My 5 Favorite Estimation 180 Tasks
Submitted by
Laura Wagenman
MCTM Communication Committee Chair
Like all of the wonderful tasks that brought my students joy, Estimation 180 made its way into my classroom through Twitter, @Estimation180. Created by Andrew Stadel, @mr_stadel, Estimation 180 has daily estimation challenges to help improve number sense and problem-solving skills.
There are many different ways to implement this into a classroom. Students can add their estimates into the Google Form on the side of each image or they can fill out the Estimation 180 Handout provided. Mr. Stadel recently shared how to use Estimation 180 images with clotheslines. He also created a Clothesline organizer similar to the general Estimation 180 handout.
No matter how you implement Estimation 180 in the classroom, your students will be at the edge of their seats as they wait for the answer reveal. Their ability to justify and estimate for reasonableness will increase as will their excitement in finding math in their lives.
My Favorites
This is one of my favorite Estimation 180 tasks but not for obvious reasons. While most of my kids claimed their undying affection for bacon, it was the conversation when students reasoned that made this a favorite.
When I used this with my 5th graders, I took a screenshot of the image and question and shared through Schoology. Students then uploaded to Notability so they could mark it up as they made estimates. Knowing that, I envisioned students estimating by chunking into small groups. As I walked around listening to each share estimates, what I heard were stories about shopping with their families and preparing meals. They talked of how they knew how many pieces were in a package because they had bacon with Sunday meals and each person in their family had so many pieces. Not only did they get to see the value in their experiences being tied to math but I got to peek into their family routines, who they were, and I loved it!
I introduced How Much Does the Turkey Weigh right before Thanksgiving. Students estimated using what they knew about turkeys bought by their families. The next day I had them figure out how much it cost. Some students estimated by calculating price per pound while others estimated a total cost. Most were very surprised by how cheap the turkey was at $.99 a pound. The best part was over that Thanksgiving break, I received many images from students with their turkey weight and price per pound.
This task is a great way to formatively assess student understanding of measurement units and estimation skills. My students really liked this as they made connections to their favorite amusement park rides. Because we started with the first task, which Mr. Stadel’s height is estimated, they also liked using that information to help with their estimate.
When I was at the Minnesota Fair this summer, my sister was reminded of this task so had me get a photo in front of it. It reminded me of how many of my students started to notice things to estimate in their homes. I often had images sent to me with a request for the class to estimate what was left, how much was gone, etc.
- What Percent and Degrees of the Pie Has Been Eaten? (Days 112, 113, 114)
I introduced this task later in the year when we had been discussing fractions, percents, and angle measurements. I started by showing the students the image, taking off the question and giving students time to Notice and Wonder. After several minutes, they wrote possible questions for the task. When I shared that we would be finding the degrees of pie eaten, there were cheers and some disappointment. I assured students they could tackle their question during our independent time and then they could share with the class at a later time.
- How Long is “We Will Rock You”? (Days 127-134)
The song tasks were my students’ absolute favorite. They loved listening to the “oldies,” often asking to hear the entire song at another time. Students were successful after learning about fractions all year, estimating the time as if the time were a bar model. The best part is most estimates were just seconds different than the answer so we talked about the need to be precise in a task like this, more so than another.