Outdoor Maths

Objectives

To learn to use the outdoors to develop mathematical thinking.

Resources

Abacus Workbook 2 | Hit the Button (TopMarks) | Outdoor space

Vocabulary

problem solving | total

Today's Lesson

Introduction

Before you start the lesson, watch this Recap Video with your student.

EXPLORE - Hit the Button (TopMarks)

Ask your student to select ‘Number Bonds’. They should then select ‘Addition within 20’ again.

Spend two lots of 60 seconds, again trying to beat their score each time!

Then ask your student to click ‘Menu’, then ‘Subtraction within 20’. Repeat the idea of playing for 60 seconds, then trying to beat their score.

Main Activity

Outdoors, challenge your student to find four sticks and to arrange them as follows:

Then, finding small objects such as pebbles, leaves, and so on, place them in the spaces. Ask your student to place them in each row and column.

Challenge your student to make one of the rows or columns total 10.

Then, can they make two rows or columns total 10?

Finally, what about all the rows and columns?

Observe your student as they tackle this problem; it will be useful and interesting to see their approaches. Try to resist helping them at first, as they are certain to have their own approach.

As they are a few minutes into the problem, ask questions such as:

If these two squares total 8 so far, what should the 3rd square be?
Can we try something different if it isn’t working?

Extra Challenge

Depending on their level of success in the task above, your student may like to tackle creating a grid with 4 rows and columns instead of 3.

Alternatively, you could change the target number in the original grid to, for example, 12 or 15.

Workbook

To help your student recap upon previous learning from this course, please ask them to complete the activities on page 8 of Abacus Workbook 2.

Citations

[1] www.topmarks.co.uk