Rotation Challenges Years 2 - 6

Summary Children sometimes discover how to make an axle in the centre of Poly Plug boards and immediately begin spinning. This activity suggests a few challenges that can take advantage of this natural behaviour and simultaneously develop some mathematical insight. Materials 1 Poly Plug per person Acknowledgement Glenda Pain, Port Wakefield Primary School as part of a Professional Development program titled Engineering 'aha' Moments in Number

Procedure Stack the red board on top of the blue/yellow, press out the centre plugs. Put them into the boards again in reverse order to make an axle. Remove a few other plugs (no more than five). Explore and record (perhaps with a camera). Below is Glenda's first effort and one of her What happens if...? questions. Members can also explore the activity Rotating Poly Plugs. Also, use the Task Cameo Content Finder to find Tasks that involve rotation and other transformations.

Content language of space, position & order mathematical conversation spatial perception transformations (rotations, reflections, flips)

Press out the three corners as shown.

Now predict what you will see if the red board is rotated ¼ Turn (90°) anti-clockwise.

No peeking now until you have thought about it...

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But if you have...

and another ¼ Turn (90°) anti-clockwise?

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and another ¼ Turn (90°) anti-clockwise?

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and another ¼ Turn (90°) anti-clockwise?

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Not too difficult perhaps...

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but predict what you will see if this pattern is rotated ¼ Turn (90°) anti-clockwise.

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Think ... then click here.