Today we went outside to estimate the number of objects we have in the school yard. Children estimated the number of trees, steps, number of windows. They wrote their estate on the whiteboard and then counted to check the exact amount of objects.

Submitted by Ms Marilyn Bugeja, Yr 1.1 Class Teacher

The class was divided in stations.  Each station was given a container filled with the following: coins, pins, paper clips and butterfly pins.  Students had to write (on their mini whiteboards) how many they thought there were in each container without counting; thus estimating (guessing).

After, students were asked to say what made them guess that number (their observations).  Some noted that since coins are larger than pins they came to the conclusion that there were less coins.  Others noticed that even though two of the containers were the same, one was filled slightly more.

Finally, they counted the objects found in each container to check their estimate.  Furthermore they linked what they were doing in class with the outside world as they noticed that sometimes in competitions people have to estimate how many balloons, tickets …are there in a box. 

Submitted by Ms Miranda Cauchi, Yr 3.1

The year 3.1 students were learning about estimation through hands on activities. One of our activities was to guess (estimate) how many bottle caps I placed in a container. The students estimated the number and then, we counted all the bottle caps to verify the actual number and match it to the students’ estimations.

During a similar activity, the students worked in groups. Each group took their desired amount of bottle caps from a box. Their task was to estimate the number of bottle caps and then, count them to check how many there really were.

Submitted by Ms Sharon Calleja, Yr 3.1 Teacher