MATHEMATICS ASSIGNMENT – Unit of Work

Unit Title: Planning a Playground Band: Early Standard: 1

Years
Year Level: 1/2 Term: 3 Week: 1-2 Length of Unit:
2 weeks
Strand Essential Learning Key Competencies

Spatial Sense Identity KC 2 communicating ideas

and Geometric and information
Reasoning
Thinking KC 3 planning and organising
activities

Communication KC 5 using mathematical

ideas and techniques

KC 6 solving problems

KC 7 using technology

Key Ideas/Mathematical Ideas:

Children explain ways of representing themselves and familiar locations in

spatial terms, and begin to think in geometric ways.

Outcomes:
(1.14) Uses everyday and positional language and makes informal maps
to represent their location in familiar places.

Spatial reasoning is an important skill for young children to develop as it

is a tool children will use for their entire lives, particularly in map-reading,
developing and planning, as well as when giving and following verbal
directions. Developing these skills effectively takes time, so developing
strong foundations in the early years is crucial.

Socio-cultural diversity and special needs of students

This unit is designed for a mixed 1/2 class, consisting of mostly year 1’s.
The students in this classroom come from a variety of socio-cultural
backgrounds and consist of a mixture of Anglo Australians students,
Indigenous-Australian students and a few new arrival students. The
students in the classroom come from middle to low socio-economic
status, and are mostly English speaking, with a few students who know
English as a second language. The needs of all these students need to be
taken into consideration when planning, particularly the new arrival
students, who may have a limited understanding of written and spoken
English.

The students in this class have had little experience with spatial
reasoning, and because of this, a primary goal of this unit is to introduce
the topic to the students and develop strong foundation in regards to
spatial reasoning particularly in relation to language use. This is
particularly important to develop this strong foundation that is both fun
and relevant to the students, and it will be of benefit in later years.
Previous units of work focused on number and patterns, with a small
money unit completed at the end of Term 2. There are few links to be
made with previous units, however money knowledge may be used for
advanced students.

Aim of the Unit:

At the end of this unit, students will be able to…
- Use positional language to describe places and objects in relation to
one-another.
- Use positional language to give directions to others
- Understand and draw ’birds eye’ views of familiar places
- Create maps by drawing and using variety of computer software
Lesson Overviews

Lesson 1 – Introduction to the unit/discovering prior knowledge (40

minutes)
[Finding Out]
10 Simon Says (emphasising spatial language)
minutes Students will be asked to preform tasks by the teacher using
key points around the classroom as a basis. By observing the
actions that students take, the teacher can determine which
spatial terminology is well known by students, and what
areas need to be focused on in the coming weeks.

Some examples of the directions include…

- Stand next to a desk
- Stand beside someone who’s name begins with the
same letter as yours
- Turn left/right
- Stand under a light
- Raise your arms over your head

After the warm-up game, students will be seated at their

25-30 desks and asked to draw a picture following instructions from
minutes the teacher.

Students will be given the following instructions:

- Draw some hills on the page
- Draw a river in the bottom right corner of the paper
- Draw 3 houses on the left of the page
- Draw a forest above the river
- Draw a dog next to the houses
- Draw 2 other animals in the forest
- Draw a sun over the hills
- Draw some flowers in front of the houses
- Draw a road on the hill behind the houses

Allow students enough time to draw these things (aprox 3

mins each item), and tell them that they can colour them in
5-10 at the end of the lesson.
minutes
The product will be used to gain an idea as to which areas
individual students are struggling with, as well as to provide
an example to contrast later work with. When completed,
they can be displayed around the classroom with printed
versions of the instructions.

Resources:
A4 paper for students to draw on
Coloured pens, pencils and textas

Lesson 2 – Directional language/different ways of viewing pictures (40

minutes)
[Exploring the Idea]
10 Mystery Object
minutes Students will be seated in front of the teacher. The teacher
will choose an object in the classroom and describe where it
is using positional language. The students will guess what the
object is based on the directions that are given. After a few
rounds, students will be encouraged to ask questions of the
teacher to narrow down the range of objects.

