Activities for Maths Lab

Suggested Activities for Mathematics Laboratory

Class III

Activity 1 : To form Square, Rectangle & Triangle with the help of a Geo - Board.

Objective: To learn to identify the shape of plan Geometrical Figurers & their Characteristics.

Material Required: Geo - Board, Rubber bands.

Let us proceed:

SQUARE NUMBERS: Numbers which form a square are called Square Numbers.

For example number 4 is a square number, since by joining 4 adjacent nails of a Geo- Board with rubber bands, we get a square.

Now, observe the following pattern, write next two Square Numbers, using a Geo – Board:

Answer: 25, 36

Rectangular Numbers: Numbers which form a Rectangle are called Rectangular Numbers. For example numbers 6, 8 and 10 are Rectangular Numbers, since:

Now, write next two Rectangular Numbers and form corresponding Rectangles on the Geo-Board.

Answer: 12, 14

Triangular Numbers: Numbers which form a Triangle are called Triangular Numbers. For example numbers 3, 6 and 10are Triangular Numbers, since:

Now, write next two Triangular Numbers and form corresponding Triangles on the Geo-Board.

Answer: 15, 21

On the bases of this activity, answer the following questions:

1. How many sides (a) a square (b) a rectangle (c) a triangle, has?

2. How many vertices (a) a square (b) a rectangle (c) a triangle, has?

3. Fill in the blanks :

(i) All the 4 sides of a square are -----------.

(ii) Adjacent sides of a rectangle are ----------.

(iii) Opposite sides of a rectangle are -----------.

Another activity with same objective:

Activity 2: To form Square, Rectangle & Triangle with the help of Clay & Tooth - picks.

Material Required: Clay & Tooth – picks.

Square:

Steps for performing the activity:

Step 1: Make tiny balls of clay

Step 2: Fix one toothpick in each of the four balls thus formed .to get four clay stands.

Step 3: Join four stands thus formed as shown below:

Name the figure thus formed.

Repeat the same activity for forming (a) A Rectangle (b) A Triangle.

Activity 3: To form a Cube and a Cuboid using Cutting and Pasting activity.

Objective: To enhance cutting and pasting skill of the children and to identify the characteristics of solid figures.

Material required: Chat Paper, A pair of scissors, Glue Stick, Copying paper.

Let us start:

Copy the following shape on a Chart paper.

Cut it along its boundary and fold it along the dotted lines.

Paste the folded shape and name the shape thus formed. Answer: Cube

Count the number of corners of the shape thus formed. Answer: 8

Count the number of edges. Answer: 12

Measure the edges and observe their relation. Answer: All the edges are equal.

Repeat the same activity to form a Cuboid and answer the similar questions for a Cuboid.

Take the help from your Teacher.

TIME

Activity 4: To make a WATER CLOCK/ SUN DIAL

Objective: Enhancement of the spirit of scientific adventure & advancement, of the children resulting in change of life style.

Introduction: The ancient Egyptians used T- Shaped Sun Clock to tell the time. The shadow the T moving along the bar, showed the hour.

By about 6,000 years ago people observed that shadows depend entirely on the sun. Early in the morning shadows are very long, but grow shorter as the sun rises higher. At midday, with sun almost overhead, the shadow may nearly disappear. In the after noon, the shadow begins to grow longer again.

Suggested Activity: Children may verify this statement for themselves through observation and actual measurement.

People soon realized that by pushing a stick in to the ground, they could make a shadow. With this knowledge in mind, people invented many kinds of Sun Clocks or Sun Dials. One of such Sun Dials is shown below:

This type of Sun Dial Can be seen in Jantar Manter, New Delhi.

Suggested Activity: Try to make a Sun Dial in your School Play Ground by marking positon of shadows of some fixed object after every one hour in the day time and noting the actual time against different positions of shadows.

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In the year 2003, I was invited by Principal Mrs. Nalini Pal , Secretary, of the neighboring Schools of Indore, which are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhi to guide help the Mathematics Teachers of the area to improve upon their ‘Teaching Methodology” so that they may make “Teaching Learning Process” a lively and a joyful activity in their class rooms.

While interacting with the learned teachers of Indore, one of the teachers asked,” Sir! Different Resource persons and Subject Experts suggest different teaching methods for various topics of Mathematics and we get confused to decide which technique is the best technique of teaching Mathematics? Kindly help us to sort out this problem.”

In a joyful mood I replied “Best technique of teaching Mathematics is – not to tech”

The participants laughed and thought that I am joking but to justify my statement, I further added” A good Mathematics Teacher should always provide an environment and opportunities to the learner to explore the facts and figures of Mathematics which may lead them to draw inferences from their interaction with their classmates and performing of the activities. Let them finally formulate the results and formulas. Motivate them to think mathematically and make them apply their acquired knowledge in dealing with their real life problems. Inculcate abstract thinking in them by making use of their imagination power.” For example, the learner may be asked to ‘Construct objects, figures and diagrams, and change their shape, while preserving the mathematical relationships and hence .can explore mathematical properties like that of a right angled triangle which was first established by the Great Greek Mathematician Pythagoras.

Or

Establish and verify the Algebraic formulas like (x+ y)² = x² + 2xy + y² , etc..

