Longer Term Investigations
- Could integrate an aspect of maths with English so the result is a story book? For example, a trip to the zoo where children note the size of animals could be translated into a story about going to the zoo that had a comparative size focus. Children could discuss the animals and order them in terms of size, arguing that that one was taller, etc. Could be done for height or width or both where characters argue about which is bigger because one is taller another fatter. Then students work on collages for illustrations for the book. In doing so they discuss and compare the size attributes they noticed about the animals so that the illustrations are relative in terms of size. Text also could be brainstormed so that students' words could be used.
- Music – fractions eg crotchets = ½ minim, quavers = ½ crotchet etc end product could be a song they write together (could be a recording of them performing it). I think this could be really good if you got each child to write a bar of the music using the concept of the fraction to decide on note values to use. Then the class could put them together into a tune and write words to go with it. Of course words that had something to do with fractions would be icing on the cake.
- Graph classes in the school. Students take a class each they go there to count how many children in the class, how many boys and how many girls. They work out how to count (may use tally marks, or groups of ten plus leftovers – these methods could possibly be discussed as a class beforehand) and record the information. Then all come back together to discuss how they will represent it graphically; ie: will boys and girls be different colours, will they have groups of ten and singles (eg use Base 10 shorts for singles and longs for tens) or could have some type of 3D representation where you use lego blocks and stack them together (is that harder to see or clearer). Students investigate how to collect and represent data for the school, with class discussions on the pros and cons of methods suggested and arrive at best. The graph would have to be impressive as the final product and the process documented (ie each student’s tally marks they used going around to classes etc).
- Area: compare areas of various sports courts and fields. Could do in groups and research on net, homework etc. Tennis, basketball, netball, football (various codes), soccer.
- PE measure heart rates, speed of running, walking, how many times can bounce tennis ball in a minute, how far can kick/ throw a basketball, how far can kick/throw tennis ball, etc.
- How many bricks does it take to build a school? Start with a guess, give students 5 minutes to look around at some brick walls, then ask them to work it out, could use various methods: compare to the average house - could find this out on the web or ring/ask a builder; could count bricks in 1 wall and multiply by the number of walls; could count bricks in a square metre and multiply by the estimated number of square metres; etc.
- Position, area, length - design a setting for a train set with given materials
- Could design and make a game with maths basis. It can be done in class or as an assignment. Groups could focus on different concepts. They should be encouraged to think beyond just a question and answer type format.
- Could look at calorie intake versus calorie burn off during various activities. Study calories on foods eaten and research energy burnt off while doing a variety of activities. Then compare what taken in versus what burnt off.
