hands on activities from pgu unna

Pestalozzi Gymnasium Unna

Students used an egg cutter to divide eggs in equal slides and calculated the volume of each cylinder. then they add the volume of all slides. For the end parts they subtractd a little but because these pieces were no full cylinders. They compared the volume that they calculed by this method with the calculation via formula V =2/3*PI*a^2*b.

Approximating the volume of an egg

Click on this picture to start the video! Some students prepared a hands-on activity for their class and leaded small groups of 4 or 5 that worked around (a-b)². more information and worksheet C

Binomial formula hands-on

Young students like to discover maths while playing. There is a lesson plan how to use the playmobil dolls to introduce calculating with negative numbers. more pictures and lesson plan

Calculating with negative numbers

A lot of round plates, boxes, … are measured and the ratio of perimenter and radius is calculated. So students detected by themselves that there is a constant, called PI. Pictures, lesson plan and evaluation ...

Discovering PI by measurements

The relation between rotation symmetry, angles and number of images can be easily discovered with two mirrors. Worksheet related to this experiment ...

Symmetry with two mirrors

A lot of activities can be done by using plastic forms. The basic forms are triangles (isoceles, right-angled), squares, pentagons and hexagons. The material is called Polydron and can be ordered easily via internet. You may order Polydron here (the coffret is enough for groupwork in a class)

Platonic and other solids with Polydron

It is another way to build solids. It is more creative than using Polydron. You also can take thin straws. It is important that the Plasticine is hard enough! A lesson plan will follow!

Solids with tooth peaks

Students normally know Archimedes principle from their physics lessons to determine the volume of a solid. Students may compare the results with the the formula V=2/3*PI*a^2*b to calculate the volume of an egg.

Determing the volume of an egg

Students like this game to determine suitable probabilities for different positions and then calculating probabilities for positions if two or three pigs were diced. look at the task (worksheet)

The game "Pass the pig" and probability

Not demanding but in times of football world championship .... task with printable worksheet

Folding a football from paper

Draw some graphs of degree three or four on the schoolyard. Students have to walk along the graph pointing with the right arm on the ground if there is a right curvature, to the left if the graph curves right.

So students really get to know the meaning of an inflection point of a graph.

Graphs on the schoolyard

More hands-on activities that we used in different classes will follow in pictures and videos, with lesson plans and worksheets, too.