by Michelle Youngs.
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In a departure from normal practice, this month's puzzle is being made available in Adobe's PDF file format. The reason for this is that this month's puzzle is a full-fledged activity 15 pages in length and contains content that for clarity requires better print output. To view and print this month's Puzzle Corner activity you must have a copy of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed you may download your free copy by clicking on the button below. |
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Download Origami Squared (305K) |
Description
This month the Maximizing Math and Puzzle Corner activities
have been combined into one two-part activity. The challenge in the Puzzle
Corner section is to use all five puzzle pieces to make a square and then
determine if it is possible to make squares with fewer than five pieces. The
Maximizing Math section has been divided into two parts. Depending on
the age and abilities of your students, the second section may not be appropriate.
In the first part students are challenged to develop a plan that would allow them to determine the area of each puzzle piece if they were given the area value of only one piece of their choice. Once they have developed a plan, they should be given an area value by you (accurate or arbitrary) for the puzzle piece they have chosen and use that value to determine the areas of the other pieces. While this task sounds difficult, it is really a simple case of division and addition, once it is clear how the pieces are related to each other.
In the second part, students are asked to determine and compare the perimeters and areas of the different squares which can be made using one or more puzzle pieces and justify their reasoning. This section requires more advanced reasoning and mathematics, including the understanding of square roots, and is not appropriate for younger students.
What makes this activity different from any which have been done in these columns before is that students will use origami to construct their own puzzle pieces rather than merely cut them out. This adds an additional challenge, both for the students and for you as the teacher.
Using origami in the classroom has many benefits that might not at first be apparent. Students must learn to follow written, pictorial, and verbal instructions to complete their folds and successfully make each piece. They will sharpen their fine motor skills as they concentrate on creating precise folds and accurate pieces. Often those students who are traditionally poor at math excel at origami because it uses a different part of the brain. Recently while doing some origami with a class of seventh graders I overheard the comment, "Hey, he's stupid at math, how come he's doing this better than me?" You may find that this activity will be an opportunity for your "low-achieving" students to excel and have success in a subject that they rarely do well in.