Lauren and I hosted a math walk at Maplewood Flats in North Vancouver on Saturday, June 10th. The walk provided a bit of a pause on report card writing and an always busy June for teachers. We gathered together at the entrance and engaged in a land acknowledgement which involve sharing the story of the land and waters that are now part of a nature conservancy area. We also visited the Coast Salish Plant Nursery and checked in on bird sightings in the area.
How could you collect this kind of data at your school or centre? What story does this data tell? How will the data change from season to season?
We modelled different ways to take students on a math walk, including a focus lens, using nature routines, Lauren prepared some bingo cards/scavenger hunt cards and Janice prepared some postcards with questions to inspire mathematical inquiry connected to place.
For the first part of the walk, we focused on looking for different types of symmetry:
At the beach, we looked at field guides and discussed how math is used to help identify different species. We also used found materials on the beach to create a character for a story, inspired by place.
As we headed back to the beginning of the loop that we walked, Lauren shared with us the ways we can use technology to map the pattern of birdsong.
Thanks to all the teachers who joined us on our math walk!
More information about Maplewood Flats can be found HERE.
~Janice
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