |
| Not Chosen |
Location and
Access |
| Not Chosen |
Use of Information |
| Not Chosen |
Synthesis |
| Not Chosen |
Evaluation |
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Supplementary Resources / Materials:
" One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi
" overhead projector with markers
" transparency of table worksheet
" rice - a small handful
File: rice.xls
File:
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Internet Links:
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Accommodations:
Students may work in pairs on the Excel portion of the lesson. |
| Procedures |
Introductory Activity (Warm-Up):
The Story: Long ago in India, there lived a raja who believed that he was wise and fair. But every year he kept nearly all of the people's rice for himself. Then when famine came, the raja refused to share the rice, and the people went hungry. Then a village girl named Rani devises a clever plan. She does a good deed for the raja, and in return the raja lets her choose her reward. Rani asks for just one grain of rice, doubled every day for thirty days. Through the surprising power of doubling, one grain of rice grows into more than one billion grains of rice - and Rani teaches the raja a lesson about what it truly means to be wise and fair. Demi's exquisitely detailed art, inspired by traditional Indian miniature paintings, combined with her simple retelling to convey the heart and wisdom of this satisfying folktale.
Students use the problem solving strategy of "find a pattern" to predict the number of grains of rice Rani (from One Grain of Rice ) will receive after 30 days. Students use a table to assist with making predictions
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Lesson:
Explain the objectives of the lesson, and then begin reading One Grain of Rice . [Brief summary of story: During a famine, Rani outsmarts the raja by asking him to give her one grain of rice to be doubled every day, for 30 days.]
Discuss book vocabulary as it comes up in the reading. Show one grain of rice on the overhead, then two, four, and eight& Stop at the ninth day in the story. Revisit the objective by asking, "What are we doing today and how?" [I have a Problem Solving Guidelines poster in my room: Understand, Plan, Solve, Look Back. You can use something similar to help students think through a problem.]
Ask students, "What is a pattern?" (A list that occurs in some predictable way.) Pass out the table worksheets and have students fill in the table, stopping at the ninth day. Ask students to share any patterns that they notice. Most likely, students will say that the pattern doubles every day. Students will predict how many grains of rice Rani will receive in all after the 30th day. In pairs, students will complete the rest of the table. (Calculators will be needed, as numbers get into the millions.) As students are working, ask if anyone can find an easier way to calculate the next day's rice count without adding. (Usually someone notices that you can multiply by 2.) Tell students to complete the table using this new pattern. (Students should fill in the table faster now.) After the tables are completed, ask for students' predictions for the number of grains of rice on the 30th day. Finish reading the story to see if students' calculations were correct. As you read the story, students should check their answers with the story to make sure that they calculated correctly.
After the data is collected in the chart provided, have each student open a new spreadsheet file.
Save the file into their network folder and name it "RICE"
Discuss how you write a formula on a spreadsheet that would reflect "doubling the amount of grain" each day.
1. Students will apply find a pattern and make-a-table strategies in order to solve problems.
2. Students will be able to record data from an Indian folktale.
3. Students will explore, describe, and extend patterns.
4. Students will be able to make a generalization about a pattern.
Once their formulas are complete - In Excel, have students go to tools > options and check the box by formulas so you can see their formulas when they print.
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Reteach:
Vocabulary: patterns, table
Story Vocabulary: Rani - girl's name in the story, raja - Indian king, famine - extreme lack of something
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Extension:
None
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Guiding Questions:
What do formulas begin with in Excel?
How do you make the formulas show on the screen instead of the answers?
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Summary Questions:
Is writing a formula on a computer similar to writing one for the graphing calculator? How do they differ?
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Reflection:
Comments :I used grains of rice as a behavior management strategy. If students were on task, participating...they earned a grain of rice. Pairs of students needed to earn 10 grains by the end of class to be "winners." The prize is up to you.
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