5th Grade Culminating Unit

Unit Driving Question

How can students apply their learning in a variety of real world situations?

Essential Questions

1. Can students apply their math skills to real-world STEM situations?

2. Can students apply their math skills to real-world situational tasks? 

Big Ideas 

1. Students can apply their math skills to STEM activities.
   

2. Can students apply their math skills to real-world situational tasks?

Big Idea 1: Students can Apply Their Math Skills to STEM Activities

Collaborative Engagement 

• STEM Index Card Challenge - This will introduce students to the practice and design process for 5th grade activities.  They will learn the process through team building, incorporating geometric ideas.

Key Resources 

1. NASA STEM Parachuting Onto Mars - This design challenge will incorporate students’ skills with measuring  surface area and working with decimals.

      2. PBS Kids STEM - Touchdown - Engaging activity and to help incorporate our                fifth grade math standards, teachers could have the students measure how far            the mass made the spring move.  Teachers could also have them work with                  mass/weight and decimals when discussing cargo loads.

      3. STEM Pumpkin Launcher - Students can focus on design and measurement                  skills.  This is an activity that is more involved with their design and build. 

Evidence of Understanding

• Develop a Deep and Flexible Conceptual Understanding

• Develop Accurate and Appropriate Procedural Fluency

• Develop Strategies for Problem Solving

• Develop Mathematical Reasoning

• Develop a Productive Mathematical Disposition

• Develop the Ability to Make Conjectures, Model, and Generalize

• Develop the Ability to Communicate Mathematically 

Big Idea 2: Can Students Apply Their Knowledge to the Real World?

Collaborative Engagement 

• Squares and Circles - Students will use a pattern of squares and circles to extend a design and answer questions about the number of each in relationship to the other. Students will show understanding using words and/or numbers.

Key Resources

1. Colorful Walls - Students will demonstrate knowledge of fractions by answering questions about painting a room in a house.  Students must add and subtract fractions with like denominators and show explanations of thinking. Lastly, students must come up with a painting design that follows given criteria, which includes using knowledge of subtracting fractions.
2. Leapfrog Fractions - Students must use their knowledge and understanding of representing numbers and fractions and their ability to use models, benchmarks, and equivalent forms of fractions to add fractions with unlike denominators.  Students must be able to apply their understanding of the concept of one whole when trying to combine fractions.
3. School Supplies - Students will solve a series of problems regarding supplies needed for classrooms using the four operations with whole numbers and decimals to hundredths. They will then be asked to look at two ads for local stores and advise the principal of the best way/place to purchase the supplies. (This will include the 6th grade objective of multiplying and dividing decimals. You could do a mini lesson on those, or allow calculators.)
4. MARS PERFORMANCE TASKS - This site has 35 performance tasks that are easy to follow and use. They include multiple objectives. The tasks can be done individually, in partners, or small groups.  

Evidence of Understanding

• Develop a Deep and Flexible Conceptual Understanding

• Develop Accurate and Appropriate Procedural Fluency

• Develop Strategies for Problem Solving

• Develop Mathematical Reasoning

• Develop a Productive Mathematical Disposition

• Develop the Ability to Make Conjectures, Model, and Generalize

• Develop the Ability to Communicate Mathematically