Authentic assessment: a school's interpretation

Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics, Wntr, 2002 by Roland G. Pourdavood, Lynn M. Cowen, Lawrence V. Svec

First Grade:

Brandon is going on vacation for one week. Each day he wants to wear a different outfit. He packed three T-shirts: a red, a blue and a yellow one. He packed black shorts and brown shorts. He also had two kinds of shoes, sandals and gym shoes. How many different outfits could he wear? What would they look like?

Second Grade:

In the Duck Pond game, twelve, large plastic ducks float around in the baby wading pool. Although all the ducks look the same from the top, their stomachs are painted red, blue or green. If a player picks a duck with a red stomach, then the player wins a book from the bookstore. How could the colors of the duck's stomachs be painted so that the player would?

--Be certain to win a book?

--Be likely to win a book?

--Equal chance to win a book?

--Not be likely to win a book?

--Be impossible to win a book?

Third Grade:

You were asked to design three spinners for the "Spin to Win" game at the Lomond Pumpkin Affair. Each spinner must have at least three different colored sections. Red must be one of the colors in all three spinners:

Spinner One--Design the spinner where red is most likely to win.

Spinner Two--Design the spinner where red is likely to win.

Spinner Three--Design the spinner where red is not likely to win. Test the three spinners. Collect and record the data Explain the results.

Fourth Grade:

For a mathematics project, Paula designed a game of chance. She challenged her class to figure Out two things. First, does everyone have the same chance to win? Second, is there a strategy for winning or is the winner just "lucky"--anyone can win. Here were the rules to Paula's game:

Materials: two dice, paper for recording numbers

1. Players select a number from 2-12.

2. Players take turns rolling the two dice. The sum of the two dice is recorded by one player.

For example, if a player rolls a "4" and a "6", the number recorded by the player is "10."

3. Players continue to take turns until the dice has been rolled fifty times.

4. The player whose sums (number) were rolled most wins the game.

LENGTH (distance)

Kindergarten

The beanstalk that Jack planted grew really fast! After five days the beanstalk grew 15 unifix cubes tall. How much did the beanstalk grow each day if it grew the same amount each day?

First Grade:

Jack's beanstalk is 16 units long. The giant's beanstalk is 32 units long. Jack's mother's beanstalk is 24 units long. Compare the height of all three beanstalks. What did you find out? Explain your solution using pictures, words and numbers.

Second Grade:

Randy bought a 72-inch long submarine sandwich for his sleepover party. He invited three friends to the party. Submarine sandwiches cost $2.50 for every twelve inches of length. If Randy divided the sandwich evenly between himself and his three friends, how long a sub sandwich will each person get to eat?

Third Grade:

Everyday Sean took Rex, his grandmother's dog, for a long walk around the nearby high school. The total distance Sean and Rex walked each day was 3.5 (3-1/2) kilometers. Erica, Sean's cousin who lived next door, took her dog Spot for 5.25 (5-1/4) kilometer walks four times a week. In one week, who walked the dogs farthest?