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|Title: The Amazing Race: A Mathematical |Author: Jamie P. |State: New York |

|Journey Around the World | | |

|Grade Span: 3-5 |Subject: Language Arts, Mathematics, Geography | |

|Assignment Type: Individual, Small Group, Whole Class |

|Recommended Time Frame: 6 – 8 weeks |

Summary of Project:

Constructing pyramids in Egypt, designing symmetrical tribal masks in Africa, playing a strategic game of Adi in Ghana…Is this part of the curriculum? It is when students participate in the mathematical version of “The Amazing Race”, a popular reality television show. This grant will allow students to explore geometry, number sense, mathematical reasoning, and measurement, and see how they are used in various parts of the world.

Students will be divided into teams as they race around the world. Each member of the team will get to explore mathematics in a different country as they take home a country specific backpack that contains non-fiction literature, materials to complete an activity that addresses a specific mathematical concept, a scrapbook page to document their exploration in that country, and clues to what country the next member of their team will be exploring. As the backpacks are returned and the clues are solved the next team member will receive their backpack until one team makes it back to the United States. After the explorations are finished, the backpacks will be kept in the classroom to be used by all students during math centers. The final culmination of this Amazing Race will be a Multicultural Family Math Night in which students will orally present information about their activity and its significance to the country they explored and teach students from all grade levels and their family members how to complete that mathematical activity.

Materials and Resources Needed:

|Whole class |Per Group |Per Student |

|2 backpacks per country | | |

|Non-fiction literal for each country explored| | |

|Supplies for each activity (based on the | | |

|activities you do) | | |

|2 scrapbooks | | |

Key Vocabulary

|Addition |Measurement | |

|Subtraction |Number sense | |

|Multiplication |Data | |

|Reasoning |Pattern | |

Engaging Questions:

1. How are mathematical concepts used throughout the world?

2. Can you think of ways that mathematical concepts are used in our culture?

3. Think of your favorite game to play with your friends. Is there any mathematical concept in that game? If not, how could you change it slightly to incorporate a mathematical concept such as reasoning, measurement or addition?

4. Do you think that math is different in all countries, or is it similar?

Implementing the Activity

Introduce the students to this project by explaining to them that they have been chosen to compete in an exciting race around the world. This is how the race will work:

The class will be divided into two teams. Each team will work together as they “race” around the world and complete different tasks. Each member of the team will get a chance to take home a backpack from a different country. In the backpack the students will find an Exploration Journal, a task card, books about the country, and materials to complete their task. Each student will have 3 school days to complete the task. Ten hours will be added to each team’s score for every day that a backpack is not returned. After the task is completed the student will write about it in their Exploration Journal and then return the backpack to the classroom so that the next person on their team will get their backpack for the next country. The winning team is the team that makes it around the world in the shortest amount of time. Each member has a chance to decrease the time for their team by completing up to 3 addition tasks that are listed in their Exploration Journal.

Amazing Race Itinerary:

Each team’s journey will begin in Paris, France and end in Italy. Each time a team member returns their backpack they will move their pushpin on the large map displayed in the classroom to represent where their team currently is on their journey around the world. They will then calculate the amount of time their team has been traveling, being sure to subtract time for every additional task that was completed. Below is a list of every country the team will visit and how long it will take to get there.

France-Africa: 13 hrs. 25 min.

Africa-Egypt: 9 hrs. 55 min.

Egypt-China: 9 hrs. 45 min

China-South Africa: 21 hrs. 40 min.

South Africa- India: 13 hrs. 55 min.

India- Denmark: 9 hrs. 20 min.

Denmark- USA: 9 hrs.

USA- Congo: 14 hrs. 35 min.

Congo-Mexico: 23 hrs. 25 min.

Mexico- Mesopotamia (Iraq): 15 hrs. 40 min.

Mesopotamia (Iraq) - Italy: 6 hrs. 20 min.

Additional Tasks:

Students may complete up to 3 addition tasks in order to decrease the travel time for their team. They must return the completed assignments with their backpack in order for them to be accepted.

To take away one hour:

❖ Take pictures of you completing your activities at home and add them to your team’s Exploration Journal.

❖ Design a poster for your country.

❖ Create a Venn diagram comparing your country to the United States.

To take away two hours:

❖ Pretend you are going to travel to your country. Write a list of what you would bring with you and what you will see when you get there.

❖ Draw and color/paint a picture of an important landmark or event in your country.

❖ Pretend you have a pen pal in your country and write them a letter.

To take away five hours:

❖ Create a newspaper for your country. Include a headline story, advertisement, help wanted, and weather section.

❖ Design a 5-page picture book about your country.

❖ Create a life size model of someone from your country. Include clothing from that country.

❖ Create a travel brochure about your country. Be cure to include interesting facts and pictures that would make people want to visit.

Tasks for each country:

Mesopotamia- Counting in Cuneiform: In 2700 B.C. the Babylonians were using clay tablets to do their math homework. Students will make their own clay tablets and write their birthdates using Cuneiform symbols.

Africa - Mancala - Mancala is a strategy game which is played in Africa. Students will play Mancala and devise a strategy to win.

France - Shut the Box: Shut the Box has been a favorite game of French sailors for over 200 years. Students will play Shut the Box by rolling a die to find a sum and then finding two addends that would equal that sum. They will then record their rolls on a graph and interpret the data.

Egypt - Pyramids: Among the Seven Wonders of the World in ancient times was the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Students will create their own three-dimensional pyramids using drinking straws and tape. They will then explore vertices, edges and faces of the figure.

Denmark - Nimbi: A Danish mathematician created the game of NIMBI that cannot be solved by mathematical formulas. Students work with a partner to play the game of NIMBI. They develop strategies to get their partner to pick up the last of 16 toothpicks that are on a table.

