CCSS: 5.NBT.B.7, 5.NF.B.4, 7.G.B.4
Georgia’s K-12 Mathematics Standards: 5.NR.3, 6.NR.1, 7.GSR.5
Act 1
Ask students:
- What do you notice? Record student responses.
- What do you wonder? Record student curiosities and wonders.
Focus question(s):
- How long will the slinky stretch?
- How long will the slinky be if they stretch it all the way out?
Estimate:
- Write an estimate that is too low (be brave).
- Write an estimate that is too high (be brave).
- Write your best estimate.
- Place and space each of your estimates on an empty number line.
Act 2
Ask students what information/tools they need to answer their question. Give them their information as they ask for it.
7th Grade:
5th or 6th Grade:
Act 3
- Share your solution and strategies. Compare strategies and results.
- Do you think the actual length will be exactly what you determined? Why?
- How reasonable was your estimate?
Watch the video below to see how long the slinky actually is when it is stretched out. Compare these results with yours.
- Why do you think the answer you got and the actual might be different?
- What did you do well during this task?
- What might you do differently next time?
What if…?
- Think of a What if…? question for this task.
- What curious question do you have about this task, if you were to change one thing about it?
- Example: What if it was a Slinky Jr.? How long would it be?
More questions about this task. Check out The Slinky FAQs.