Today we learned about and applied algebra outdoors! Algebra is used in Maths when we do not know the exact numbers in a calculation. In algebra we usually use letters to represent unknown values or values that can change. Today, however, we used natural materials from the playground to represent numbers in a calculation. Once we worked out the values of our objects we used them in calculations with a new object where the value was unknown. We then had to work out the value of the new object and stretch the brains of our friends by challenging them to crack the code!
We practised training our eyes and brain to recreate what a metre looks like using lots of different materials. Estimating is an important skill in mathematics and we have to use our memory and our understanding of length to try to get as close to a metre as possible. Once we were happy we checked it against the metre stick. Our sensible guesses based on our knowledge and experience were pretty good! 