Using a stuffed toy, students will identify all the different

25-35 ways that you can look at something. The teacher should
minutes highlight the different views, including views from the front,
behind and side.

Students will be asked:

- Which view is shown?
- Is there another way of seeing the toy?
- Are the two side views the same or different?
- Which way shows he greatest amount of the toy?

After this, students will look at a picture and identify which

pictures are drawn from a side view, from a front view and a
view from behind.

Students will be asked:

- What other ways could these pictures be shown?
- Why are these pictures showing a front/side/behind
(rear) view?
- Which view do you like the best?

The teacher will then arrange a variety of items from round

the classroom (i.e. books, calculators, pencil pots, 3D blocks,
[items that students can easily manipulate]) for students to
choose from. They will choose an object to draw from and
draw up their page into four sections. The students will then
stick a picture of their object in their books, and in the other
three sections, will draw the object in the three different
ways, labelling the different views.

(Extension activity): Students who finish the activity early

would be encouraged to use pictures to do the same activity.

Students will be asked to present their drawings to the class

5 minutes and will be asked to reinforce which view is which.
Resources:
Stuffed toy
Pictures depicting different views (front, behind and side views) [Appendix
1a]
Objects for students to use in their drawings
(Ext) Sample pictures for students to use
Lesson 3 – Directional language practice/Birds-eye view (40 minutes)
[Exploring the Idea]
10 Mystery Object
minutes Students will be seated in front of the teacher. The teacher
will choose an object in the classroom and describe where it
 is using positional language. The students will guess what the
object is based on the directions that are given. After a few
rounds, students will be encouraged to ask questions of the
teacher to narrow down the range of objects.

Students will go over what happened in the previous lesson.

25-30 Using a stuffed toy, students will describe the different views
minutes that can be seen (including side, behind, front and birds-eye
view).

Students will be asked:

- Which view is shown?
- Is there another way of seeing the toy?
- Are the two side views the same or different?
- Which way shows he greatest amount of the toy?
- Can you recognise the toy from this angle?

Birds-eye view will be explored in greater detail. A picture will

be put up on the digital whiteboard (overhead if DWB is not
available) and students will be invited to guess what the
image is, and state reasons as to why they think that.

Birds-eye view will be described as ‘a bird looking down on

something’.

The teacher will then arrange a variety of items from round

the classroom (i.e. books, calculators, pencil pots, 3D blocks,
[items that students can easily manipulate]) for students to
choose from. Like the previous lesson, students will draw
their object from a birds-eye view. Aim to get students to
draw 2-3 things.

(Extension activity): Students who finish the activity early

would be encouraged to use pictures to do the same activity.
5 minutes
In the last few minutes of the lesson, students will be asked
to present their drawings to the class.

Resources:
Stuffed toy
Digital Whiteboard (if available)
Pictures to guess birds eye view from (Appendix 1b)
Items around the classroom that students can draw and manipulate
(Ext) Pictures for students to use to draw birds-eye views (Appendix 1c)
Lesson 4 – Reviewing Birds-eye view (40 minutes)
[Exploring the Idea/Getting the Idea]
5 minutes Mystery Object
Students will be seated in front of the teacher. The teacher
will choose an object in the classroom and describe where it
is using positional language. The students will guess what the
object is based on the directions that are given. After a few
rounds, students will be encouraged to ask questions of the
teacher to narrow down the range of objects.

25-35 Birds-eye view will be re-examined, and students will be

minutes asked to describe what birds-eye views (like a flying bird
looking down on something). This, and other views, will
quickly be reviewed using stuffed toys in the same way they
were in previous lessons.

Students will then be asked to draw their bedroom using a

birds-eye view. The teacher will model this on the
whiteboard, highlighting where doors, windows, and furniture
are placed in the room.

Students will be asked

- Can you tell what it is from this view?
- Should you put labels on the things in your room?
- Why is it important to put doors and windows in?

