Archive for the ‘Maths Piglets’ Category
41 Maths things to do before you’re 12
February 8, 2023Summer Holidays are done. School is BACK in Australia. But how do middle school teachers get students excited about Maths? Here are some ideas.
“A growing body of research shows us that outdoor play leads to better physical and mental health, has positive effects on cognitive function and learning, and reduces the incidence of behavioural problems.” Maria Zotti, Nature Play, SA.
Peter Dunstan, Principal Kilkenny PS, SA, writes in SAPPA magazine, Primary Focus, that outdoor play fosters “wonderment, independence and freedom” as well as “social skills, imagination, creativity and problem solving”.
Inspired by SAPPA and NaturePlay, Mathspig has produced her own outdoorsy maths list:
References:
7. Robin Hood Give us your best shot.
9. You can measure the volume of your lungs by blowing one breath into a balloon and pushing it into a full bucket of water. Measure the overflow.
15: Outdoor Maths: Times Tables
21. Light intensity links. Here and here.
36. Killer heels that really kill.
Outdoor Math Adventures: Grade 3 – 5
September 16, 2022It’s Autumn in UK & FALL in the USA so it’s the perfect time for a little bit of outdoor math for Grade 3-5 with AUTUMN leaves. Of course, you don’t need FALL LEAVES for this exercise, but it is colorful.
This fab idea comes from Juliet Robertson, an outdoor education consultant in Scotland. Her blog Creative star learning is one of the most inspiring outdoor maths blogs you will find.
Check out Mathpig’s protractor joke here.
Another fab idea from Juliet Robertson.
Draw a Cool Pattern with x2, x 3 & x4 Tables… but it is trickier than you think.
March 18, 2022A COOL MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH EXERCISE
This idea comes from Burkard and Giuseppe @ the fabulous MATHOLOGER channel. Students can make a pattern called a cardioid that pops up all over math according to Burkard.
Follow these steps. There is a pdf file below the first diagram for printing exercise sheets.
And then watch the MATHOLOGER video for a really interesting explanation.
x2 Tables on a Circle pdf file for printing
This circle graph blank could also be used for x3 and x4 tables, which produce totally different yet equally amazing patterns.
Halfway there, now it gets tricky. +52 to each point on the circle and keep multiplying by 2.
ie. 27 x 2 = 54, 28 x 2 = 56 and so on.
so 0 = 52, 1 = 53, 2 = 54, 3 = 55, 4 = 56 etc
This shape is called a CARTIOID.
What’s the Maths Curriculum got to do with it? WHEN Maths is, like, soooo BORING!!!!!
February 22, 2022Australia is reviewing its Maths Curriculum.
Sides are taken. Arguments are rife. See the excellent article by Donna Lu, Cracking the formula: how should Australia be teaching maths under the national curriculum?, The Guardian,13 FEB, 2022)
Should teachers teach? Or students explore problems? (Called Cognitive Activation in academe!)
Why not, both? Then add outdoor maths (below) plus defronting the classroom sometimes and try some maths selfies for homework. More ideas here.
It doesn’t matter what’s written in the curriculum, the biggest problem in maths for students is
BOREDOM.
Here, to tackle boredom are:
41 Maths things to do before you’re 12
“A growing body of research shows us that outdoor play leads to better physical and mental health, has positive effects on cognitive function and learning, and reduces the incidence of behavioural problems.” Maria Zotti, Nature Play, SA.
Peter Dunstan, Principal Kilkenny PS, SA, writes in SAPPA magazine, Primary Focus, that outdoor play fosters “wonderment, independence and freedom” as well as “social skills, imagination, creativity and problem solving”.
Inspired by SAPPA and NaturePlay, Mathspig has produced her own outdoorsy maths list:
References:
7. Robin Hood Give us your best shot.
9. You can measure the volume of your lungs by blowing one breath into a balloon and pushing it into a full bucket of water. Measure the overflow.
15: Outdoor Maths: Times Tables
21. Light intensity links. Here and here.
36. Killer heels that really kill.
Outdoor Math Adventures: Grade 3 – 5
September 12, 2019It’s Autumn in UK & FALL in the USA so it’s the perfect time for a little bit of outdoor math for Grade 3-5 with AUTUMN leaves. Of course, you don’t need FALL LEAVES for this exercise, but it is colorful.
This fab idea comes from Juliet Robertson, an outdoor education consultant in Scotland. Her blog Creative star learning is one of the most inspiring outdoor maths blogs you will find.
Check out Mathpig’s protractor joke here.
Another fab idea from Juliet Robertson.
Make a Cool Pattern with x2 Tables… but it is trickier than you think.
September 6, 2019A COOL MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH EXERCISE
This idea comes from Burkard and Giuseppe @ the fabulous MATHOLOGER channel. Students can make a pattern called a cardioid that pops up all over math according to Burkard.
Follow these steps. There is a pdf file below the first diagram for printing exercise sheets.
And then watch the MATHOLOGER video for a really interesting explanation.
x2 Tables on a Circle pdf file for printing
This circle graph blank could also be used for x3 and x4 tables, which produce totally different yet equally amazing patterns.
Halfway there, now it gets tricky. +52 to each point on the circle and keep multiplying by 2.
ie. 27 x 2 = 54, 28 x 2 = 56 and so on.
so 0 = 52, 1 = 53, 2 = 54, 3 = 55, 4 = 56 etc
This shape is called a CARTIOID.
41 Maths things to do before you’re 12
March 25, 2019
“A growing body of research shows us that outdoor play leads to better physical and mental health, has positive effects on cognitive function and learning, and reduces the incidence of behavioural problems.” Maria Zotti, Nature Play, SA.
Peter Dunstan, Principal Kilkenny PS, SA, writes in SAPPA magazine, Primary Focus, that outdoor play fosters “wonderment, independence and freedom” as well as “social skills, imagination, creativity and problem solving”.
Inspired by SAPPA and NaturePlay, Mathspig has produced her own outdoorsy maths list:
References:
7. Robin Hood Give us your best shot.
9. You can measure the volume of your lungs by blowing one breath into a balloon and pushing it into a full bucket of water. Measure the overflow.
15: Outdoor Maths: Times Tables
21. Light intensity links. Here and here.
36. Killer heels that really kill.
Climbing a Stairway to 7, or maybe, 77?
June 14, 2018They take their maths seriously in Germany. They have monuments to mathematicians. They name streets after mathematicians. They take maths into shopping malls.
They think maths is so important they even put maths on stairs. Here is some times tables art from Germany.
Learning Jump Strategy from a Young Mathematician
June 8, 2018
Mathpig just learnt this from a young Mathematician age 9.
It is a great way to do maths because you are thinking ‘Mmmm! How can I work these numbers.’
Getting maths students to think about what they are doing is so much better than just having them guess ‘ Arrrr! Whatever. Click B.’
More jump strategy information here.
This will be very useful later when it comes to a similar method used to simplify long division:
Mathspig Blog 