Unit A5: Travel Maths All ACM Strands
Middle Years
Teacher: Rebecca Paterson
Ocean View College
Alberton Cluster
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Unit Overview – International Mindedness
Ever wanted to compete in the Amazing Race?
Well here is your chance!
You and your classmates will travel around the world and discover some of the great wonders of the world and examine them mathematically. Happy and safe travels, enjoy!!
1. The class will first select a country to visit from a world map. Students will work in pairs to do this. Every continent must be visited across the whole class at least once.
2. Once this has been mapped out, as a class we will map out a route on the interactive whiteboard as to where we will travel as a whole class. E.g. from Australia to Fiji, Fiji to Canada, Canada to America. The
students must pick the most economical route to travel. Maths – Mapping, direction, co-ordinates.
3. Students will then investigate their own countries. They will need work out how to travel from the previously mapped location to their own country destination. How will they get there? i.e. plane, bus, train etc.
4. The around the world trip will have a total budget. This will be decided by the students and then divided up evenly between the groups for them to spend accordingly at each destination.
Speakers in schools DECS – Advantage SA. Guest speaker – Travel agent.
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Get away – Digital viewing
Discover T.V show – Guest speaker.
Google Earth
Start unit by watching makeitcount film on youtube https://www.facebook.com/cneistat. Discussion.
Students start by making a passport. Photo headshots to be taken.
Individual investigation
Students will visit http://www.travelmath.com/flying-distance/from/Adelaide,+Australia/to/Fiji and create a map that details the miles, kilometres and nautical miles between locations.
Students are to visit http://www.world-airport-codes.com/ and other websites to determine how they are getting to and from their destination.
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Students are to work out the currency exchange rates for their country http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/
Students investigate the time zones for their region http://www.timezoneconverter.com/
Students visit the bureau of meteorology website to view weather conditions in the country they are visiting http://www.bom.gov.au/global/?hdr
Travel terms
You must stick to your budget – YOU CAN”T GO OVER.
You can stay at your destination for a maximum of 5 days.
List a major built attraction you would like to visit. I.e. The Great Wall in China.
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How much does it cost to visit?
What year was it built?
What is the height, length and volume of the attraction?
List total expenses by creating a budget spreadsheet. What will you spend for meals, transport, attractions and souvenirs (use converted currency and also table AU)?
Now we are ready for our amazing race. The school map will be watermarked with a map of the world over the top.
Students will start their race at their own destination. A final destination spot is what the students must reach. At each checkpoint students will be have to complete an activity. I.e. eat a food item from that country,
solve a maths problem, answer a geographical question etc. Senior school students will meet and greet students at each location. A photographer will be following the event. Each student must complete the amazing
race. There will be prizes for first, second and third. A list of rules and instructions will be given to the students before the race begins. One person in the team must take a clip board and checklist to ensure that they
have reached the check in stations.
Mathematical Content
Number and Place Value
7 - Money and Financial Mathematics – currency
exchange, budgets.
7 - Linear and non-linear relationships – i.e. plotting
co-ordinates, analysing graphs from authentic data.
6 – Adding and subtracting decimals.
Measurement and Geometry
7 - Units of measurement – miles, km’s and nautical
miles, length, width, area, volume.
6 – Interpret and use timetables.
Statistics and Probability
7 - Data representation and interpretation – data
collection from primary and secondary sources.
6 – Explore and compare a range of data.
5 – Choose appropriate units of measurement for
length, area, volume, capacity and mass.
5 – estimating and rounding.
5 – Conversions between time.
5 – Construct displays, including column graphs and
tables appropriate for data type with and without the
use of digital technologies.
5 – Describe and interpret different data sets in
context.
5 – Use efficient mental and written strategies and
apply appropriate digital technologies to solve
problems.
5 – Create simple financial plans
5 – Connect three-dimensional objects with their
nets and other two-dimensional representation.
5 – describe routes and landmarks.
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