The purpose of this unit is for students to design a PE/fitness game, use standard measures of length, and conduct a statistical investigation into the safety factors and the health benefits of their game.
This unit of work assumes prerequisite knowledge gained at level one: the students can recognise the attribute of length, knows that measurement units are countable and that they can be partitioned and combined. When measuring length they realise that there should be no gaps or overlaps.
In these lessons the students are developing an understanding of a linear scale. They recognise that such a scale is made up of units of equal size that are known as ‘standard units’, because they are able to be easily understood by everyone.
The students learn to accurately reposition a metre ruler when required to measure a length longer than the ruler. In becoming familiar with metre and centimetre units of measure, the students learn to express parts of metres as centimetres and to use the abbreviations m and cm when recording length measures. They come to understand that 1000 metres are equal to 1 kilometre, and develop a personal benchmark for one metre and one kilometre.
Further to the development of measurement skills and knowledge, the students participate in planning and collecting appropriate data to answer a question that has been composed with the support of the teacher (as required). The students sort the data and presents these using a dot plot, whilst refining their understanding of the investigative process. They can answer the investigative question and can suggest consequences of their findings.
Associated Achievement Objectives
Health and Physical Education
Positive attitudes
Safety management
This unit can be differentiated by varying the scaffolding or altering the difficulty of the tasks to make the learning opportunities accessible to a range of learners. For example:
The focus of this unit is designing a PE/fitness game. Encourage students to consider their friends and classmates when planning, and to create a game that will appeal to them and be fun to play. This could be achieved by incorporating favourite elements from other games, or items of current interest. Elements of traditional Māori games such as Kī-o-Rahi, Tapuae and Mā Whero could be used as well.
Te reo Māori vocabulary terms such as inea (to measure), rūri (ruler), and tākaro (game) could be introduced in this unit and used throughout other mathematical learning.
Whilst this unit is presented as a sequence of five sessions, more sessions than this will be required between sessions 3 and 4. It is also expected that any session may extend beyond one teaching period.
This session is about playing a familiar game and evaluating its health benefits and safety considerations.
Students of this age may be challenged to accurately measure their pulse rate. Therefore these lessons use an alternative ‘indicator’ of the effects of exercise: that is that the intensity of worthwhile exercise should prevent you from singing, but should not prevent you from talking.
SLOs:
Activity 1
Begin the lesson by singing a favourite waiata. The aim of the lesson is not to learn a new waiata, so consider using one your ākonga are already familiar with.
Activity 2
Activity 3
Ask, “How far did you run today?” and “How can we find out?”
Make available 1 centimetre cubes, meter rulers, a 10 metre + tape measure and a measuring wheel.
Have the students share what they know about the metre ruler. Establish that it is called a metre ruler. It is 1 metre long. If centimetres have already been introduced and used, have students line up 1 cm cubes along the ruler to confirm that 1 metre = 100 centimetres.
Activity 4
Develop a personal benchmark by asking: “Who can jump 1 metre?”
Have student pairs measure a 1 metre length on the carpet/floor, marking this with chalk.
Highlight that the measure begins at 0 and ends at 100. Discuss the ‘extra’ space at each end of the ruler.
In their pairs, have students check if each person can jump 1 metre. A tuakana/teina model could work well here.
Agree that when we think about how big 1 metre is, we can think of it as one big personal jump.
Activity 5
Activity 6
Have a student model both the correct and an incorrect way to measure using a metre ruler. This could be completed in pairs. Highlight how to mark the beginning and end of the measure and how to correctly replace the metre ruler, when measuring a distance greater than 1 metre.
Have several students measure a length that is more than a metre, read the measure aloud, and record this on the class chart.
Model examples of parts of a metre as well, for example 2 ½ m.
Activity 7
Explain that students will pair up (tuakana/teina) and participate in two measuring tasks to become familiar with the measuring tools. Emphasise that their recording should use the correct abbreviations.
Show and have students make a recording sheet, as demonstrated below. Alternatively, you may feel it would be more effective to provide some, or all, of your students with a graphic organiser to be used in this activity.
Measurement from ... to | Metre ruler | Measuring tape |
Have students measure at least three different lengths around the classroom, hall, or other designated area, using a metre ruler and a measuring tape. They should that they get the same measure using each tool.
