A R O U N D C A M P U S
Understanding Number Sense
through Math Investigation
Second graders engaged in their first math investigation of
the year during the fall. After reading the book Measuring
for the Art Show, the boys used inchworm connecting cubes
to measure the lengths and widths of several pieces of fabric.
The measurements for the pieces of fabric were carefully
chosen by the boys’ teachers for their relationship to multiples
of five and ten.
In advance of the Turkey Run, they brought their investigation
to sports! Prior to the race, the boys estimated and then
measured the length of the Turkey Run using inchworms as
their tool, counting by groups of ten.
Throughout the project, the boys were encouraged to use a
variety of strategies, choosing the ones with which they are
most comfortable. This open-ended investigation is designed
to encourage the development of some of the big ideas
underlying early number sense, measurement, and addition.
It is one of three investigations that the second graders engage
in during the year, using active problem solving to deepen
understanding of concepts they have studied.
50 • Saint David’s Magazine