Pancake Math: Following a Recipe!

Math Grades 1st Grade 3:58 Video
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Lesson Description

Learn about measuring and following a recipe to make yummy pancakes! This lesson uses a real-world example to understand math concepts.

Video Resource

Grade 1: Math Lesson #54A Following A Recipe BREAKFAST MATH!

The Eagle's Nest - Our Online Classroom

Duration: 3:58
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Measurement (cups)
  • Fractions (two-thirds)
  • Following Instructions
  • Importance of Numbers

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify and use measurement tools (cups).
  • Students will be able to understand and identify simple fractions (e.g., two-thirds).
  • Students will be able to follow a sequence of instructions in a recipe.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students if they have ever helped cook or bake. Discuss what a recipe is and why it is important to follow the steps. Introduce the idea that math is used in cooking.
  • Video Viewing (7 mins)
    Play the YouTube video: Grade 1: Math Lesson #54A Following A Recipe BREAKFAST MATH!. Encourage students to pay attention to the ingredients, measurements, and the order of the steps.
  • Discussion (5 mins)
    After the video, discuss the recipe. Ask students about the ingredients and their amounts. Focus on the measurement 'two-thirds of a cup'. Ask why measuring is important. Talk about the order of the steps and what might happen if you do them in the wrong order.
  • Activity: Pretend Pancake Recipe (10 mins)
    Provide students with a simplified 'pancake recipe' (using pictures or simple words). Have them draw pictures to represent each step in the recipe. For example: 1. One cup of mix (draw a cup with mix) 2. Two-thirds cup of water (draw a cup, colored partially to represent 2/3 full) 3. Mix! (draw a bowl with batter)
  • Wrap-up (3 mins)
    Review the key concepts of measurement, fractions, and following instructions. Reiterate that math is everywhere, even when making pancakes!

Interactive Exercises

  • Measuring Practice
    Provide students with play measuring cups and materials (e.g., beans, rice). Have them practice measuring 'one cup', 'half a cup', etc. Discuss how much is in each cup.

Discussion Questions

  • What ingredients did we use to make the pancakes?
  • How much pancake mix did we need?
  • Why is it important to measure the ingredients carefully?
  • What would happen if we added too much water?
  • What step did we do first, next, and last?

Skills Developed

  • Measurement
  • Following instructions
  • Critical thinking
  • Fractional Understanding

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What is a recipe?

Correct Answer: A set of instructions to make food

Question 2:

In the video, what were they making?

Correct Answer: Pancakes

Question 3:

What did they measure with?

Correct Answer: Cup

Question 4:

How much pancake mix did the recipe need?

Correct Answer: One cup

Question 5:

What does 'two-thirds' mean?

Correct Answer: Part of a whole thing

Question 6:

What did they put on the pancakes at the end?

Correct Answer: Maple Syrup

Question 7:

Why do we need to follow a recipe?

Correct Answer: To make it correctly

Question 8:

Who helped make the pancakes in the video?

Correct Answer: The teacher and her husband

Question 9:

What did they use to flip the pancake?

Correct Answer: A spatula

Question 10:

What color were the pancakes when they were cooked?

Correct Answer: Golden Brown

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

A __________ tells you how to cook something.

Correct Answer: recipe

Question 2:

We used a ________ to measure the pancake mix.

Correct Answer: cup

Question 3:

We put ________ on the stove to cook the pancake.

Correct Answer: oil

Question 4:

The pancakes were __________ brown when they were cooked.

Correct Answer: golden

Question 5:

We needed ____________ of a cup of water

Correct Answer: two-thirds

Question 6:

You should have an _________ help you cook.

Correct Answer: adult

Question 7:

We poured batter into the _________

Correct Answer: pan

Question 8:

We flipped the pancake with a ___________

Correct Answer: spatula

Question 9:

Pancakes are a yummy ____________

Correct Answer: breakfast

Question 10:

Numbers are important when following a __________

Correct Answer: recipe

Educational Standards

CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.A.1:Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. CCSS.Math.Content.1.G.A.3:Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares. CCSS.Math.Content.1.MD.A.2:Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Limit to contexts where the object being measured is spanned by a whole number of length units with no gaps or overlaps.

Teaching Materials

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