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.
I have been teaching since 2004. I started teaching at Wairakei Primary School in 2011. I am married to Steve and we have two children – Myles and Amelia. Myles and Amelia both enjoyed their primary school years here at Wairakei Primary School. I am really proud to be part of this school and appreciate all the amazing opportunities that are given to our children.
I like working with children and teaching. I love the fun that can be had and the feeling of being a part of a child’s growth and development. My favourite subject is maths. I appreciate the patterns and connections that can be found in numbers and I enjoy problem-solving. I have trained as a Math Specialist Teacher (MST).
My family and I love living in the Taupō area. When I’m not teaching I enjoy spending time with my family, walking my dog and mountain biking - which is a particular family passion.
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