Flow of Unit for Estimation (SOL 3.

4)
*There will be exit questions given to students every day. These questions will
alternate between reflection and self-assessment. They can include, but are not
limited to: What did I learn today? What can I teach to a classmate? What am I
confused about? Was I focused today? Did I make good decisions? How can I be
more productive? What did I accomplish? If reflection questions are included in the
unit, they are to be directly asked after the previous activity.*
1. Hook: Give students some addition and subtraction problems with numbers over
1,000 up on the board. Tell the students they have 30 seconds to find answers for
all of them
a. After 30 seconds, have a discussion with them about how they decided to
solve the problems. Talk about how hard it was given the short time limit.
b. Ask what would have been different if they would told that they didnt
need to give an exact answer, just an idea of how big the answer should
be. Would that have changed how they dealt with the problems and, if so,
what would they have done differently?
2. Share EQs, EUs, and PBEs (Dear Boss! and Everyday Estimation!) with the
students.
3. Give students a pre-assessment.
4. What is estimation? Think, Pair, Sharecome up with a group consensus for a
definition
5. Hide and Show: Definitions for addition, sum, subtraction, difference, estimation,
and regrouping.
6. Benefits of Estimation: Round Table for why estimation is goodused as a
brainstorm, afterwards will make a class list.
7. Have students play a game where they sort scenarios into whether they should
estimate or solve in that situation.
8. If I am doing this, do I estimate? The class will be given real life scenarios in
which they will decide whether to estimate or solve. When they have an answer,
they will walk to the wall, yes meaning they do estimate and no meaning they
wont estimate and solve instead. Once at their wall, they will work as a group to
explain why they chose what they did.
9. Rally Robin: When do I estimate?
10. Rally Robin: When do I solve?
11. Quiz: Should you estimate or solve?
12. Reflection: What was easy on this quiz? What was hard? What could you have
done to make it easier?
13. Have the students come up with three times they estimate, and three times they
solve. They have to present to the class but they are able to illustrate any way
they want (i.e. they can draw, write, build a model). T-product
14. PBE: Dear Boss! The students will persuade their boss to estimate the total
amount needed in the situation instead of coming up with an exact number.

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

15. Reflection: How did you feel during this experience? Where you prepared
enough? Was there something you could have done to make you more prepared?
What was easy during this assignment? What was hard?
16. Mix-Freeze-Match: Addition and Subtraction problems with solutions.
17. Round Table: Steps to solving an addition and subtraction problem.
18. Dice Game: Students will roll the die 4 times to get the first number, then 4 more
times to get the second number. They will roll 1 more time to get the operation
(even add, odd subtract). They will solve this problem before rolling again. If its
too hard, they will roll fewer times to get smaller numbers to deal with. T-process
19. Lecture: Review rounding and how to do it. Do a few examples before letting
them do it by themselves.
20. Worksheet: Students will be given numbers that they need to round to the nearest
___.
21. Lecture: Estimating by rounding. Go through the steps of estimating, including
rounding both numbers, solving with the rounded numbers and checking your
work. Do multiple examples and have the students practice along with you.
22. Worksheet: Practice estimating sums and differences. Have students show all
their work, including their rounding and checking, it will be collected to see how
much they understand and what still needs to be reviewed.
23. Reflection: Is it easier or harder to estimate than solve? Why?
24. Dice Game: Same rules as before, except this time they will roll once more, to
decide if they should estimate or solve (even estimate, odd solve). T-process
25. Mix, Freeze, Match-Three people partnerships, problems, solutions, and estimated
solutions. The three will discuss how the two answers are similar and different.
Mix again and repeat a few times.
26. Venn Diagram: Based on the discussions, students will make a Venn Diagram on
the similarities and differences on actual solutions and estimated solutions. If
Venn Diagram is too much, let them list what they know of solutions and
estimated solutions and then make a list of similarities based on those lists. Tprocess
27. Computer Lab: Play estimating games, including but not limited to
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/round/mathman_round_addition.ht
m,
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/round/mathman_round_subtraction
.htm, http://www.mangahigh.com/en-us/games/iceicemaybe
28. Think, Pair, Share: How could you use estimating to check your answers?
29. Quiz: Solve and estimate answers.
30. Reflection: What do you like about solving? What do you like about estimating?
Which do you like more? Why?
31. Rally Robin: When do I estimate review
32. Rally Robin: When do I solve review
33. If Im doing this, do I estimate? Round two: This time, with the same scenarios as
before, but there will be numbers involved. The students will have to figure out if
they need to solve or estimate and then actually do it. They will still move to the
side of the room they think is correct and work with each other to figure out the
answer. They will have to defend their reasons for choosing a side and then they
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

will compare answers if some people choose estimating and others choose
solving.
34. Contract: Students will have five tasks they can do in any order, some with
partners and some individually. Tasks are: brochure, grocery shopping, poster,
story time, and teacher, teacher. T-product
35. PBE: Everyday Estimation! Students will create an infomercial to get their
audience to want to use estimation.

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.