Maths with a Story Down Under!

"I am a teacher in Tasmania and have spent an interesting hour perusing this site. I note that there is to be an in-service in 1998 regarding 'Mathematics from a story'. This is a topic in which I am very interested as I am hoping to do some work correlating my English and numeracy programmes closely this year. I teach a grade 4/5 at Franklin Primary school.

During this past week I have had the excitement of teaching the chance strand (a new part of our National Mathematics Statement and Profile which not all states education departments will allow). This chance learning arose from a class reading of the fabulous Australian children's picture book, "My Place", by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins.

The book traces the history of one small area of Sydney back from 1988 to 1788 in decade leaps. The 1968 double page spread dealt with, in part, the conscription of Australian young men for the Vietnam War. From the subsequent discussion arose the activity of drawing out dates of one half of the year and seeing when and if class birthdates matched. We did several draws of ten, twenty and thirty. The children were so intrigued with the likelihood or otherwise of their dates being drawn that they asked for the second half of the year to be done as well.

We were able to compare the likelihood of a greater number of available dates because we had only 7 birthdays in the first half of the year compared with 20 in the second half. Interesting discussion about advertising for games of chance, win-a-car etch arose with the children recognising the "very slim chance" of winning the car that McDonalds is advertising on the television at the moment. One mother has already talked to me about her child's new understanding of random chance. I do hope that you'll be able to share with me the work being done in Birmingham with numeracy and the story.

Thanks again

Val Warwick
Glenorchy, Tasmania
Australia

e-mail: Warwickfamily@southcom.com.au