Prime Factorization Mobiles and Digital Versions using Lucid Chart

Good Morning!

This past week has been such a busy week! Last Saturday I was helping revise the current 5th grade Math Curriculum and as we were vertically aligning, I noticed that 6th grade will be using Prime Factorization to incorporate the use of exponents.  Prime Factorization used to be a part of the 5th grade TEKS, however, it is not anymore.  I love prime factorization because it allows students to discover that all composite numbers are made up of a series of prime numbers.  So this week I decided that we would focus on Prime Factorization.

First we journaled and talked about the difference between prime and composite (they have all slept since we last talked about this).  Students quickly remembered that breaking down composite numbers into their prime factors, was just like an ipad game they have played called Prime Smash.

I absolutely love Prime Smash! It is a free game, and when we were learning about Prime and Composite, the students would play this in stations or as an extension.  The goal of the game is to smash the prime numbers and slash the composites.  When you slash the composites, the factors appear, then they either smash or slash the factors.  Here is where you can find the game: Prime Smash App

Next we made Prime Factorization Mobiles: Students were encouraged to come up with their own two digit or three digit number.  One by one the students told me the number they were going to tackle in this project.  I had told them ahead of time, no repeats, so if someone else picked their number, they needed to pick a new one.  Then they needed to find the prime factorization of their number and create a mobile of their factor tree.

I put the directions on the board: **note I added- Put the prime factorization of your number on the back of the hanger, after I took this picture.**

I wanted the primes to be different shapes then the composites.  The kids had a blast with this project.  It allowed them to be creative and challenge themselves.

For the next couple of days students worked on a Prime Factorization Tutorial Poster using Lucid Chart for Education.

Lucid Chart for Education is a chromebook app, that allows students to make flow charts, thinking maps etc.  You can use the free version, but you can also apply for a free student account.

Here is the project guidelines for their Lucid Chart:

The students were engaged and worked diligently on this project.  I am always so impressed on how much students love to type and create on their chromebooks!
Here are a few examples: ** Sorry the pictures are so small, the actual product is a lot bigger and saved to a pdf file, these are just screenshots.**