#3047. Scale Measurement

Mathematics, level: Middle
Posted Tue Feb 3 20:04:13 PST 2004 by A. Weyand (aew22@pitt.edu).
U. of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Johnstown, PA
Materials Required: Chalkboard, Colored Chalk, Handouts (farm map), Notebook, Paper, Rulers, Pencils, Yard Stick, Overhe
Activity Time: At least one class session
Concepts Taught: Scale measurement

Developmental Activities:

I. Draw a large rectangle on the board.
A. Break the rectangle up into smaller squares and rectangles. Mark each with a different color of chalk.
B. Put a scale on the board. Ex: 1 inch = 100 feet.
C. Call on students to come up to the board and measure lengths and widths of each square/rectangle and record each of these measurements in inches. (use yard stick)
D. Say: Now we have these measurements in inches and our scale states that one inch is equivalent to 100 feet in real life. Who knows how we might change our measurements to the real life equivalent?
i. Call on a student.
1. If correct, give verbal praise
2. If incorrect, call on one or two more people before giving answer yourself.
ii. Call on different students to come to the board and convert the measurements by multiplying each one by 100 and changing the inches label to feet.
E. Ask students if they recall the formulas for the area of a rectangle and a square.
i. If someone remembers, write their answer on the board.
ii. If no one recalls, write the equations on the board. A(rect)=lxw. A(square)= sxs = s^2.
F. Call on different students to come to the chalkboard and find the real life area of each square/rectangle.
Time Estimate for Activity: 20-25 minutes

Transition: Say, "Now class, we are going to apply the ideas we've just discussed using a worksheet."

II. Pass out worksheets, rulers, and notebook paper. Explain the worksheet (scale model of a farm) and read the instructions.
III. Now tell students they will be working in groups on this worksheet and give them their pre-assigned group numbers.
A. Tell them where each group will be located.
B. Have them get into their groups and work quietly together.
i. Walk around the classroom and look for groups that need help.
ii. Watch to see if the students have completed the worksheet.
Time Estimate for Group Activity: 20-25 minutes

If Time Permits:

IV. Go over worksheet with the class.
A. Use overhead projector with worksheet on transparency.
i. Ask students for their answers.
ii. Mark correct responses on overhead.
Time Estimate: 10-15 minutes.

Be prepared for questions such as:

Can I switch groups? Stand firm in decision of keeping original groups.

Can I work on the board again? Tell students that you want each student to get a chance to work on the chalkboard.

Vocabulary involved in lesson:
Area
Scale Measurement
Square
Rectangle
Equivalent
Length
Width

Assessment/Evaluation: Collect worksheets. Each student has filled out his/her own worksheet. Be sure that the students write their name at the top before they pass the worksheet in. Evaluate worksheets outside of class and score them out of 16 points.

Conclusion: This activity has prepared you for tomorrow's project which involves building your own scale models of farms.

Technology Integration:

If there is one computer available to the classroom, hook it up to a projector and create blueprint of a building or farm. Project this on the screen using the computer and ask the students questions about it.

If there are 3-6 computers in the classroom, break the class into groups. Have them search for websites that have blueprints or scaled down diagrams of some object. Have them do the calculations that were done on the worksheet for scale measure.

If there is a computer for each student, have the students create their own blueprint of a floor of their dream home. Make sure to include all rooms, pools, yard space, etc. This would be an exciting way to show students how math and scale measure is important in real life!