This problem solving activity has a number (addition and subtraction) focus.
Gill is writing her name using capitals.
She notices that "G" has three end-points, "I" has two and "L" has two.
How many points does she have in her name?
How many points does your name have?
Whose name in the class has the most points? The fewest points?
This problem is about points on the capital letters of the alphabet and is a precursor to algebra. Students will need to count the 'end points' on each letter in their name, then add these totals together to get the total number of 'end points' in their name.
A series of six lessons with the same theme span Levels 1 to 5. They involve number concepts gradually developing into algebraic concepts. The lessons are Names and Numbers, Number, Level 2; Make 4.253, Number, Level 3; Multiples of a, Algebra, Level 3; Go Negative, Number, Level 4; and Doubling Up, Number, Level 5. You might find it useful to scan these other lessons to see where they lead.
Gill is writing her name using capitals. She notices that "G" has three end-points, "I" has two and "L" has two. How many points does she have in her name?
How many points does your name have?
Whose name in the class has the most points? The fewest points?
Can you think of a name that has 17 points? (One that hasn’t come up before.)
Can you find a shorter name that has more points that a longer name? If so, why is this?
Ask students to come up with some easy addition equations using the points in their group.
The answers that you get for the first part of the question will depend upon the names of the students in the class.
They will know from the first part of the lesson that a reasonably long name is needed to get 17 points. Have them guess and check to find a solution.
They may find that rounded letters (eg. C, D, O) have fewer points, so OSCAR has fewer points than EMMA.
Printed from https://meaningfulmaths.nt.edu.au/mmws/nz/resource/points at 8:55pm on the 26th February 2024