Area: Mathematics
Abstract: To introduce the notion of “Coordinates”, two paintings by Van Gogh will be presented linking with the notion of maze and getting lost. Then, an enigma and a little story should be created by the teacher. Some students will reproduce the 2 axes of a graph wearing a number (ex: -4 or 3) and others will try to discover some clues hidden behind different positions on the graph. They will stand up in a precise location according to the coordinate data given by the teacher, and one clue will appear. They must find the solution to the enigma thanks to each clue
Learning objectives:
-Students will be able to understand how and why we use maths coordinates
-Students will be able to use and apply terms related to maths coordinates correctly
-Students will be able to understand graph and read coordinates
Teachers’ profile: (team transversality) Mathematic teacher
Advisable age of students: (Flexible according to the curriculum of specific country) 12-14 years old
Previous knowledge:
-Know the Numbers
Global development 60-65 Minutes
Materials: Tape – Papers
Phase 1 Duration: 10-15 min Visualisation
Development
Presentation of Vincent Van Ghog’s painting “Trees and Undergrowth”.
Discussion around the artist: Who? What did he do? Lead students to describe the painting presented. Then, link this painting with the notion of coordinates: If you get lost in this forest, what should you do? What way do we have today to find our way? Have you already heard about coordinates?
Phase 2 Duration: 30 min Artistic action and experimentation
Development: Warm Up : Play music. Students will walk into the room. Stop the music and give them an order where they have to find ONE partner. For instance, “Both have curly hair”, “Both have blue pants”, “Both wear glasses” → Purpose: focus their spirit on the activity and start to work by pair (since also the coordinates come in pairs).
Drama activity: The teacher will have to create a little story giving a goal to the students, for example: “the teacher is on the school way for the mathematics lesson with this class. The students will have to give him/her the wrong directions to lead him/her to his/her home instead of the school.”
With some tape, the teacher has to create a grid pattern on the floor (to represent x and the y coordinates). The students have to resolve a rebus with the wrong address. In order to make them solve the rebus, the teacher will give the students directions that they must follow on the grid pattern. Once the students have done it, the teacher will give them an image/clue. All the completed images/clues will form the rebus and they need to resolve it to have the address.
Like in Harry Potter the students need to go inside the pattern and move.
Example of directions :
– (-1; 3)
– (1, 7)
– (3; -3)
– …
After the students will find all the pictures, they need to resolve the rebus.
Phase 3: Duration 20 min Reflexion and debate
Development:
-Why do you think we made this activity?
-What does this activity represent?
-Why didn’t it work when you reversed the numbers?
-Why do you think there is a specific order?
-Do you think this order is helpful for technologies like GPS for example ?
-Why did we have a grid pattern ?
Comments, possible derivations, and prolongations of the proposal:
You can create several graphs for different groups to discover more sentences/word according to the story that was created.
You can add obstacles or blocks so that the student has more difficulties
