News

Current News In this edition of the News you will find:   Learn More With Poly Plug   Get to Know a Cameo      ... Crazy Animals      ... Knight Swap Please feel free to distribute this information.

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• Learn More With Poly Plug

  In the story Problem Solving Polypluggers (see Link List below), Sue Davis introduces her story with:

  I have just returned from teaching a bright bunch of GATEWays children in a 2 ½ hour workshop using Poly Plugs. I began asking the children, "What do Mathematicians do?". One of their responses was that Mathematicians work out the hardest problems of all. She continues with several examples from the session, such as: After the break, we began exploring examples of symmetry found in nature and in the classroom. I asked them to create symmetrical patterns on their Poly Plugs feeling that when they understood this we would move onto rotational symmetry. (See Exploring Symmetry and Rotation Challenges, both Free Tour Activities, in Link List below.) Before I had the chance, the children were bringing symmetrical patterns to me and exhibited such astonishment that when they rotated their Poly Plugs, their patterns remained symmetrical. Who was leading who in this investigation!!

  Each PP set comes with a press-seal bag as in photo top right. Normally $11 - $13·50 depending on number. Sale ends December 1st unless stock runs out. Use Poly Plug in Link List below as the starting point for discovering the many, many ways teachers use this resource. Use order form in Link List below. Include an order number or Visa/Mastercard details.

  Exploring Symmetry
  There is something in this activity for every primary school teacher. Perhaps that's because it was developed, trialled and refined by a team of six teachers from three schools. The initial motivation in the activity is the children's desire to push out plugs and turn them over.

  Starting with children's own 'turn over' creations teachers look for symmetric patterns to begin a discussion about symmetry; a discussion enriched by the fact that there will be non-symmetric examples in the classroom as well (even if one of them happens to be the teacher's). Drinking straws, or similar, help in the hunt for lines of symmetry.

  Rich as these possibilities are, perhaps the 'aha' moment for teachers in this activity is its seamless introduction of number leading to rich experiences with operations (recorded in journals and on calculators) and even times tables.

  Several variations and extensions to develop spatial perception are included, such as the link to Rotation Challenges (some of this activity would stretch secondary teachers) and an activity on the NRICH site which credits its source as our work with Poly Plug. See Link List below.

• Get to Know a Cameo

  Task 102, Crazy Animals
  

  This very popular task grew from a book that a child brought to school. A book with 3 separate sections on each page that allowed the reader to connect the head of one animal with the body of another and the legs of another. Creating crazy animals was so much fun for that class, and it remains so today for any class, as teacher after teacher has trialled and tweaked the idea until it now offers learning opportunities at every primary and secondary level. The cameo details the multiple levels of mathematics possible and various strategies that have been used to tackle the challenges on the card. What happens if...? questions

  lead deeper and deeper into iceberg of the task. There is also a link to the Maths At Home version of the investigation, which can be used as a homework project, or a whole class lesson guide. Even if you only have the one set of animal cards from the task, there is a suggestion for creating a whole class investigation over time.

  In the eTask Package this task is in the 'more work' set because additional printing, laminating and cutting is required to create the animal cards.

  Task 151, Knight Swap
  

  Although suggested for Years 4 - 8, this task is open to anyone who knows how to move a chessboard knight (which is explained on the card anyway). Students are able to work like a mathematician without needing specific mathematical content knowledge. The starting point is easily accessible and reasoning is highlighted. Black knights in the two top corners of the board; white knights in the two bottom corners. The challenge is for them to change places using L-shape knight moves only. The problem can be visited and revisited (recording the key points of each visit in a journal is useful) until success is found. Some students may need help at some point and the cameo includes suggestions for what that might be. It also includes:

  • a full solution,
  • the suggestion that success is recorded in a way others can understand,
  • a link to the NRICH site for this problem that has several student recordings of the solution,
  • an outline for introducing the investigation to the whole class through physical involvement on a large grid,
  • an illustration of how simple it is to build a table top model of the large scale introduction using Poly Plug.

  In the eTask Package this task is in the 'easy to make' set because it only needs two objects in each of two colours to be knights. They do need to be comfortable to pick up. Counters don't work well but blocks do.

Link List Problem Solving PolyPluggers Other Stories from Calculating Changes Exploring Symmetry Rotation Challenges Poly Plug Crazy Animals Knight Swap Working Like a Mathematician Learning Features eTask Package Maths At Home Task Library Task Cameo Library Task Cameo Content Finder Calculating Changes Calculating Changes Content Finder Calculating Changes Year Level Finder Working Mathematically with Infants Picture Puzzles Order Form Did you miss the Previous News? If so you missed information about: Explicit Teaching: Opportunity or Opportunity Lost? Poly Plug Spring Sale Get to Know a Cameo ... Find My Pattern, See-Saw

Did You Know? You can Search Mathematics Centre. Our Site Map acts as a Table of Contents to help you find what you need in Mathematics Centre. You can find photos of every task using the Task Library. You can find tasks by content using the Task Cameo Content Finder. You can create your own Task Library in a professional learning context with the eTask Package. Calculating Changes offers Content Finder & Year Level Finder tools. You can find tasks coded by Year Level and Curriculum Strand in the Task Centre Catalogue. (PDF file) You can search for lessons by Year Level, Curriculum Strand, Lesson Features & Keyword at Maths300. You can connect Tasks to their Maths300 companion lesson using Tasks & Maths300. (PDF file) Excel version provided by Pymble Ladies' College also links each Task to its Maths With Attitude content strand. All these links, and more, appear in Working with Mathematics Centre. (PDF file)