This week the Fourth Graders put the cartography skills they learned in Social Studies, as well as the ratio table skills they learned in Math, to good use! Using a five foot tape measure, students ‘leap frogged’ across the parking lot and the playground in order to create detailed maps. In the video above, Keeva, Nevaeh and Bella count off by ‘measuring tapes’ from one side of the parking lot to the other. By knowing how long each tape measure is (five feet) and knowing how many tape measures it takes to cover the parking lot (fourteen and twenty two), they can determine the exact length and width of the parking lot. They can also create a ‘grid’ on which to place parking spaces, lamps, areas of grass, and fences to create a detailed map.
Sonya maps out the dimensions of the playground.
In the photograph above, Sonya uses a ratio table to determine the dimensions of the playground and the placement of various things on it. Using a ratio table (to the left of the photo), Sonya knows that one tape measure is equal to five feet, two tape measures are equal to ten feet, four to twenty, ten to fifty, and so on. Using ratio tables in real world situations helps to put a practical face on what would otherwise be a mysterious mathematical concept (simple multiplication). The measurements that the students collected were actually fairly accurate, as you can see by how closely the map that the students drew fit over a Google Earth view of Pacific Northern Academy.
Dash, Kenny and Sonya take measurements to determine the perimeter dimensions of the playground.
Lastly, this week the Third Grade ran a game arcade for the entire school, and Fourth Grade had a chance to test their reflexes and win some prizes! In the photos below, you see our class as they make their way, game by game, through the Third Grade Arcade!
