Let me begin by saying, I love some of the ideas I learn about on Twitter! During remote teaching in the spring, or shall I say, “emergency remote teaching,” I felt my students needed an activity that would involve some type of group collaboration.
As I scrolled through Twitter, I came across an idea for a “Mystery Number Jar.” This seemed like a great idea for a connection that I could make between my 7th grade students and students in the elementary grades.
First, students were grouped into Zoom breakout rooms. Then, one (or more) students gathered small items from around the house and a jar.
Second, students devised clues in a slideshow about the correct number of items in the jar.
Lastly, students recorded their presentations in Zoom and uploaded their videos into Flipgrid. The Flipgrid videos were shared with teachers of the elementary students who then recorded their guesses in Flipgrid.
Some alternatives to the way I did this activity could be to have students in the same class create mystery jars for each other. Other items or ideas with clues could be used for guessing. For example, students could select an animal, historical figure, or location for their mystery.
This activity nailed 4 key areas of instruction in an online environment:
- Engagement and practice with mathematical concepts
- Technology integration which enhanced engagement
- Collaboration between students
- Bridging a connection between middle schoolers and elementary school students
Overall, my students responded positively to this activity. It also helped build some classroom connections as well.
On Education 
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