"Why Get SMART?" Brainstorm

This discussion will take place on the very first day of SMART, before boys and girls separate, in order to address students' questions about the program, and introduce the rationale for single-sex learning environments.

Format: Discussion
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: Chart paper and markers.

Getting started:

I will ask students what they already know about SMART, charting their answers on a "What is SMART ?" poster. Students will be encouraged to voice how they feel about this kind of program, and then I'll introduce the question of WHY SMART?

*This discussion is often helped along by posing the question, "How many of you can name a famous male scientist?" followed by, "How many of you can name a famous female scientist?" *If they all can, WONDERFUL! If not, great chance for discussion.

Issues which may come up in this discussion are:

*Are boys really better than girls at math/science? (i.e. Do we have SMART so that girls can get the extra help they need?)
*Will boys and girls be doing the same activities in SMART?

At this point, girls will go with SMART teacher, and boys will get to work with you on the next activity.

Birthday Estimate!

This activity encourages students to get into the habit of estimating to decide if their solution to a given problem is reasonable. This process de-emphasizes right-wrong answers, and helps remove the fear of being wrong that can inhibit a student's classroom participation.

Part 1: The Class Age
An exercise in estimation!
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: Calculator(s)

Getting Started:
*Have students sit in a circle (floor or chairs is fine)
*Ask students what they think it means to estimate.
*Have each student guess what the sum of everybody's age will be. Write each estimate down on the chalkboard.
*Pass out calculators.
*Go around the circle and have each person say their age, in years. Students can follow along on calculators, by entering each age and then pushing "+". Check subtotals along the way.
*Compare the actual total with the estimates...who was closest?

Part 2: Birthday Month Estimate
Posing a different kind of question to the group indirectly introduces the idea of probability. In this case, around the issue of months and birthdays.

Time: 10 minutes
Materials: None

Getting Started:
*Start out by getting a head count of the number of people in the SMART room.
*Ask the class, "Knowing that there are 12 months in the year, and __ people in the room, how many people do you estimate (without asking anyone when they were born!) were born in the month of October?"
*Ask students to explain WHY or HOW they've estimated as they have.
*Now, compare the actual number with the estimates.

You can even make a chart and look at distribution throughout the year of the group's birthdays, like this:

*Do any patterns emerge? Hmnn......

ZOOM

Time: 10 minutes
Materials: Stopwatch or clock with second hand.

Getting Started:
*Ask students to sit in a circle and ask them if they're ready for a "group challenge." Tell them that the object of ZOOM is to send the word "zoom" around the circle as fast as possible. The teacher should be the timer.

*Explain that you'll start by saying ZOOM to the person on your left (or right) and that person must say the word to the next person, and so on, until the word makes it back to you.

*BEFORE STARTING ask the group to estimate how long they think it will take...make sure they specify UNITS of time. (Are they talking about seconds or minutes?)

*As a group, compromise an estimate that everyone is satisfied with and GIVE IT A TRY!

*Did you beat your estimate?

NO? Try again!
YES? Estimate lower, and try again!

Extensions:

*As students get more practice estimating, ask them if they seem to be getting better at it. Ask them why that might be....Hmnnnn.....Maybe they're all getting SMARTer!