Comments on: [3ACTS] Popcorn Picker

By: Surface Area vs. Volume | WNCP Orchestrated Experiences for High School Math

Mon, 24 Jun 2013 20:17:24 +0000

[…] from Mary Frank, whoÂ attended one of my sessions, and stars in the video. It’s similar toÂ Dan Meyer’s Popcorn Picker, but I really like the payoff in Act III. Presented in Dan’s three act format, here are the […]

By: Cylinders and Cheerios. Fun with Grandchildren. | New Grandmas Rock!

Cylinders and Cheerios. Fun with Grandchildren. | New Grandmas Rock! — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:37:36 +0000

[…] Here’s a video that demonstrates the concept of volume determined by diameter with popcorn. […]

By: Building Capacity | Reflections in the Why

Building Capacity | Reflections in the Why — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:15:19 +0000

[…] with manipulatives available at their tables and compare the results, similar to the third act of Dan Meyer’s Popcorn PickerÂ or John Scammell’s Surface Area vs. […]

By: Surface Area vs. Volume « Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Surface Area vs. Volume « Zero-Knowledge Proofs — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:28:54 +0000

[…] in Wainwright, one of the participants, Mary Frank, showed me this demo. It’s similar to Dan Meyer’s Popcorn Picker, but I really like the payoff in Act III. Presented in Dan’s three act format, here’s […]

By: L.C.

L.C. — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:31:50 +0000

I love this lesson. I have done a version of this with my 8th graders for the past 3 years. I have used the lesson from NCTM Illuminations that K.R. mentions above (http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L797) and called it “Popcorn Prisms.” I make the popcorn fresh in a microwave in the classroom, so the kids are immediately hooked by the smell (“Oooo, do I smell popcorn?”) when they walk in the door. In this lesson you put the taller prism inside the shorter. Then you fill the taller with popcorn and lift it away. Most students predict that the popcorn will fill to the top of the shorter. And when it doesn’t: mind = blown.

By: Fritzky

Fritzky — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:45:35 +0000

Without a doubt I loved this lesson. I used this lesson after a unit on surface area but before I started volume, not sure if that was the best time but it seemed to work well. I teach a 5th grade inclusion class it took the students 75 minutes to solve this problem and when they did their confidence was contagious. Can’t thank you enough Dan.

By: K.R.

K.R. — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:50:54 +0000

I love this problem!

I did something like this on the second day of the volume unit in a high school geometry class. I knew they had seen the volume formulas for prisms and cylinders before, but this provided some motivation & interest (not to mention mathematical thinking) rather than just “practice finding the volume of these prisms.” I found the Illuminations site on this helpful:
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L797

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:58:05 +0000

Again, a well distilled version of the video-question.

One to put in your portfolio.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:45:55 +0000

I like this problem a lot.

I’m curious how people use something like this. Are you going to put it into a unit about volume? Is it something you do when you focus on problem solving? At the end of solving this problem what do you want your students to have learned? Do you build on this learning the next day? How?

By: brooke

brooke — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:35:44 +0000

This was awesome. I just showed my 8 year old and asked, “Which one will hold the most popcorn?” He answered, “Both.” I now need to show the other kids.