BEFORE:
1. The teacher will show the trailer for Life Below Zero (linked above). After the video, the teacher will ask, "What temperatures did you hear or see on the video?" "What is the coldest temperature you have felt?"
DURING:
2. The teacher will inform the students that the freezer in their home stays around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The teacher will ask, "What do you notice about these temperatures that are below 0 degrees?" Ideal answer, "They are very cold." The teacher will then ask, "What is the difference between 125 degrees and -125 degrees?" Students will give responses, but the teacher must refrain from giving further information because of the investigation.
3. The teacher will inform the students they will be investigating numbers on both sides of 0 on a number line.
4. The teacher will transition students in the Wonder Number Line investigative activity. (The teacher can instruct the students how to connect two sentence strips together, i.e. stapler, glue, or tape, but the rest of the activity should be investigative.) As the students are working, the teacher will act as a facilitator and coach. The teacher will use appropriate questioning to drive understanding of positive and negative number and absolute value.
5. Once adequate time (20-30 minutes, less time if using this in 7th and 8th grade) is given, the students will share their findings on the document camera. (If a document camera is not available, students may present their work in the front of the class, this is where the students would need chart paper). As the students are sharing, the teacher is acting as the facilitator and coach asking questions that drive ratio understanding. "How do you know ________?" "Can someone explain the thinking of your classmate?" "Did someone see this differently?" It is important that the teacher drives the discussion toward absolute value. The teacher will introduce absolute value as, "the distance of any number from 0." The teacher may also ask, "Can the absolute value of a number be negative?"
AFTER:
6. Students will complete an exit slip answering the question, "Think back to the Life Below Zero video, what is the difference between 150 degrees and -150 degrees?"
BEFORE:
1. The teacher will show the trailer for Life Below Zero (linked above). After the video, the teacher will ask, "What temperatures did you hear or see on the video?" "What is the coldest temperature you have felt?"
DURING:
2. The teacher will inform the students that the freezer in their home stays around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The teacher will ask, "What do you notice about these temperatures that are below 0 degrees?" Ideal answer, "They are very cold." The teacher will then ask, "What is the difference between 125 degrees and -125 degrees?" Students will give responses, but the teacher must refrain from giving further information because of the investigation.
3. The teacher will inform the students they will be investigating numbers on both sides of 0 on a number line.
4. The teacher will transition students in the Wonder Number Line investigative activity. (The teacher can instruct the students how to connect two sentence strips together, i.e. stapler, glue, or tape, but the rest of the activity should be investigative.) As the students are working, the teacher will act as a facilitator and coach. The teacher will use appropriate questioning to drive understanding of positive and negative number and absolute value.
5. Once adequate time (20-30 minutes, less time if using this in 7th and 8th grade) is given, the students will share their findings on the document camera. (If a document camera is not available, students may present their work in the front of the class, this is where the students would need chart paper). As the students are sharing, the teacher is acting as the facilitator and coach asking questions that drive ratio understanding. "How do you know ________?" "Can someone explain the thinking of your classmate?" "Did someone see this differently?" It is important that the teacher drives the discussion toward absolute value. The teacher will introduce absolute value as, "the distance of any number from 0." The teacher may also ask, "Can the absolute value of a number be negative?"
AFTER:
6. Students will complete an exit slip answering the question, "Think back to the Life Below Zero video, what is the difference between 150 degrees and -150 degrees?"
