Chocolate Fix Brain Lab

Chocolate Fix Brain Lab

Chocolate Fix Brain Lab is designed to teach problem solving strategies to grade school students. Students will play puzzle challenges, learn to identify and solve three game specific Chocolate Fix strategies, and work as a group to find new solving strategies. In the optional Advanced Lab (part 5), students learn to formally explain their solving process for complicated puzzles, and learn that doing this is making a mathematical proof.

Chocolate Fix Brain Lab is overtly and very specifically designed to teach the ThinkFun Super Solver System of problem solving. This system has three fundamentals:

  1. Super Solver Steps
  2. Super Solver Strategies
  3. Super Solver State of Mind.
    Chocolate Fix Brain Lab focuses on the Super Solver Strategies.

Brain Lab is a learning program where students solve challenges, engage in group discussions, and earn points when solving challenges to earn a Super Solver Certificate of Achievement. Graduates will be able to recite all of the Super Solver Steps, Strategies and State of Mind, and to be comfortable explaining how these are useful in their daily lives.

We achieve this because these games are really fun! Your students will think that this program is recess... we believe that this will be a highlight of their day. The ideas behind the program are compelling and make sense to kids, and they will see for themselves how useful they are… so they will be eager to learn!

Below you will find the outline for this Chocolate Fix Lab. Please follow the links (bolded in blue) to download everything you’ll need to run this lab. The parts are organized into concepts. Some may take more than one class period to complete. The power points will be your guide to run your lessons. The resources are all the printable resources like challenge sheets and student worksheets available in both color and black white – you decide which you’d like to use. We recommend the color challenge sheets that you can reuse and black and white student worksheets. The final column is our recommendation to the number of copies you will need of the resources. Enjoy the lab! Have fun! We look forward to hearing your reports!

 

This lab is organized in parts. The parts represent the different concepts being taught. Some parts will take more than one class period to teach. Technology
These power point presentations will guide you through your lessons. Read the notes for each slide.		 Resources
Note: All challenge and student worksheets are available in color or black and white.		 Number to Print or Copy
If you are printing color challenges, a great tip is to keep them in plastic page protectors to reuse again.
Pre Lab   Pre Program Questionnaire One per student

Part 1: Introduction

Introduce students to the problem solving Super Solver System, the Brain Lab program and how to play Chocolate Fix.

Power Point 1:
Introduction

Includes the on-line links:

 Tracking Chart One per student

Introduction Challenge Sets 1 and 2 (enough for groups to use)

 One per four students

Introduction Worksheet (optional)

 Two per student

Introduction Answer Key

  
Journal Mission Report 1 One per student
Student copy of the Super Solver System Poster One per student
Super Solver System Poster Mailed one per class

Part 2: Three Primary Strategies

Introduce three game specific Chocolate Fix strategies.

Power Point 2:
Three Primary Strategies

Solve In Order: Challenge Sets 1 and 2

Student Worksheet

Answer Key

Copying of the Sets 1 and 2 will depend on the teacher.
Challenge Sheets; one per group
Worksheets; one per student or pair

Shape & Color Match: Challenge Sets 1 and 2

Student Worksheet

Answer Key

Only One Left: Challenge Sets 1 and 2

Student Worksheet

Answer Key
Journal Mission Report 2 One per student
Chocolate Fix Black Line Master (optional) One per student or group

Part 3: Strategy Hunts

  • Strategy Hunt has students identifying the three strategies from part 2 when given challenges where they're combined together.
  • Students solve Tricky challenges and try to identify their own game specific strategies.

Power Point 3:
Strategy Hunts

Strategy Hunt: Challenge Sets 1 and 2

Student Worksheet

Answer Key

 Copying of the Sets 1 and 2 will depend on the teacher.
Challenge Sheets; one per group
Worksheets; one per student or pair
Tricky Challenges: Challenge Sets 1 and 2

Student Worksheet

Answer Key
"Our Classroom Strategies" Poster Mailed one per class
Journal Mission Report 3 One per student

Part 4: Universal Super Solver Strategies

Connections are made from the game specific Chocolate Fix strategies to the universal Super Solver Strategies. Then generalized to real life situations.

Power Point 4:
Universal Super Solver Strategies

 Journal Mission Report 4 One per student

Part 5: OPTIONAL
Prove it!

Students begin to prove their Chocolate Fix solutions by describing step by step the strategies they used. This way of explaining their solution is a form of mathematical proof.

Power Point 5:
Prove it!

 Prove It!: Challenge Sets 1 and 2

Student Worksheet

Answer Key

 Copying of the Sets 1 and 2 will depend on the teacher.
Challenge Sheets; one per group
Worksheets; one per student or pair
Journal Mission Report 5 One per student

Part 6: Let's Celebrate!

Review the Chocolate Fix Brain Lab concepts:
Super Solver System
Link from game specific Chocolate Fix strategies to the universal Super Solver Strategies and finally to use in real life.

 Power Point 6:
Let's Celebrate!

Certificate of Achievements

One for each student who earned that level
Journal Mission Report 6 One per student
Post Lab   Post Program Questionnaire One per student