Students will be questioned as to what items in their

bedroom and next to, opposite, behind or in front of using a
questionnaire sheet.
5 minutes
In the last few minutes, students will be asked to present
their maps to the class, describing the key aspects of their
bedroom.

Resources:
Stuffed toys
A4 paper
Pencils/textas
rulers
Questionnaire sheet (Appendix 1d)
Lesson 5 – Mapping the school - classroom (40 minutes)
[Getting the Idea]
5 minutes Mystery Object
Students will be seated in front of the teacher. The teacher
will choose an object in the classroom. Students will be
encouraged to use positional language to discover what the
object is.

(Extension): to extent this activity, north, south, east and

west signs can be placed on the walls for students to use.

25-30 Students will be asked to map the classroom in the same way
minutes they mapped their bedrooms in the previous lesson. Special
attention should be paid to the layout of desks, shelves,
pictures, books and toys

Students will be reminded to include windows and doors, as

well as labelling the items in the room, including their desk
and the desks of their friends.

After they have finished their maps, students will be asked to

answer a range of questions relating to their maps.

5 minutes At the end of this lesson, students will be assembled and

students asked to give their answers to the questions.
Students will be encouraged to use positional language that
has been developed in the last week.

Resources:
North, South, East and West cards (Appendix 1e)
A4 paper
Textas/pencils
Rulers
Question Sheet (Appendix 1f)
Lesson 6 – Mapping the school - playground (40 minutes)
[Getting the Idea/Organising the idea]
5 minutes Mystery Object
Students will be seated in front of the teacher. The teacher
will choose an object in the classroom. Students will use
positional language to discover what the object is, much like
in the game celebrity heads.

At this stage, students will be chosen to come and choose

the object for the class to guess. This allows students an
increased opportunity to use and practice positional
language.
25-30
minutes Students will take the learning they have been developing
outside of the classroom to map the playground and
playground equipment. The teacher encourages students to
use birds-eye view to map the playground, and to label
aspects of the playground.

Walking around and mapping will also be encouraged.

Students will choose how much the wish to map (i.e. a small
scale: only the play equipment; or an a grand scale: the
playground, oval and some classrooms)
5 minutes
At the end of the lesson, the teacher will bring the students
in, and tell them that they will be drawing their map up on
the computer using KidPix.

Resources:
A4 paper
Clipboard
Lead pencils
Rubbers

(For outside work)

Hats
Sunscreen/jumpers in necessary
Lesson 7 – Mapping the school - playground (using software)(40 minutes)
[Organising the Idea]
10 Mystery Object
minutes Students will be seated in front of the teacher. The teacher
will choose an object in the classroom. Students will be
encouraged to use positional language to discover what the
object is. At this stage, students will be chosen to come and
choose the object for the class to guess. This allows students
an increased opportunity to use and practice positional
language.

25-30 Students will be seated in the compute room. The teacher

minutes will give a quick demonstration on how to use KidPix to
create their map, particularly the use of stamps, drawing
tools and colours for effect.

Students will then be asked to convert their map of the

playground onto KidPix. Ensure that students have labelled
their map and put their name on it.

5 minutes When finished, get students to print off their maps, and
display them around the classroom.

Resources:
Maps of the playground from previous lesson.
KidPix (or similar program)
Lesson 8-10 – Designing your own playground(120 minutes: 3x40mins)
[Application]
Lesson 8 Students will be given the opportunity to design their own
‘dream playground’.

At the beginning of lesson, the teacher and students will

brainstorm what they would have in their dream
playground. Encourage students to think outside the box (ie
pirate ships, mazes, swimming pools etc). List the examples
that students come up with on the board.

Give students an A3 sheet of paper and ask them to design

their own dream playground.

(Extension) Give each item a price tag, and give advanced

students a limit to the amount they can spend on their
playground.

