Complex Instruction and Group-worthy tasks - May 2010, Stage 4&5

This month our tasks have been designed with group work in mind - there is real benefit to working collaboratively on the activities, so we have suggested in the Teachers' Notes and articles how this can be done in the classroom.

Problems

Efficient Cutting

Stage: 4 Challenge Level:

Use a single sheet of A4 paper and make a cylinder having the greatest possible volume. The cylinder must be closed off by a circle at each end.

Partially Painted Cube

Stage: 4 Challenge Level:

Jo made a cube from some smaller cubes, painted some of the faces of the large cube, and then took it apart again. 45 small cubes had no paint on them at all. How many small cubes did Jo use?

Close to Triangular

Stage: 4 Challenge Level:

Drawing a triangle is not always as easy as you might think!

Big and Small Numbers in Physics - Group Task

Stage: 5 Challenge Level:

Work in groups to try to create the best approximations to these physical quantities.

Erratic Quadratic

Stage: 5 Challenge Level:

Can you find a quadratic equation which passes close to these points?

Clear as Crystal

Stage: 5 Challenge Level:

Unearth the beautiful mathematics of symmetry whilst investigating the properties of crystal lattices

Featured Solution

Pattern Recognition

This very difficult toughnut received a lot of attention over the last few months. If you wish to see how the pattern was made, read on.

Go to last month's problems to see more solutions.

Articles & Games

Complex Instruction - Raising Achievement Through Group Worthy Tasks

Many NRICH tasks have been designed with group work in mind. Read about Jo Boaler's research on the benefits of collaborative work and watch a clip of a teacher working in this way.

Developing Good Team-working Skills

Group work depends on effective team work. This article describes attributes of effective team work and links to "Team Building" problems that can be used to develop learners' team working skills.