Geometry and Spatial Sense, Grades 4 to 6 - EduGains

REFLECTING AND CONNECTING
Reconvene the class. Ask a few groups to share their strategies and post their work. Try to
order the presentations so that students observe inefficient strategies first, followed by more
efficient methods.
As students explain their work, ask questions that probe their thinking:
• “How did you make sure that your treasure hunt would be between 40 and 50 blocks long?”
• “Why did you use that strategy?”
• “How did you make sure that the shortest route to all your treasures would be less than 30
blocks long?”
• “Would you use the same strategies next time? Why or why not?”
• “How would you change your strategy the next time?”
• “Is your strategy similar to another strategy? Why or why not?”
Following the presentations, ask students to observe the work that has been posted and to
consider the efficiency of the various strategies. Ask:
• “Which strategy, in your opinion, is an efficient strategy?”
• “How would you explain this strategy to someone who has never used it?”
Avoid commenting that some strategies are better than others – students need to determine
for themselves which strategies are meaningful and efficient, and which ones they can make
sense of and use.
Refer to students’ work to emphasize important ideas about the location of objects:
• Using intersecting lines on a grid allows us to pinpoint specific locations.
• Cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) can orient people in an intended direction.
ADAPTATIONS/EXTENSIONS
For students experiencing difficulty, reduce the grid to 5 × 5 and reduce the number of treasures
and blocks.
For more of a challenge, ask students to create a symbol or design with their treasure hunt path.
ASSESSMENT
Observe students as they play the game and assess how well they:
• use intersecting lines to locate objects on a coordinate grid;
• apply appropriate strategies to play the game;
• explain their strategy;
• judge the efficiency of various strategies;
• modify or change strategies to find more efficient strategies.
Grade 5 Learning Activity: Location – City Treasure hunt 1