Someone's Been Eating My Porridge When Goldilocks sat down to eat the 3 bears porridge, she accidentally dumped the noodles onto the table. There were 17 noodles on the table. There were 3 different kinds of noodles. There were thick rectangle noodles. There were narrow rectangle noodles. There were square noodles. Help Goldilocks get the noodles back in the right bowls before the 3 bears come home! Goldilocks knew that Papa Bear had the most noodles. He only liked the wide, rectangle-shaped noodles. Goldilocks knew that Baby Bear had the fewest noodles. He only liked the square- 1 of 10
shaped noodles. Goldilocks knew that Mama Bear was not fussy. She liked all 3 types of noodles. Use these clues to help Goldilocks sort the 3 types of noodles in Papa, Mama and Baby Bear's bowls. 2 of 10
Suggested Grade Span K 2 Task When Goldilocks sat down to eat the 3 bears porridge, she accidentally dumped the noodles onto the table. There were 17 noodles on the table. There were 3 different kinds of noodles. There were thick rectangle noodles. There were narrow rectangle noodles. There were square noodles. Help Goldilocks get the noodles back in the right bowls before the 3 bears come home! Goldilocks knew that Papa Bear had the most noodles. He only liked the wide, rectangleshaped noodles. Goldilocks knew that Baby Bear had the fewest noodles. He only liked the square-shaped noodles. Goldilocks knew that Mama Bear was not fussy. She liked all 3 types of noodles. Use these clues to help Goldilocks sort the 3 types of noodles in Papa, Mama and Baby Bear's bowls. 3 of 10
Alternative Versions of Task More Accessible Version When Goldilocks sat down to eat the 3 bears porridge, she accidentally dumped the noodles onto the table. There were 10 noodles on the table. Help Goldilocks get the noodles back in the right bowls before the 3 bears come home! Goldilocks knew that Papa Bear had the most noodles. Goldilocks knew that Baby Bear had the fewest noodles. Goldilocks knew that Mama Bear ate a number between Papa Bear and Baby Bear. Use these clues to help Goldilocks sort the 3 types of noodles in Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear's bowls. More Challenging Version The original version, and Come up with at least 2 different ways to solve this problem. Context This task was developed during a geometry unit. I was reading The Silly Story of Goldie Locks and the Three Squares, by Grace Maccarone. This children s book combines a story of Goldilocks and the three bears with mathematics activities with a geometric slant written by Marilyn Burns. 4 of 10
This story allowed the students to use their prior knowledge of a familiar story and to apply the investigations they had been doing in class with pattern blocks to further explore mathematics vocabulary and reasoning. What This Task Accomplishes This task provides the students with opportunity to explore the number 17 as well as become more familiar with the shapes of rectangles and squares. The task also allows the teacher to assess the students concepts of most and fewest. Time Required for Task 45 minutes. Interdisciplinary Links This task obviously links well to reading the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears as well as to related activities presented in The Silly Story of Goldie Locks and the Three Squares. Teaching Tips Many students will use the picture of the three bowls to organize their solutions. Students will begin experimenting with different numbers of different-sized noodles to achieve a solution. Some students will do this using manipulatives, while others will use diagrams. Students who use manipulatives should be encouraged to record their solutions on paper as well. For students who need more of a challenge, you can add other requirements to the task. For example, Papa Bear could have twice as many noodles as Baby Bear, or you can change the number of noodles or shapes in the task to make it more complicated. For students who would not be able to handle the number 17, using a smaller number may be more appropriate. The first time the children in my class explored the task, I provided the shapes of the noodles cut from yellow construction paper. Students were given no specific number of noodles but used clues to glue their solutions to the top of their bowls. I gave the task to students a second time a week later and asked students to draw the different-shaped noodles. They used the same clues I presented the first time, but were given the number 17 to work with for their solutions. These preassessment activities helped all students access the task. Suggested Materials Pictures of the three bowls that are presented in the task Manipulatives that can be used to represent noodles Pencils Paper Coloring crayons 5 of 10
Possible Solutions This task is open-ended because there are many possible combinations that will work for a total of 17 noodles. The children should label the bowls. Baby Bear should have the fewest and have only square noodles. Papa Bear should have the most and have only wide, rectangle-shaped noodles. Mama Bear should have a number of noodles that falls between the number that Papa Bear and Baby Bear have, and she should have a combination of all three types of noodles. More Accessible Version Solution More Challenging Version Solution See the solution to the original version. Task-Specific Assessment Notes Papa Mama Baby 7 2 1 6 3 1 5 4 1 5 3 2 Novice The Novice will use the wrong number of noodles and/or ignore the limitations on the number of noodles per bear. The Novice may also ignore the fact that the noodles are of different shapes. Little or no math language will be used to communicate, and diagrams will lack labels. Apprentice The Apprentice may have an approach that would work, but will achieve an incorrect solution for one of several different reasons. The Apprentice may use the wrong number of noodles, or may not account for the different shapes. The Apprentice may count or add incorrectly. Little or no math language will be used, and diagrams will lack labels. Practitioner The Practitioner will achieve a correct solution, taking into account all aspects of the task. Diagrams will be labeled, and some mathematical language or notation will be used to communicate. Expert The Expert will achieve at least one correct solution, and probably more than one. If only one correct solution is achieved, then the Expert will make mathematically relevant observations about the solution such as, There are not three numbers in a row that equal the sum of 17. The Expert will use mathematical notation, and math representations will be labeled. 6 of 10
Novice 7 of 10
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