New York Teacher has a RAGBRAI Lesson Plan
Tue, Jun 16, 2009 | by TJ Juskiewicz
By John D. Sheffield
I recently introduced RAGBRAI to about 100 middle school children that live in the Upstate/Central New York area. As a math teacher of grades six through eight I have a captive audience. To give you a better idea of the geography: I am approximately six hours away from NY City. I live a mile from the shore of Lake Ontario in a place called Oswego. It is an agricultural area: cows, corn, and wide-open spaces filled with lakes and woods. When you say “New York,” many people only think of New York City and don’t seem to realize that there is so much more to our State.
My introduction of RAGBRAI to the “kids” was the result of many factors: I have ridden the past three RAGBRAI’s with my wife (this year our sons will be riding with us…they are in grades 6 and 8); the topic of bicycling came up in my classroom when one of my students noticed a picture of my family with our bikes; my students seemed genuinely interested; and, lastly, I get easily bored teaching math the “standard” way. What was the result of these factors? I created a math review unit based on RAGBRAI. The unit itself can be found on the web at http://sheffx.googlepages.com/ezmath3.
Due to the fact that I always try to teach more than just math our first day was spent on reading and discussing RAGBRAI. After the reading we had a great Q & A session in which the kids’ enthusiasm continued to grow. They had questions and comments about every possible thing imaginable: “What do you eat?” “How do you carry your stuff?” “Where do you stay?” “Isn’t it hard?” “How do you ride with that many people?” “Why do they wear costumes?” “I couldn’t do that.” “It costs a lot.” “I want to go!” There were a lot of kids that genuinely seemed interested in the ride, and even more by the end of the unit.
The unit itself covered making data tables, finding information, basic statistics, money problems, tax and percent, algebra and substitution, word problems, constructing graphs, rounding, measurement and conversion, ratio and proportion, time, distance, and rate of speed, analytical thinking, reading and writing. To break things up I would show them slide shows from the internet, discuss the people of the ride and of Iowa, tell them personal stories of RAGBRAI, and bring in various jerseys that were hung around the room. One day, after it was clear that they would all drastically over pack if they were to take this trip, I went over “proper” packing and use of space. The “final exam” for the unit was for the students to write an essay. If you are interested the description of the essay it is on the aforementioned web page.
After all the “work” was done the unit culminated by me bringing my bicycle and biking gear into class. I discussed safety and communication on the road, let the kids put on my helmet and use the mirror, try on cycling gloves, check out the jerseys and clothing, went over the tool(s) and accessories I carry, how to change a tire, discussed and demonstrated the gearing of my bicycle, and answered questions. It was a blast! One student had left my school for another before she had a chance to see the gear. She wrote in her essay that she really wished she could have seen my bicycle. After a bit of follow up I was able to contact her new teacher in a neighboring school district and was invited to give a presentation about cycling and RAGBRAI. Her teacher is using the unit as part of the year-end review for their math final exam. I cannot describe how much fun it was to visit that student and her new class!
The RAGBRAI Bicycle Project also had one result that I did not anticipate, but welcomed whole-heartedly. Almost every student said they liked doing math better in this type of format than the standard notes and practice out of a textbook. As I stated earlier I get bored teaching that way anyway, so I have since gone on to do math units centered on the weather, a crazy vacation mini-unit, a make your game unit, and most recently have been working on unit about the hazards of tobacco products. I hope to have the tobacco unit completed for use next year, as well as a unit based upon alternative energy and our own country’s energy usage. All these can be linked to on the web through visiting my original web page of math songs, stories, and poems, which can be found at http://sheffx.googlepages.com/ezmath.
I would also like to thank T.J. Juskiewicz and Linda Smuck, the RAGBRAI director and RAGBRAI office specialist respectively. Upon finding about my RAGBRAI Unit they have been very supportive. They have sent stickers, coloring booklets, and information on bicycle safety for my students. I also would like to thank two of my Principals for their support in all of my endeavors; without that support a unit like this may never have come into being. They are patient and always open to new ideas: thanks to Matt Penrod and thanks to Erin Phillips
I hope to one day in the future be riding along on RAGBRAI and have a rider cruise up next to me and say they had me for a teacher and that they are there because of something we did in my class…that would be a hoot!
