As part of the geometry and measurement strand of the mathematics curriculum, Room 5 students have been learning to describe movement and position with increasing accuracy.
MoveNprove questions began our movement and position learning. MoveNprove questions assess student understanding and diagnose confusions in different areas of mathematics. These questions have encouraged class debate and discussions around grid references and compass directions. MoveNprove questions also show students prior understanding when describing movement and position, enabling a teacher to plan for activities that meet the learners next steps.
Mack had to go and get chalk from Room 1 so we (Room 5 students) could prove a moveNprove. Mrs. Sprague drew a compass on the carpet, then Carter was Joe and had to face southeast and then do a quarter turn to his right. He ended up facing northwest.
Using a simple map of Wairakei Primary School, students described the location of classrooms and other features using compass directions and grid references. Next, students wrote specific directions to move between different locations on the map. Finally, students created their own movement questions for a buddy to explain the pathway.
I know about the north-east, south-east, north-west, and north-east directions from the compass on my dad's boat.
I can follow Mrs. Sprague’s compass point directions to walk a pathway around the classroom. She thought I had a good sense of direction and wouldn't get lost in the bush.
We take turns being the robot and the computer programmer. The computer programmer gave the robot directions to follow. This is how you talk to computers.
To get to the staff room from Room 5, you had to go north 1 square, then east 6 squares, and finally south 1 square.
To get to Room 1 from the blue court, you could go southwest 2 squares and then south 1 square.
On the map, the library was west of Room 8. The library's grid location was A2.
The next step for students is to create their own grid map of a place they know well. Using their own grid map, students can then create questions to test their peers' movement and positional knowledge.
Every child deserves a classroom where they feel valued and well liked by their teacher. This is a goal of mine as it makes a safe place for students to learn and grow. While I enjoy all areas of teaching and learning, mathematics is a particular passion. Supporting students to make connections between mathematical ideas and identify patterns and rules in our number system gets me very excited.
In my classroom students are encouraged to be brave, cooperative, and open to learning. It is a safe place to take a risk. Reflection is important, along with the celebration of student success.
When not at school, time spent mountain biking and exercising my energetic dog keeps me fit for a busy classroom. Helping students learn and develop is at the centre of everything I do and I am happy to continue this journey at Wairakei Primary School.
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