Maths Week

TKI Hot Topic for August 2003

Maths Week 2003 runs from 11–15 August. This year, the theme is maths and work – encouraging students to consider, and ask their caregivers, about how they use mathematics in their everyday lives. This TKI Hot Topic explores this theme, and provides a number of useful maths websites full of challenging tasks and interactives.

Maths in our everyday lives

Maths is all around us. Most of us use several mathematical processes even before we arrive at school or work in the morning.

Studying mathematics exercises our brains so we can better perform our daily tasks – honing the computational, measurement, and problem-solving skills that are essential for most of us to get through an average day. Mathematical processes are also essential in the workplace – whether it is the ability to estimate and adhere to budgets, programme navigation paths, design an America’s Cup-winning yacht, prescribe the right dosage of antibiotic, or thousands of other applications. You never know when you will be called upon to use your mathematical knowledge – so make the most of your learning to prepare yourselves for the future.

Here are a number of examples of how we use maths every day. They are separated into the different strands.

Using numbers and algebra

• Getting on the right bus or train by reading the route number on the front
• Reading street numbers to get to a friend’s house
• Giving change to a customer
• Splitting the cost of a meal among your friends
• Calculating how many text messages or calls you can make on your prepay cellphone
• Buying something online in a different currency and working out the cost in NZ dollars
• Budgeting – working out the best value for money (e.g. buying in bulk or buying smaller amounts).

Using measurement

• Buying new shoes and clothes to fit
• Measuring ingredients in cooking using metric spoons, cups, and scales
• Working out how long you have to get ready and get to school from the time you wake up
• Figuring out the fastest route to school taking distance and time factors (e.g. waiting at intersections, traffic volume) into account
• Working out the fastest queue at the supermarket
• Buying the right amount of fabric to make a ball dress
• Marking out a rugby field.

Using geometry

• Slicing a cake into even segments
• Lining up a kick for goal or the arc of a netball for a shot at goal
• Folding origami models
• Weaving, or using patterns in artwork
• Putting on makeup
• Tying a tie
• Arranging furniture in your room.

Using statistics (particularly probability)

• Playing board games with a dice
• Dressing according to the weather report or what it looks like outside
• Choosing a mufti day outfit knowing what others are likely to wear
• Leaving earlier for the bus because it often comes sooner than the timetable indicates
• Working out your chances of winning before entering a raffle
• Participating in a census.
  

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Resources on TKI

Maths Week 2003

Maths Week 2003
Visit the official website for Maths Week 2003.
www.mathsweek.org.nz

Read the NZ Education Gazette article on Maths Week
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/articles/show_articles.php?id=6445

CensusAtSchool NZ – a children's census
CensusAtSchool is an online survey, aimed at year 5–10 students, that will be launched during Maths Week 2003. The survey, which will take about 10 minutes to complete, asks questions involving mainly measurement and counting. The New Zealand survey is part of an international project designed to enhance statistical literacy among 8–15 year olds. Data will be fed into an international database, which students can use in lessons and data-handling activities. The URL is listed amongst the resources below.
http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/census/index.php

Read the NZ Education Gazette article on CensusAtSchool
http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/articles/show_articles.php?id=6453

Maths interactives

wickED Maths Stuff Interactives
These interactives were designed to develop and maintain recall of basic facts and calculation skills, including order of operations. The activities include Blast Off, Code Cracker, Matho, Matho 2, and Multiple Matrix. All interactives have instructions in Māori and English.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/wick_ed/maths/interactives.php

StudyWorks! Online
StudyWorks! Online explores the mathematics and science behind everyday activities. It spotlights current education, science, and maths news and contains related learning activities, problem solving challenges, and interactive games.
http://www.studyworksonline.com

Maths Wheel
This website from the BBC features interactive activities designed to develop and maintain mathematical knowledge and skills. It includes number, algebra, geometry, and statistics activities. You can help builder Ted to order numbers, practise substitution with postman Phil, compare the weights of animals, work out the probability of catching a red fish, and complete many other activities.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/gameswheel.html

Primary Games
This United Kingdom website provides students working at New Zealand levels 1–4 with a variety of interactive maths games to use independently. Students can practise skills introduced in teaching sessions on fractions, decimals, co-ordinates and numeracy. Logic and problem-solving skills are also used.
http://www.primarygames.co.uk

AS Guru Maths Methods
This BBC website features interactive activities designed to assist students in maintaining knowledge and skills in mathematical methods. The topics related to this web page include algebra, coordinate geometry, differentiation, integration, data representation, and probability.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru/maths/12methods/index.shtml

WaterinSchools.com
This web page provides links to information about water including the history of the Thames river, the new river, waste treatment, the water cycle, water wastage tips and more. Available online is educational information, teacher resources, maths activities, student interactive role play, games and worksheets. Some resources have to be purchased. This site is suitable for all school ages.
http://www.waterinschools.com/index.html?newindex1.htm&1

i-Math Investigations
i-Math Investigations are ready-to-use, online, interactive, multimedia math investigations built around interactive math Java applets. Some have accompanying video clips. The site includes student investigations, teacher notes, answers, and related professional development activities. Suitable for levels 1–8.
http://illuminations.nctm.org/imath/index.html

Thomas and Friends
This is the Thomas the Tank Engine website. It includes some interactive maths games for students working at New Zealand level 1. This site is easily navigated and is ideal for independent use to reinforce concepts of space, shape and develop problem solving skills.
http://www.thomasthetankengine.com/home/homepage.html

Questacon Maths Centre
This website contains a selection of puzzles created by the Australian Questacon Maths Centre. Students can attempt the interactive mathematics problems on the website or complete a remainder of the puzzles offline. Hints and solutions are provided.
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/puzzles.html

Please note: These links were valid when this page was posted. However the Web is very volatile, and TKI has no control over outside websites. Please let us know if you find anything inappropriate, if you find a broken link, or if you have an update for a link by emailing links@tki.org.nz. Te Kete Ipurangi recommends that teachers view all websites we link to before using them with students.

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