When asked to write an article by the RAGBRAI Director I did not know what to write, let alone how to write it. So I just sat down at the keyboard and started pecking away. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed teaching and introducing my students about RAGBRAI.
I hope to see you this July. Ride right, ride safe, and above all enjoy the ride!
The Sheffields will be doing the ride this year as a family for the first time. John and his wife have ridden the past 4 and 3 years respectfully, but this will be the first for their 11 and 14 year old sons.
Now that is how you teach children. Find something of interest outside of the box and work with it. Both the teacher and the students are genuinely engaged!
Hi John! Can’t wait to see you and Heidi (and the kids now) next month – how cool to start reading your story and then realize.. “Hey, I know that guy!” See you on the Ryder
Just read your article and loved it! I too am a teacher, but of kindergarten here in Albuquerque. We just returned from 2 wks in Iowa since I was born and raised there and we lived there for 30 years! My husband is from Middleburgh, NY, in the Catskills. My family also thought NY was all cement until they met him!
What a wonderful way to combine teaching and hands on experience.
Way to go John!!!!
I am the proud mother of Heidi, and I started the whole thing by doing RAGBRAI in 2004. Heidi decided to come on her first bike tour with me on the 2005 RAGBRAI and I have been doing it ever since with Heidi and John.
Hello John and Heidi, WOW great story. It reminds me of playing domino’s with my grandmother as a little boy and learning about math. Looking forward to riding with you again in this years RAGBRAI.
John, as your proud sister-in-law, I say thank you for teaching as you do……you truly care about your students and their experience in your classroom. I hope you all (Mom, Heidi, Tyler, Connor and you) have a great time on RAGBRAI this year, will look forward to hearing the stories as usual, but especially from my nephews this year!
Great story, John! I too live in Oswego and am a professor of Computer Science and SUNY Oswego. These real world examples that you’ve created for your students are exactly the kind of thing that help them see the relevance of their studies. I hope to see you next month!
Wow, John always knew you were a great person and teacher. You have inspired someone in our family with your style of teaching and your heart is always with your family and students. Who knows maybe someday soon we could ride with you all. Stay the person you are and never quit. We love all the people in your family. Jeff, Deb & Kelly Sue
Way to go John. Liked the arcticle. Did you use the “pie” factors in your teaching?
Thanks for the info, John! I am going to tutor Math to grades 3,4,5 in an inner city Denver school this coming school year, and I am going to incorporate your lesson plan. You are an inspiration.
Yes Grady….I will try to make another one with you in it : ) Thank you all for the kind woeds!
John
4) The ratio of pie eating is as follows: For every 1.5 pie pieces Mr. Sheff eats Connor eats .5, Tyler eats .75 and Mrs. Sheff eats a cookie. If Mr. Sheff eats 12 pieces of pie how many pieces of pie do Connor and Tyler eat and how many cookies does Mrs. Sheff eat?
should say: kind “words.” I guess that is why I teach math LOL
JS
John,
And I don’t do math! I might have learned more with you as a teacher
I’m currently taking a graduate course and learning to create “Webquests”. The modules you create would make wonderful webquests for your students.
There is a website that tells you how to do them at webquest.org.
Keep having fun. Enjoy your ride in July.
Donna
John, I think you have to revise it to: for every 1.5 pieces of pie that Mr. Sheff eats, Grady eats 4
)
That is so cool to teach the kids this way. Keep up the creative thinking so kids will know math can be interesting.
Hope to see you on the ride this year.
I have taught with Sheff for the past eight years and he is an inspiration not only to the students but the teachers, too! Thanks for all that you do, Sheff.
I’m a teacher in Sheffs building and I’m continually impressed with the real-world teaching John brings to his classroom!
As a former teacher, now working for a corporation, it’s the sparkle in their eyes that I miss most. Great methods and great job!
I was once a student, then became a Mom, then a Grammie, then a great-grammie. I have seen the deterioation of the public school system and I truly thank God for you. You have managed to reach your students on their level and engage them. I will be on RAGBRAI and hopefully will have the honor of meeting you. Thank You.
Great work John; its encouraging to know that there are such inspiring teachers in our midst. One request, however, — rather than provide coloring books that usually provide an adult’s perception of how things are, I think you would be astonished at the results if you instead asked them to respond in drawing or song or dress, or construction to the parts of cycling that they find interesting.
Haven’t planted the beans yet. Just got back.