Chris Chivers (Thinks)

  • Home
  • Blog-Thinking Aloud
  • Contact
  • Contents
  • PDFs
  • Sing and strum

More maths Activities

10/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Still browsing files. Here’s a series of maths activities that lend themselves to open ended investigation with a little tweaking, or can be used to think though specific issues within a practical base.

Investigating with cubes

Resource; tray of multilink cubes or similar.

Investigation; To explore how many different shapes can be made with 1,2,3,4,5,6 cubes?

Picture
This investigation enables discussion of reflected and rotated shapes and whether they are “allowed” as separate shapes, or whether they should be disallowed.

A table of results could be developed, to record results.

A subsidiary activity could be, having created shapes with 4 cubes, better perhaps, if each shape in single colour, to see what shapes can be made by using combinations of cubes, say 12, 20, 28.

This can give rise to drawings of different elevations, top, bottom, four sides. All can lead to mathematical discussions.

Investigating squares

Picture
Devise a checking method to show how many squares there are in a 3 squares by 3 squares grid.

Repeat this for a square of 4 by 4 squares.

Set out results in a table.

1 square

2 squares

3 squares

4 squares

Is there a pattern in the results? Consider square numbers.

Could you predict how many squares would be in a 5 by 5 grid, then prove it?

How many squares on a chess board?

Triangles

In the same way as the squares investigation, the use of triangles might give rise to a different range of mathematical discussions.

Picture
Isometric paper allows children to draw the triangles for themselves, or they can be provided for them.

Start with one triangle side, two, three, four, etc, so that investigation is ordered, and have the children create a table for results.

After three, they can start to predict how many triangles they expect to find and to explain their thinking.

 
Pyramids

Using multilink, can you make a square based pyramid two stories high, with one cube at the top?

Three, four, five…

Enables early discussion of square numbers.

Predict the next series of layers, then prove.

 

Back to one…

Dividing by 2 practice.

Allow each child to choose a starter number, appropriate to their current awareness.

Rules of the task.

If it can be divided by 2, do it, if not, add 1.

Example

33+1=34/2=17+1=18/2=9+1=10/2=5+1=6/2=3+1=4/2=2/ (2=1) repeats

If this is drawn out, linking all the numbers, a tree starts to grow.

 

Rectangle arrays.

Picture
Resource; multilink or similar linking cubes.

Discuss the attributes of a rectangle.

What’s the smallest rectangle you can make with cubes?

Make a series of rectangles of different sizes and explain their attributes.

How many different rectangles can you make using 12 cubes each? (4)

How many cubes would it take to make five different rectangles with the same number of cubes in each? (36)

Question; is a square a rectangle?

Six (60), seven (120-192), eight (120)

 

Back to zero “snake”

Based on the idea of function machines, each stage is an equation, with the output becoming the input into the next machine.

The start number can be any with which the child feels comfortable. NB The function machines can be hand drawn, as the task progresses, or before starting, if a specific number of equations are expected.

The child can devise their own trail through the snake, taking responsibility for accuracy. If, say, 20 functions are expected, then it is possible to specify that 4 will be +, 4 as -, 4 as * and 4 as /.

The level of challenge can be differentiated, by expecting somewhere in the snake for numbers to go above a specific point.

Whatever happens through the snake, the answer at the “head” is always zero.

This activity is very simple to organise, but can be adapted to any age and ability, by varying the expectations.

Picture
More to come soon...
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Chris Chivers

    Long career in education, classroom and leadership; always a learner.
    University tutor and education consultant; Teaching and Learning, Inclusion and parent partnership.
    Francophile, gardener, sometime bodhran player.

    Archives

    March 2021
    January 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All
    Assessment
    Behaviour
    Differentiation
    English
    Experience
    History
    Home Learning
    Inclusive Thinking
    Maths
    Parents
    Science
    SEND
    Sing And Strum
    Teaching And Learning

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Click to set custom HTM L
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.