Estimator's Competition

This week our TEA Timers have been practicing estimating sums of two and three digit numbers. We came across the PBS game, Glowla's Estimation Contraption, to put our estimating skills to the test. In this game, you are given 60 seconds to estimate the sum of several numbers. The more correct estimates you make, the higher you move up in the levels. We found out that rounding helps us make better estimates. The difficult part is trying to beat the clock!

We are challenging another 3rd grade class to estimate with us via Skype. Each class will need to create their own equations (about 3-4) beforehand and have the estimates of their sums ready. The other class, will have 60 seconds to provide an estimate of the sum. Points will be awarded on how close each class was to the estimate.

Are you up for the challenge? 

Estimation Stations

This week our TEA Timers have been practicing estimation. To make this more fun, each student brought a container with different edible items such as cereal, chocolate candy pieces, and cookies. Parents were asked to count the items and write down the total amount in a sealed envelope so that their child could participate in the estimation activity. Students then guessed individually on each item and calculated how close their guess was to the actual amount. The student who guessed the amount (or who was closest) received the items as a prize to share with the rest of the class. Needless to say, this activity has been a hit in our class!

We took the concept further this week and invited classes to join in our estimation stations via Skype. This time, we had both classes estimate on the same containers or containers provided by each class. Points were awarded based on how close (in percentages) each class guessed. The more we guessed, the more intense the game got! We thank our friends in Mr. Wilson's class in Camrose, Canada and Mr. Lester's class in Boone, Iowa for giving us some tough competition.

Throughout this project, we were unable to schedule a call with other classes due to time zone differences. To alleviate this problem, we invited our friends to share a video of their estimation stations with us. We were thrilled to watch this video that Ms. Musone's class in York, Pennsylvania made for us. Check it out to put your estimation skills to the test!

Would you like to share a video or picture of an estimation station with us? Leave us a comment with your contact information (email or Twitter handle).