Just before half term P2/3 took part in a range of activities for Maths week with the aim of developing the use of Mathematical language through practical and relevant situations. Once again the boys and girls clocked into work and donned their hi-vis jackets before starting the serious job of building a house. We used iPads to draw some plans. Before building could commence some accurate measuring was needed to mark out the house on the plot of land. Working as a team the sides of the house were marked out measuring 2 metres long by a metre and a half wide. After marking out the rooms the pipes were laid along the shortest routes. Careful joining was required to ensure that there would be no leaks. Using the wooden blocks the walls were built to make the house as sturdy as possible.
Having been given some play dough brick mixture the children were asked to make four equal bricks. Using the balance scales they measured half of the mixture, then half of each of those parts, making sure that they were exactly the same.
Repeating patterns were created for wallpaper and the job of designing the kitchen tiles was assigned. Simple tessellation was explored and P2/3 were aware of how important it is that there were no gaps left in the tiles. All the shapes had to fit together.
Using 1 centimetre cubes the children were asked to measure the area of a number of houses which a builder was preparing to build. He needed to know how much of the surface of his land each house would take up.