Activity 8
Conclude the session by sharing measurement results and reviewing the fitness course distance. Discuss how many metres in 1 kilometre. Estimate and calculate together the number of times they would need to run around the fitness course to cover a 1 kilometre distance. Establish a rough benchmark for 1 kilometre. (For example, 1 kilometre is 5 times around the fitness course.)
This session is about recognising that rules that address fairness and safety, help to ensure that a PE/fitness activity is enjoyable. As students design a PE/fitness activity, they learn more about accurately measuring outdoor spaces.
SLOs:
Activity 1
Begin with a fitness run.
Activity 2
Explain that the class is going to play a favourite PE game (for example: Ki-o-Rahi, Tunnel ball, Scatter Ball). Together, list the rules on the class chart.
Ask: Which of the rules are about making the game fair? Write F beside these. Discuss that fairness makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.
Ask: Which of the rules are about making the game safe? Write S beside these. Discuss any anomalies. If there are no specific safety rules, list some generic ones.
Activity 3
Return to the class, review the enjoyment of the game and ask if playing the game will make them fit. Discuss why/why not. Refer to the “talk/sing measure” from session 1.
(The response may be, “No, because it didn’t make me puff and I could sing.”)
Review the list of rules and confirm the fairness (F) and safety (S) decisions made earlier.
Highlight the importance of games and activities being safe and enjoyable. Ask if any other safety rules should be added and why.
Activity 4
Activity 5
Have groups swap game instructions with another group. Have them read, critique, seek clarification and suggest refinements or improvements to the other’s game design. You may wish to come up with guidelines and/or a rubric for students to use during this. The groups may wish to play each other’s games as well.
Give time for these adjustments to be made.
Activity 6
Review pair measurements for the outdoor space. Tennis courts are about 23.8m x 8.2m. Remind students that 1000m = 1 km. Estimate together the number of times the length of the court would need to be run to achieve the length of 1 kilometre. (eg. Round up to 25m. 25m x 40 = 1000m) Together calculate the number of lengths of the tennis court needed to run 1km.
Students may use this as a 1 kilometre benchmark. You could also consider other known lengths such as from the school gate to the walking pou, or other local community locations.
This session is about creating a simple questionnaire to evaluate each group's activity, and learning about dot plots.
SLOs:
Activity 1
Begin with a fitness run.
Activity 2
Activity 3
Working together (mahi tahi model), collate and present the data using three dot plots. For example:
Discuss the dot plot features, the results, and draw conclusions.
Activity 4
For the remainder of the session, and for sessions to follow, have students participate in and evaluate each other’s games. Each group of students will collect the data for their game to analyse and present in Session 4.
This session is about student groups sorting the data from their classmate’s evaluations of their activity and presenting the findings.
SLOs:
Activity 1
Begin with a fitness run.
Activity 2
Make available pencils, paper, and sets of data for each pair activity.
Have students work in their groups to sort their data and to discuss their findings. Each student should create three dot plots to present their data, record their own findings and should answer the investigative question in their own way.
As students work, have them record on a small poster, their knowledge of centimetres, metres and kilometres, the relationship between them, and explain why we have standard measures.
This session is about communicating investigation findings to others and sharing their understanding of standard measures of length.
SLOs:
Activity 1
Begin with a fitness run.
Activity 2
Activity 4
Arrange the length measurement tools in front of the students.
Have individual students share their learning about each of the tools.
Ask which tool would be used to measure small lengths.
Introduce the millimetre measure for tiny lengths.
Conclude by reviewing personal benchmarks for (1cm), 1m and 1km.
Dear parents and whānau,
In mathematics we have been measuring distances and learning about metres and kilometres in particular. Ask your child to show how big a centimetre and a metre is, and to tell you about how big a kilometre is.
Please take opportunities to talk about and use these measurements: for example, measure and mark in pencil on a door frame, the height in metres and centimetres of each family member, or, when you are next travelling in the car, point out the speedometer and explain to your child how you know when the car has travelled 1 kilometre.
Printed from https://nzmaths.co.nz/resource/fun-and-fitness at 1:46pm on the 3rd May 2024