Provide extra-curricular Math and Physics Olympiad and Problem Solving Programs to gifted children Prepare students to take on the most rigorous math and science curriculum sequences and guide the students and their families in developing their math talent through enrichment and acceleration programmes and elite summer camps, etc. Further encourage them to participate in the National and State Math Competitions.

Teaching of mathematics be used as a mean to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills in the learner. Thinking skills are more important than memorizing mathematical facts. Therefore, chalk out the programs to integrate problem solving with mental mathematics, logical reasoning, communication, and organisational skills to develop life-long learning skills for at least the gifted children.

Try to provide an intellectually stimulating and fun environment to the learners to exploring mathematical concepts that may in an intellectually stimulating and fun environment that may emulate the practice of problem solving techniques to develop abstract reasoning. Good study habits always be rewarded and the brilliant minds be challenged. Try to be not only knowledgeable in mathematics but also master motivators who love to work with gifted children. Our goal should be to make children enjoy learning Mathematics.

3 _ D problem

Recently I saw the following question in the Eduction Times of 'The Times of India' dated March 10,2008:
If a line makes equal angles with all the three co-ordinate axes then the number of such lines is
a) 2 b) 8 c) 6 d) 4

Its answer published in the same paper dated March 17 is "(d)".
I believe it is not the correct answer.
Please comment.

Mean Value Theorems in Calculas

Creative Work

Following is my article, published in "Reflections" a special issue of a News Letter (Volume 12) of M/S Sultan Chand & Sons released on 5th September 2007, to mark the birthday of S. Dr. Radha Krishnan,the second President of India, whose birthday is being celebrated as Teacher's Day in India, since he was one of the foremost scholars of comparative religion and philosophy in the 20th Centuary. He created a bridge between Eastern and Western thoughts justifying that each one is compatible with each other. He introduced Western idealism into Indian philosophy and was the first scholar of importance to provide a comprehensive exegesis of India's religious and philosophical literature to English speaking people.

DIRECT VS. INDIRECT INSTRUCTIONS

In a classroom situation, different instructional strategies are deployed by the teachers. Decision making regarding the instructional approach is taken based on curriculum, content, the prior experiences and knowledge of students, learner's interest, student's learning styles and the developmental levels of the learner. Normally, a teacher extends direct instructions or indirect instructions for teaching the children.

Direct Instructions

Teachers following this style of teaching provide the students with much of the information they need, often through lectures, explanations, examples, and problem-solving. Most direct instruction techniques only allow for minimal student-teacher interaction, and need to be supplemented by review, practice, and group discussions. This is the traditional way of teaching.

Direct instructions style of teaching is not an effective way of teaching for the children with ‘higher level of thinking’ or ‘ability to analyse’ or ‘evaluate the acquired knowledge’. It cannot be used to teach material over a long period of time or present additional details to students who have already mastered the basic concepts.

Indirect Instruction

The indirect approach to teaching presents students with instructional stimuli through materials, objects, and events, and requires students to go beyond the basic information that they are given to make their own conclusions and generalisations. Indirect instruction allows teachers to engage their students in activities which require the students to learn independently.

Students take an active role in their learning by developing ideas, testing their own conclusions, and discuss their results. This allows students to independently discover patterns and relationships in their learning and knowledge. Students go beyond the basic problems presented to them, allowing them to develop advanced levels of thinking and analysis. Indirect instruction is most effective at teaching a process or method of learning, and allows for a dynamic teaching and learning environment.

This technique of teaching may also be referred to as “Discovery Approach”. Guided Discovery approach to teaching develops an individual with an analytical brain and scientific aptitude towards learning and acquiring more and more knowledge of the world. This helps the children to apply their acquired knowledge to deal with new situations of life.

"Discovery" approach to teaching is a method that allows students to uncover their individual talents and abilities through a hands-on interactive problem-solving, exploratory, learning process. The success of this process totally depends upon the guidance accorded by the Educator.

The Discovery Approach develops the whole person and respects the individual learning styles, interests, and abilities of each student.For the success of the process, the Educator is supposed, not to teach the desired concepts directly but is to create a situation and an environment congenial for the learner to explore and discover the desired facts and principles for himself. Educator is to inspire the children to engage their head, heart and hands-on learning experiences. By actively engaging them in problem-solving activities, children are to be given the opportunity to develop a real understanding of the skills and concepts to be taught. To be clearer about the practical aspect of the ‘Guided Discovery approach of Teaching’ let us look in to the following illustration:

To make the children learn about the ‘Clock Arithmetic’ the educator may pose a problem:

“A 10 – hour count down is planned for a rocket launching. If the count down begins at 5 in the morning and there are no delays, at what time the rocket is launched.”

Questions like this, stimulate the children’s thinking and they start working on the problem to discover the solution to the problem posed to them. The success of the process depends upon the guidance to be extended by the teacher for the analysis of the solution obtained by the child and drawing of the inference, followed by the genralisation of the result obtained.

- Y.P.Verma

Retd. Dy. Director, D.A.V.College Managing Committee

Starting my e journey

I express my gratitude and appreciations for Mrs Rashmi Kathuria for motivating me to to start my e journey by creating my own blog. I am confident that through this blog, I shall be sharing my experiences in the field of education, with my friends and society.

Administrative and academic queries are welcome for discussion.