Hour of Code!

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santa_game

This week is the beginning of the International Week of Computer Science, when tens of millions of students from over 180 countries participate in “Hour of Code”. This is a great activity to introduce students to computer science in a fun, easy and accessible way. Here are some resources to introduce coding in your classroom:

Hour of Code website

Khan Academy Introduction to Hour of Code – video and resources

Make a Flappy Game – a ‘drag and drop’ method to create your own version of the popular flappy bird game.

Code with Anna and Elsa from Frozen

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This week we have about 30 students from Year 7 to 9 attending school, while the rest participate in the end of year “Great Hawkesdale Bike Ride”. They enjoyed creating their own Flappy Bird and Angry Bird Games and then constructing Christmas scenes in Minecraft. Which games did you create, which was your favourite and why?

Year 6 to 7 Orientation Day!

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Congratulations on completing Year 6 and welcome to Hawkesdale P12 College for Year 7. This blog is where I will post some of your Maths classes for next year. If you scroll back through the posts you can see some of the work we have been doing this year in Year 7 Maths.

TASK 1: Please complete this survey.

TASK 2: Create a Christmas advent calendar using PowerPoint. Follow the steps below:

  1. Open Powerpoint and insert a 5 x 5 table.
  2. Add Christmas themed clip-art to each cell of the table.
  3. Cover each image with a shape, using “Insert” > “Shape”.
  4. Number the shapes in each cell from 1 to 25.
  5. Add animations, so that when you click on the shape, it disappears and the “treasure” is revealed.

Screen Shot 2014-12-04 at 2.31.19 PMScreen Shot 2014-12-04 at 2.35.59 PM

TASK 3: Hour of Code (see post above).

If you have finished, you may like to create a Christmas card for your friends or family. When you have finished you may like to try some of these games:

 

A selection of maths videos from YouTube

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life-of-pi5116812Image source

“Life of Pi” is one of my favourite movies, with a beautiful soundtrack and amazing cinematography. I was trying to find the video clip of Pi in the classroom, when he is tired of being teased for being called “Piscene” (or Pissing) and fills the blackboard with the irrational number ‘pi’. Can you post in the comments below if you can find that clip from the movie? Some other good maths clips linked below:

What are the Chances?

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OCDParkingattendant

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You will be familiar with hearing discussions about probability in terms of words, if not quantities – “It isn’t likely to rain on the washing today”, “The chances of winning the lotto are very small” “It is equally likely that the other team will win”. For the remainder of this term we are going to use numerical representations of probability, including tree diagrams, two-way tables and Venn diagrams.

Windows Apps for Maths

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Our Year 7 and 8 classes received Microsoft Windows tablets at the beginning of last term, as part of a DEECD trial, “Inking your Thinking”. The students have enjoyed using these devices to access Mathletics, as well as playing the “2048” game in free time at the end of a lesson. However, there are some more good Windows apps that I would like each student to download onto their devices.

Number and Algebra

  • 100 chart (for prime numbers, multiples and factors)
  • Prime factors
  • Maths Wizard
  • Easy Fractions
  • Motion Maths – Fractions
  • Motion Maths – Hungry Fish
  • Fluid Math Online
  • Dragon Box ($5.99)

Measurement and Geometry

  • Geoboard
  • Math Geometry
  • Geometry 101
  • Solve Geometry Ver 2.0

Statistics and Probability

  • Charts
  • Bar Chart creator
  • Linear graph
  • GraphPad
  • Dice Roll simulator
  • Simple coin flipper

How many triangles?

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Federation-square-sandstone-facade

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Learning Intention: Students will understand how to calculate the area of a triangle, using the rule Area = 1/2 x base x height.

Success Criteria: Students will draw and label at least four different triangles of the same area.

How many different triangles can you draw with an area of 120 cm sq? Use graph paper, where 1 cm ~ 10 cm and label the base and the height, showing any right angles.

Graphs and Data

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Image created in Create-A_Graph

Last week you were working on a poster showing the results of a class survey in table and graphical form. This data is just a small sample of the school and state data. When governments and businesses want to plan for the future they need to know information about the whole population – for example, where roads, schools and hospitals need to be built. This information is obtained using a census. The national census is conducted every four years, when the Australian Bureau of Statistics asks every household to complete a survey.

Some of the data obtained in the 2011 census is recorded here. Choose one of the categories that you are interested in and create a graph of the data using “Create-A-Graph”. Email your graph to me and a copy to yourself.

Equivalent fractions with a Fraction Wall

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Screen Shot 2014-03-03 at 2.49.00 PM

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This week we will continue making our fraction wall and learning how to calculate equivalent fractions. Using your fraction wall, find equivalent fractions for the following: 1/2 (one half); 1/3 (one third); 1/4 (one quarter) 2/3 (two thirds) and 3/4 (three quarters). What are some other equivalent fractions that are “off the scale” – using fifteenths, sixteenths, twentieths or hundredths?

To add or subtract fractions we need to make sure they have the same denominator (bottom number). We can convert fractions so that they have the same denominator by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by the same number. This interactive from NLVM helps to compare fractions and create fractions with the same denominator.

Here are some links to sites for learning more about fractions:

Apps for Year 7 Maths – Number

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Image source – screenshot from the “Motion Maths” app, in which the user must tilt the device to “bounce” the ball at a specific point along a number line.

This term we are starting with the characteristics of whole numbers and then fractions and decimals, including the following concepts:
– positive and negative integers
– square numbers and square roots
– factors and multiples
– prime and composite numbers
– prime factor trees

There are several apps that may assist you or your child to understand these concepts. The following apps are all available on IOS devices (iPhones, iPods and iPads) and some may be available on android devices.

– Zoom (place value – ordering whole numbers)
– Wings (greater than and less than, multiplication)
– Motion Maths (fractions)
– Wishball (place value, addition and subtraction)
– Fraction Factory (fractions, decimals and percentages)
– Number Line (fractions, decimals and percentages)

Algebra is not a dirty word!

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algebra

So far you have learned some really good skills that contribute to your developing understanding of algebra. Most of you are able to do the first four or five activities:

  • Recognizing and continuing number patterns – using positive and negative integers, fractions and decimals.
  • Identifying and combining like terms.
  • Substitution – replacing a number for a letter in an equation.
  • Finding the missing number in a simple equation.
  • Backtracking to solve two-step and three-step equations.

Here are some digital resources that I would like you to use to practise these skills: