Case Book One

Remy Leus wants to help students learn concepts. She previously has used flash cards to try to build basic concepts. Now, she wants to expand their concept development. Last night she went to the local dollar store and bought small plastic sandwich bags and several small knick-knack items, such as thread spools, plastic spoons, luggage tags, jelly beans, straws, wooden sticks, stickers, etc. She carefully divided the items up, placing one of each into each of the bags. Then, she made a label of each student's name, and labeled each bag. Now, she hands out the bags to the students.

MS. LEUS: Each of you is getting a bag with the same objects in it. There is no need to talk about the objects you got with someone near you, because that person also got the same objects. No talking! Listen! I want you to take the objects out of the bag, and look at them. Decide what objects are alike, and put them in the bag. On a sheet of paper, write down how the objects are alike. You will turn this in, so make sure you put your name on it. Over here is a small box. I want you to put items that you did not put in the bag, that is items that are not alike into the box, so that the only thing left on your desk will be the bag with the objects that are alike in it, and your paper. Get to work.

S1: Ms. Leus, I don't understand. None of the things in my bag are the same.

S2: I have two things that are yellow. Is that right?

S1: No, you're wrong! Yellow is not the right answer.

S3: I have 4 things that are plastic. Is that the right answer?

S1: No, that's not it!

MS. LEUS: I asked you to work on this without talking. Each of you decides what to put into your bags. Do not look at each other's. Do your own work. I told you, put things that are alike in the bag. Write down how the things are alike.

Ms. Leus looked around. Students looked confused. Students were playing with the objects, but only a couple of students seemed to even be trying to do what they were supposed to do. This was not working. What had gone wrong? Why didn't they see how easy this was?

Teacher Notes:

• Good lessons take good planning. Sometimes we think that a lesson is well-planned and it is a disaster. Think about the learning that you want as an outcome before you plan, and think about how the students may interact with materials, what misconceptions they can develop, if the wrong materials are provided.