After they have drawn their playground, get students to

describe their playground using positional language (i.e. the
slide goes next to the swings; the sandpit is behind the
swing). Give an example of this to students as they finish.
Lesson 9
Students use KidPix to create a formal copy of their dream
playground. After completing this, they will type up their
descriptions of their dream playgrounds so that they can be
displayed in the classroom.
Lesson 10
Students, after working on an oral presentation throughout
the week in English, will present their playground to the
classroom, using positional language to describe it.

The rest of the class will be encouraged to question the

presenter about their design, as modelled by the teacher. At
the end of the presentation, the teacher will ask a few
students to say what they liked about the playground.

The students’ design, written description and the oral

description of the playground will ultimately be used to
assess the unit.

Resources:
List of playground equipment
A3 paper
KidPix (or similar program)
Cross-curricular links:
This unit has strong links with several areas of the curriculum, and could
be completed as part of an integrated unit.

Visual Arts:
- Different historical maps, plans and charts could be examined
- Students could take a greater look at the way we view thing, and
the difference it could make if a picture was drawn in a different
view (i.e. side/front/behind/birds-eye)

Design and Technology:

- Models of the maps drawn could be made, particularly the ‘Dream
Playground’ students design at the end of the unit

English
- Using descriptive language is an important part of English, and the
positional language element of the unit could be focused on here
- Speaking, listening and questioning are aspects of the unit that are
touched on, particularly in the Mystery Object activity, but could be
focused on in a separate English unit

PE/Outdoor Ed
- A treasure hunt, where students have to work together in teams to
follow instructions based upon written instructions, could be used to
compliment this unit of work.

Assessment

Teacher assessment of the work throughout the unit

This will be done in two ways; the collection of all work done by students,
and by listening to students explain what they did in these activities. The
teacher will compare the final product of the activities and the students
written descriptions of the product to make judgments as to whether they
have grasped the subject matter, and whether re-evaluation is needed.
The work that is collected will also be displayed around the classroom for
parents and students to see.

The teacher will listen to the students during the various activities,
checking to see if their use of positional language is correct, which should
also be evident in their work. This will all be recorded on an individual
observation form that can be placed in the students folio (Appendix 2a).

Teacher assessment of the ‘Dream Playground’

Three areas of this assignment will be assessed; the plan of the
playground, the written description of the playground, and the verbal
description of their playground. This will be done be a rubric (Appendix
2a), which will be explained to the students before they begin the activity.

Student assessment of the unit

In order to gauge student enjoyment of the unit, a short questionnaire will
be handed out for students to fill in (Appendix 2b). This will then be used
to further develop the course for the following years.

Bibliography
Baker, A & Baker J 2006, Natural Maths Strategies – Book 2, Blake Education Pty LTD,
Clayton South, Vic

Burk, D, Snider, A & Symonds, P 1988, Box it or Bag it – First-Second, Basset Press, Salem,
USA

DETWA 2005, First Steps in Mathematics – Space, Rigby Harcourt Education, Melbourne
Vic

DECS 2004, SACSA Framework Curriculum Document – Mathematics R-10, DECS

Publishing, Hindmarsh SA

DECS 2004, SACSA Framework Curriculum Document – English R-10, DECS Publishing,
Hindmarsh SA

DECS 2004, SACSA Framework Curriculum Document – Health and Physical Education R-
10, DECS Publishing, Hindmarsh SA

DECS 2004, SACSA Framework Curriculum Document – Design and Technology R-10,
DECS Publishing, Hindmarsh SA

DECS 2004, SACSA Framework Curriculum Document – The Arts R-10, DECS Publishing,
Hindmarsh SA

NSW Department of School Education, Mathematics K-6 book

 Appendix 1
~ Resources to accompany the lessons ~
1a) Pictures depicting different views (behind, front and side)
1b) Pictures students will use to guess birds-eye view
1c) [Ext] Pictures to draw birds-eye view from
1d) Question sheet (bedroom)
1e) [Ext] North, South, East & West cards
1f) Question sheet (classroom)
 Appendix 2
~ Assessment resources ~
2a) Individual observation form
2b) Rubric for ‘Dream playground’ task
2c) Unit evaluation sheet for students