Lesson Plan #: AELP-MEA0205

Bean Flick

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Chelsea Cattouse
Email: Misscattouse@aol.com
School/University/Affiliation: Trenton Community Charter School, Trenton, NJ

Date: May 12, 2001

Grade Level: 1, 2

Subject(s):

Duration: 30 minutes

Description: In this lesson, students use beans and/or bean bags to practice their estimation and measurement skills.

Goals: New Jersey Core Curriculum Standard 4.7: All students will develop spatial sense and an ability to use geometric properties and relationships to solve problems in mathematics and in everyday life.

Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to estimate the distance of their bean flick or bean bag toss.
  2. Students will be able to measure distances to the nearest inch or foot.
Materials: Vocabulary:
  1. Length - A measured distance of an object.
  2. Distance - Amount of separation or space between two points.
  3. Estimate - A guess or judgment based on observations.
Procedure:
Read Jack and the Beanstalk . After reading the story, tell students that in a few minutes they will each get a "magic" bean to practice their measurement skills. Review or introduce the following vocabulary: length, distance, and estimate.

Explain to students that they will be "flicking" a bean at their desks, recording estimates and actual measurements. (Students may work individually or in pairs). Demonstrate how to "flick" a bean across the desk top in a controlled manner. Let students know that the beans must stay on their desk tops. Pass out the recording sheets and explain how they should be filled in. Students will estimate the distance that the bean traveled (inches) and record on their sheets. Then students will use a ruler to measure the actual distance and record on their sheets. Students can see how close their estimates were by finding the difference between the two measurements.

After students have completed 10 trials with the beans, the class may work together outside (or in a open classroom area) tossing a bean bag. This activity will give students an opportunity to estimate and measure longer distances. [ Author's Note: I have done this activity as a race with a start point and an ending point in a large playground or field area. Each team is equipped with a bean bag, clipboard, pencil, recording sheet, and a standard unit of measure (yardstick or tape measure). I give the signal to gently underhand toss the bean bag. Students should make an observation, record an estimate, and then work together to measure the actual distance. The first group that gets from finish to start with the correct measurement wins.]

Lesson Extensions:
 Teachers may want to integrate science by having students plant their bean seeds. In addition, instructions for an art activity are provided in a handout listed in the Materials section.

Assessment: Collect students' recording sheets to determine if students have used appropriate units of measurement. Informally, teachers can ask students to move their bean about _______ inches (to see if students comprehend how long one inch is).

Special Comments: I had extra bean seeds from annual planting. I also found that I was running out of classroom materials for my students to measure. This little activity provided a solution!