Footprint Introduction

By: Jeremy Hildebrandt

The first activity we completed was an introduction activity based on your footprint.  In this activity we were to trace our footprint and then fill the footprint with important stuff pertaining to us as a person.  This activity is a great way to introduce yourself to a new class or to get to know the students you are teaching.  On my footprint, I put a baseball and basketball because I enjoy sports and they are a big part of my life.  Also, I put a print out of the Chicago Cubs logo because I have liked them ever since I was very young.  The portion of the footprint that has 4+4=8 represents my desire to teach middle school mathematics after I graduate.  The most important part of my introduction is the corn stalk in the upper left corner of the footprint. This corn stalk represents my family farm back home and also my family back home. Family is the most important thing in my life.  This is a great way to get acquainted with the students in your classroom and to find out their hobbies.

Since I hope to be a middle school math teacher, I can use this introduction in many ways in my classroom. One way would be to measure the distance to a certain location relative to proportions.  Students can use their footprint and depending on the proportion can estimate how many footprints it would take to get to a certain location.  Along with the proportion assignment, I can measure distance using their footprints i.e. their height, room distance.