Visiting Grandma
This problem solving activity has a measurement focus.
Ana is going to see her Grandma in 6 days from now.
What is today's date?
What date will she see her Grandma?
- Use a calendar to tell days of the week.
- Devise and use problem solving strategies to explore situations mathematically.
This problem applies addition to dates. If there is a big event coming up such as a school trip or an important anniversary, then use this as the context for this problem.
The extension requires knowledge of both the number of days in the week and the number of days in the current month. Use a date that is correct for the current day/month/year.
To succeed at this problem your students will need to be able to read and count numbers up to 31.
- Copymaster of the problem (English)
- Copymaster of the problem (Māori)
- Calendar for April or a month that suits your focus
The Problem
Ana is going to see her Grandma in 6 days from now.
What is today's date?
What date will she see her Grandma?
Teaching Sequence
- This problem could be introduced in relation to a daily news board that students use to identify the current day and date.
- Give each of the students (or pair of students) a copy of the calendar for the current month. Ask them to point to certain dates to reinforce their use of the calendar. Make links to significant dates that are relevant to your students (e.g. birthdays, public holidays).
- Pose the problem.
- As the students solve the problem, ask questions that focus their thinking on the calendar:
How many days are there in April?
Show me how you found that out.
How many Mondays are there in April?
What date is six days away from now? What will the date be on that day? - Share solutions.
Extension
Ana has just returned from spending 8 days with her Grandma. What is the date and day now?
Grandma is coming to stay in 5 weeks from today. When will she arrive?
Solution
The question can be answered by using arithmetic applied to the dates or by using a calendar. For example: adding 6 to 23 gives the answer as the 29th April. Equivalently the students can count on 6 from 23rd April on a calendar to find the same answer.
Solution to the Extension
Adjust for dates you are using. Have students model counting on 8 full days, leaving and returning on the following day. Connect this to the numbers on the calendar. Model moving into the beginning of the next month if appropriate.
Have students talk about and demonstrate on a calendar how to count on five weeks from today.