| Lesson Title: | Chillin' Out in Europe | ||
| Curriculum Area: | Math | ||
| Technology Strand: | Spreadsheet | ||
| Grade Level: | 6 | ||
| Essential Question: | How are formulas used to calculate information in spreadsheets? |
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Activity Summary | Students will use formulas for temperature conversion to create a chart displaying the average temperatures for major European cities. |
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Curriculum |
Math 1.07 Develop flexibility in solving problems by selecting strategies and using mental computation, estimation, calculators or computers, and paper and pencil. 5.03 Solve simple (one- and two-step) equations or inequalities. |
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Technology |
Spreadsheet 3.06 Select and use chart/graph functions to analyze and display findings in content projects, citing data sources. 3.08 Modify/create and use spreadsheets to solve problems, make decisions, support, and display findings in content areas projects. |
| Activating Strategies |
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Prior to participating in this lesson activity, students should already be familiar with the order of operations. Time: 10 minutes 1. Pass out a copy of the ANTICIPATION AND REACTION GUIDE for Temperature Conversion (guide.doc) to each student. 2. Allow students 3-4 minutes to provide anticipatory answers to the guide's questions. 3. In a quick class survey, have students share reactions to the questions. |
| Technology Vocabulary: Spreadsheet Vocabulary |
| Detailed Technology Instructions: Microsoft Works for Windows Spreadsheet Instructions |
| Cognitive Teaching Strategies |
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Now that students are interested in temperature conversion scales, they will further explore this topic through a short reading and spreadsheet activity. Time: 30 minutes 1. Pass out a copy of the (temperature_scales.doc) document. 2. Allow students to read this short passage for the purpose of learning more about both the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales. You may do this individually or encourage students to read in pairs. 3. Instruct students to open up the Microsoft Works document (chillin_europe.wks) and apply the conversion formulas to generate missing temperatures. 4. Model the use of formulas for the students by doing the first city, Frankfurt, as an example for the whole class. 5. Allow students approximately 15 minutes to complete the remaining conversions on their own. 6. Provide an answer key or orally check answers to confirm the accuracy of student work. 7. Once answers are confirmed, guide students through the process of making a chart of their temperature data. (This can be done in under 5 minutes.) |
| Summary Strategies |
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Students have now been exposed to written information and hands-on practice with temperature conversion scales. They are now ready to re-evaluate the statements on the ANTICIPATION AND REACTION GUIDE. Time: 10 minutes 1. Have students look back at their ANTICIPATION AND REACTION GUIDE. 2. Ask students to now REACT to the statements on the guide. 3. Briefly share students' comments about how the reading passage and hands-on activity led them to change their answers about some of the statements in the guide. |
| Resources Click for directions on how to download files on a Windows computer. |
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Microsoft Works or Microsoft Excel Student reading passage: temperature_scales.doc Activating and summary strategy: guide.doc Microsoft Excel File: chillin_europe.xls Microsoft Works 4.0 or 4.5 for Windows Files chillin_europe.wks Microsoft Word Files temperature_scales.doc guide.doc |
| Re-teaching and Enrichment Activities |
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1. Extend student learning by allowing them to track average daily temperatures for one week. 2. Then, utilize tools such as an online temperature converter (http://www.globalrph.com/tempconv.htm) to convert the Fahrenheit tempertatures to Celsius. 3. Students can then enter the data into a spreadsheet and create a chart to display their results. Follow up this activity with the lesson: European Currency Conversion to US Dollars |
| Amy Holcombe |
| Prescott Technology Center, Data last modified: 7/10/2006 |