Reading for information Part 1

By Lucy Lloyd Williamson
The Lloyd Williamson School

Numeracy ideas in everyday information literature
One: Local transport maps

There is a wealth of free public information literature and advertising brochures available which, with a little imagination can be transformed into classroom resources. 'Real' resources bring maths alive, teaching children practical skills and knowledge of their environments. One leaflet I have used for several years in different ways is a map of the underground system. Try to use a local map wherever possible, rail and tram maps can be used instead of an underground map. Ask at a local station for enough copies for each child or pair of children to have one. Place them in plastic pockets or laminate them. I have set down a variety of uses and links to the Numeracy Strategy - use them as a springboard for your own ideas.

(The numbers in the following tables relate to the National Numeracy Strategy objectives)

Reception

20 Use developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems
22, 23 Comparing and ordering measures.
Ask children to slowly follow a line with their finger. Tell them to stop when it is crossed by a different colour line. Which colour line does it cross?' Continue until the end of the line. 'Which lines are crossed the most?'

Year One

72 Use developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical problems
Ask children to guess which one is the longest. Ask them to suggest ways of measuring each line e.g. they can place cubes along each line in turn and then count the cubes.

Year Two

11 Use ordinal numbers.
Give the children a starting station at one end of a line. Ask questions e.g. Which is the eleventh station on the line? Which station is between the seventh and ninth stations?
73, 75 Estimate, measure and compare lengths.
Ask the children to work in pairs. Give the class a journey between two stations which can take a variety of routes. Ask them to find the route with the least stations. Ask them to write down their route with directions.

Year Three

61 Choose and use appropriate operations to solve word problems.
Place the children in small groups. Ask them to find a way of calculating the number of stations altogether on the map. Ask them to present their findings to the class.

Year Four

108 Choose and use appropriate operations to solve word problems.
Place the children in small groups. Ask them to find a way of calculating the number of stations altogether on the map. Ask them to present their findings to the class.

Years Five and Six

93, 95 Suggest suitable units and measuring equipment to estimate or measure length.
Ask the class in small groups to measure each line. Does the number of stops equate to length? Using a scale map of the area measure the 'real' distance between stops and then length of line. Does 'real' distance equate with distance on a stylised map? Ask them to present their findings.

Now it's your turn!

One final hint, if you bring in a list of current fares you introduce "real-life" money problems e.g. "How much do I save by buying an annual pass?"

Lucy Lloyd Williamson is one of the authors of the Numeracy Big Board series.
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