China - Origami: Origami is the traditional Chinese art of paper folding. Students will create a frog using origami. They will recognize and record the shape of their paper after each fold.

South Africa - The Oops Basket- In South Africa the Zulu women teach their daughters the art of basket weaving by showing them how to create a small basket called the Oops Basket. Students will use a small plastic cup and yarn to create their own basket. They will have to create their own pattern as they make their basket.

India- Rongoli - Mothers and daughters in India draw a symmetrical design, called a Rangoli, with white powder on the porch of their homes each day. First they make dots, and then they connect the dots with lines. Students will use chalk and dark colored construction paper to create their own Rangoli designs.

Mexico - Toma-Todo - Children and adults like to play this game of chance. Students spin a top the shape of a hexagon and then follow the directions stated on the top.

Italy - Carnival Masks: One of the most important parts of the Carnival in Venice, Italy is the handmade masks. These masks are usually created with a symmetrical design. Students will use beads, feathers, ribbon, and other materials to create a symmetrical mask for the Italian Carnival.

Congo - Children’s Networks: Children in Congo use their fingers to draw designs in the sand. In these designs they never lift their finger and never go over a line more then once. Students will use a marker and graph paper to create a design that follows these same rules.

USA - Going to Boston: This is a simple dice game that was created to occupy the time as people took the train to Boston. Students will roll dice and add up their scores. The student with the highest score after 5 rolls is the winner.

Exploration Journals:

The exploration journal is where the students will record all of their discoveries from their task and country. They will also add their additional activities to this journal. Each team will have one journal. So students will be able to look back on what other students have written about their experiences in their country. The Exploration Journal has an Exploration Explanation page that must be completed by each student. The page is divided into three parts:

1. Where’s the Math - In this section students will write about the mathematical concept that their task was based on. It could be: problem solving, reasoning, measurement, addition, subtraction, geometry, data analysis, and number sense. In their explanation they must identify the concept and then explain why.

2. Things to Think About - At the bottom of each task card there is a section that says THINGS TO THINK ABOUT. Each student is to write a response to that question in this section. All of these questions ask the students to think more about the concept they just explored when completing their task.

3. I Didn’t Know That - Students will write two interesting facts that they have learned about their country from reading the non-fiction books in their backpacks.

Culminating Activity:

When the race has been completed the students will be paired with a student from the opposite team that also completed the same activity that they did. They will work together to do a research project on the mathematical activity they have completed and its significance in the country it originated in. They will organize their information using an outline format and write notes on index cards. Each pair of students will do a short oral presentation about their task and country at the Multicultural Family Math Carnival. The Carnival will begin with students presenting their tasks to parents, siblings, peers, faculty and administrators. All of the participants will have a chance to complete each activity as they go from booth to booth at the carnival. Each booth will have the materials to complete the activities and the students that did the presentations on each activity will be at their specific booth to teach others how to complete the activity.

End Result

The study of mathematics is universal. It is studied in almost every country throughout the world, yet it is sometimes confusing and feared by students. Through this project, students will develop a greater appreciation and understanding of mathematics as they explore different mathematical concepts and their applications throughout the world. Students will be skilled in solving mathematical problems in many different ways aside from traditional textbook problems. They will explore concepts such as number sense, geometry, problem solving, reasoning, measurement, and spatial thinking. The ultimate goal is to encourage our students to develop an interest in mathematics and a desire to solve problems.

Rubric

Oral Presentation on Country Rubric

| |1 |2 |3 |4 |Total |

|Organization |Audience cannot |Audience has difficulty |Student presents |Student presents | |

| |understand |following presentation |information in logical |information in logical, | |

| |presentation because |because student jumps |sequence which audience|interesting sequence | |

| |there is no sequence |around. |can follow. |which audience can | |

| |of information. | | |follow. | |

|Subject Knowledge |Student does not have |Student is uncomfortable |Student is at ease with|Student demonstrates | |

| |grasp of information; |with information and is |expected answers to all|full knowledge (more | |

| |student cannot answer |able to answer only |questions, but fails to|than required) by | |

| |questions about |rudimentary questions. |elaborate. |answering all class | |

| |subject. | | |questions with | |

| | | | |explanations and | |

| | | | |elaboration. | |

|Eye Contact |Student reads off of |Student occasionally uses|Student maintains eye |Student maintains eye | |

| |flashcards with no eye|eye contact, but still |contact most of the |contact with audience, | |

| |contact. |reads most of the flash |time but frequently |seldom returning to | |

| | |cards. |returns to notes on |notes. | |

| | | |flashcards. | | |

|Elocution |Student mumbles, |Student's voice is low. |Student's voice is |Student uses a clear | |

| |incorrectly pronounces|Student incorrectly |clear. Student |voice and correct, | |

| |terms, and speaks too |pronounces terms. |pronounces most words |precise pronunciation of| |

| |quietly for students |Audience members have |correctly. Most |terms so that all | |

| |in the back of class |difficulty hearing |audience members can |audience members can | |

| |to hear. |presentation. |hear presentation. |hear presentation. | |

| | | | |Total Points: | |

For Differentiated Instruction

Struggling Learners: Time will be designated for struggling students before, after or during the school day in order to provide them with one-on-one attention as they complete their portion of the project. The teacher will tell the student the specific math concept they will be working on and the student will just have to provide evidence of this concept as they complete their task.

Advanced Learners: Assign advanced learners to research their favorite game and identify the mathematical concept that can be explored in that game. If their favorite game does is not based on a mathematical concept, have them recreate the game so that it does.

Additional Notes

Being that the students are required to complete a majority of this project at home I would add a small portion of the explanation journal to be completed by the parents or guardian. This project is intended to foster a home-school connection, and it was evident in some students’ projects that there was little or no guidance or discussion at home.

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