Squares investigation
Outline of the activity
The children had done many activities programming the Roamer to follow routes (using Roamer mats) in various contexts e.g. moving back and forward on a number line, following routes visiting places or characters from stories, Roamer folk dancing. The children now programmed the Roamer to draw different squares and measured their perimeters.
Skills Covered
The children develop their ability to devise and record a sequence of instructions to make the Roamer draw a square. They develop the ability to use a ruler to measure accurately in centimetres. They use and understand the term perimeter. They use and apply mathematics in practical tasks, explaining their thinking and the methods they used.
Rationale
The activity develops the children’s ability to program the Roamer also developing measuring and investigative skills and introducing children to the concept of perimeter.
Result
The children were able to program the Roamer to draw squares and then accurately measure the perimeter in centimetres. They began to develop mathematical reasoning asking questions such as ‘What would happen to the perimeter if I move forward 2 units each time?’ Why?
