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 Teacher Notes
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| Activity Outcome | Estimating, reading, writing and understanding large whole numbers. Tables Mass | | MTS Set | MTS6
| | NATIONAL Curriculum | The Number System | | Topics | Understand Whole Numbers
| | Keywords | Strategies, Large Numbers, Mass, Integers | | Grouping | Small groups | | Resources | For each small group: Access to measuring equipment plus a small bag of dried peas. | | Lesson Notes | - Encourage students to independently register an estimate about the number of peas before any discussion takes place.
- Students work in small groups to create a strategy for solving the problem.
- Encourage students to describe their strategy as a set of steps in text or diagrams.
- Measuring equipment should be available for students to choose in accordance with their strategy.
- Before groups start the 'Working' phase of the investigation, provide an opportunity to share strategies around the class. As part of this sharing process students listening should be encouraged to ask questions seeking clarification of strategy procedure.
- As a consequence of this sharing process groups may change/improve their strategies.
- After solutions have been found discuss the reasonableness of estimates and most effective strategies for gaining a reasonable result.
- Ask students to pose mathematical inquiry questions based on their knowledge of the number of dried peas in a kilogram, e.g. What would be the mass of 1 000 000 dried peas? What area would 1 000 000 dried peas cover if spread across the ground? How big would a container have to be to hold 1 000 000 dried peas? Could you lift it?...
| | Reflections | Use the Reflection Table on the activity sheet. Students use mathematical explanations to justify the reasonableness of their result.
| | Internet Links | | | Answers | Answers will vary |
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