Maths today

This week we have been looking at area and in particular using proportional thinking to explore the relationship between changing the side lengths and the resulting change to the area. This task pictured below had students creating 4 different rectangles. For the first rectangle, students were asked to design the dimensions themselves. The second rectangle had to be double the length of the first rectangle. The third had to be double the width of the first rectangle. The last one had to be both double the length and the width of the first.

This led to a discussion on area and how each one would be calculated based on what you knew about designing each rectangle. 

This followed on from yesterday's lesson where students discovered through real life scenarios that in order to double the area of a rectangle, only one side length needs to be doubled, not both. In fact, they discovered that by doubling both, the area is 4 times that of the original rectangle.

Students then created multiple versions of their rectangles and created the patterns you see below. 

This proved quite a challenge as the criteria for their design was as follows:

1. They had to create an exact rectangle with their multiple rectangles. 
2. Same sized rectangles could not be side by side.
3. No two rectangles of the same colour could be together. However, a portion of one side was acceptable.
4. The design had to include at least one of each type of rectangle.
5. The design had to have at least 8 rectangles.

It was great watching students working through this, reflecting, thinking and the joy when they had it correct!

Reflecting on this themselves, they realised that they also needed to spend time carefully ruling straight lines, and then cutting carefully so that their lines were straight. 

It was a great learning experience!

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the creative experience!