NCDPI – AIG Instructional Resource: Background Information
Resource Title: Amazing NC Landmarks
Subject Area/Grade Level (s): Math/Fourth Grade
Time Frame: Two-three days
Common Core Standard Addressed:
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
4.OA.1 Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35 = 5 × 7 as a statement that 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times
as many as 5. Represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons as multiplication equations.
4.OA.2 Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for
the unknown number to represent the problem, distinguishing multiplicative comparison from additive comparison.1
4.OA.3 Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including
problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.
Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.
Mathematical Practices
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
6. Attend to precision.
Additional Standards Addressed:
North Carolina Essential Standards – Social Studies
4.H.2 Understand how notable structures, symbols and place names are significant to North Carolina.
4.H.2.1 Explain why important buildings, statues, monuments and place names are associated with the state's history.
Brief Description of Lesson/Task/Activity: This task asks students to research data about the sizes of North Carolina landmarks and compare the
landmarks to familiar objects by using multiplicative comparisons. Students will create resources to teach others about the landmarks and help
others visualize the landmarks through the use of their multiplicative comparisons.
Type of Differentiation for AIGs (include all that apply):
x Enrichment
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
x Extension
Acceleration
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project
Adaptations for AIGs:
Content
x Process
x Product
Explanation of How Resource is Appropriate for AIGs: Students at the fourth grade level are asked to solve problems involving multiplicative
comparisons by finding unknown quantities. This task builds on fourth grade concepts by asking students to research data and generate their
own multiplicative comparisons. This task further extends fourth grade standards by often requiring students to work with decimals in addition
to whole numbers. Therefore, students will be required to decide between doing exact calculations and making approximations by interpreting
decimal amounts. In addition, students will often need to draw from their knowledge of measurement conversions before solving problems
(e.g., convert from feet to inches so objects are compared using like units). Lastly, this task will allow for freedom as choice, as students select
North Carolina landmarks to research and presentation formats.
Needed Resources/Materials:
 Computer with internet access
Sources: NA
TEACHER NOTES: NA
NCDPI AIG Curriculum Resource Outline
STAGE ONE: ENGAGE
North Carolina has many amazing and unique landmarks. For example, several lighthouses, the Wright Brothers’ airplane, the USS North
Carolina Battleship, and the tallest mountain in Eastern United States are all located in North Carolina! However, many students in our state
have never seen or even heard about these landmarks.
Say: In fact, I just recently saw one of these landmarks for the first time: the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I’ve seen pictures of the lighthouse
before but never realized how tall it actually is. The lighthouse is 187 feet tall. That’s about 33 times taller than an average adult male! I bet
students would be amazed to discover the size of the lighthouse.
Discuss:
 Review the term “multiplicative comparison.” Determine whether or not the statement above was a multiplicative comparison.
 What information was needed to have to make this comparison?
 Was this multiplicative comparison a precise calculation or an approximation? Explain.
 What strategies could be used to determine how many times taller the lighthouse is than the average adult male?
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project


What tool could be used to find the height of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse? (Students can easily find this data on the internet; be sure
to discuss reliable sources for finding online data)
What tool could be used to find the height of the average adult male?
STAGE TWO: ELABORATE
Today you will create a resource (e.g., poster, brochure, webpage, PowerPoint presentation, picture book) that highlights some of the amazing
landmarks in North Carolina. The main focus of your display will be to inform school-aged children of North Carolina landmarks and help them visualize
their sizes by using multiplicative comparisons. Your resource should include pictures of the landmarks, specific measures (e.g., height of Grandfather
Mountain, length of the Blue Ridge Trail, weight of the Wright Brothers airplane), and other important information (e.g., historical significance).
Before beginning this task, have students silently think about the following questions:
 What information will you include in your resource? (e.g., names of landmarks, sizes, locations, interesting facts, historical significance)
 How will you organize and display your information? (e.g., a brochure on Microsoft Publisher, slideshow on PowerPoint, picture book
using www.blurb.com, webpage on www.wix.com)
 Where can you go to find information about North Carolina landmarks? (e.g., www.visitnc.com, www.northcarolina.com,
www.nccommerce.com/tourism)
 What multiplicative comparisons will you use to help children understand the size of these landmarks? (be sure to compare landmarks
to familiar items such as a school bus, house, school building, car, person, animal, or a known local landmark)
 How will your record your mathematics in order to justify your solutions?
Allow students to share their completed resources with the whole group. Ask students to justify the mathematics in their resources. Encourage
opportunities for students to critique each other’s work, ask questions, and add other to each other’s thinking. Draw attention to the specific
mathematics needed to make the multiplicative comparisons, including the use of multiplication versus division, times where conversions
between measurements were made, and moments when it was necessary to make an approximation versus an exact calculation (e.g., When
calculating how many times taller the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is than an adult male, the exact calculation was 32.521739… Therefore, it was
necessary to make an approximation).
STAGE THREE: EVALUATE
Students will be assessed on their ability to communicate the mathematics used in their resource. They should be able to state when it was
necessary to multiply or divide, why they may have made measurement conversions, how they selected items to use in their multiplicative
comparisons, and prove the accuracy of solutions.
TEACHER NOTES: NA
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project