Lesson 9 - Year 2

*Sorry there are no notes on this one!

Midget Spell

A dragon put a curse on you (one of the kids) that made your steps twice smaller every time you took a step. Can you get from this side of the room to the other, with your first step being half the way to the end of the room? Have the kids take turns and try it out and see whether they can get to the end of the room this way. At first though, have them make a prediction whether they will make it to the other side of the room.

This is one of Zeno’s paradoxes – the Dichotomy Paradox

Folding Paper

How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half? Try to fold it in half as many times as possible. Give each of the kids a piece of paper so they could each try it on their own. Compare results.

Folding Toilet Paper

After the kids have folded a normal piece of paper, now have them try to fold toilet paper (I am using a long ribbon) in half as many times as they can and see how the result differs from the number of times they could fold a normal sheet of paper. Again, before you start the activity, have them make predictions of what they think will happen. When they complete the activity, they should have an idea of how exponential growth can be very rapid, and that folding something in half one time already makes it twice smaller.

Splitting Pies

How do you split three pies for four people evenly? Draw three big “pies” on the board and have the kids try splitting them, and then counting what part of a pie every person gets.

Exploring Fractions

Draw circles, squares and other shapes on the white board and have the kids explore fractions. Don’t forget to explain what fractions are!

·         Are 2 out of 4 parts of a square equal to 1 out of 2 parts of an identical square?

·         If you have half of a square, and you a fourth more, how many parts out of 4 will you have?

·         If you have a pie, and you split it in half, and take one of the pieces, what fraction of the pie will be left?

·         What is bigger – one third or one half?

·         What is one half + one half?

·         What is one third + one third?

·         What about one third + one third + one third? Explain that when a fraction is x/x (same number for numerator and denominator) that means that it is a whole (1).

·         Explain that when the numerator is bigger than the denominator, it means that there are more pieces than what is available in one whole (1), which means that there is more than one of something.

·         If you split one half of a cake in half, what fraction of the cake would one of those pieces be?

·         What is 1/2 – 1/4?

Do all of these things on the white board (the kids can’t understand most of these unless they are visual).

Explore! If available, use something similar to these 3D Magnetic Fraction Shapes.

Play fraction Simon Says (half of you sit down, a third of you raise your right hand, etc)

Play opposite fraction Simon Says (if Simon says “a third of you sit down” that third has to not do that, but the rest of the kids have to do that)

If there is still time left, have the kids try to color this triangle with three different colors but no two same colors can touch (if there are lines connecting two circles, those circles can’t have the same color):