Treasure Island
1 out of 3
Write down what you can see at the coordinates of the treasure island map. The words can be used in a special way to find the buried treasure. Can you work out where it is?
Problem
Here is a treasure map.
What are the co-ordinates of these objects?
Write down what you can see at the co-ordinates given below:
- ($7, 5$)
- ($9, 5$)
- ($5, 3$)
- ($2, 3$)
- ($7, 1$)
- ($3, 3$)
- ($4, 2$)
- ($1, 1$)
The words can be used in a special way to find the coordinates of the buried treasure. Can you work out where it is?
Getting Started
It is the initial letter of the picture clues which you need to spell out the answer.
Student Solutions
We had lots of solutions for this question. Catherine and Zoe from Vernon Junior School, Poynton, Cheshire said:
We solved this problem by finding the co-ordinates first, which are as follows:
- elephant
- island
- gate
- hill
- tree
- tower
- wall
- octopus
All the letters spell eight two which are the co-ordinates of the buried treasure.
The Lighthouse!
Sam and Ryan from Middlewich Primary School also explained their thinking clearly:
- (7,5) Elephant
- (9,5) Island
- (5,3) Gate
- (2,3) Hill
- (7,1) Tree
- (3,3) Turrent
- (4,2) wall
- (1,1) Octopus
We got the first letters from each word and our solution is EIGHT TWO. (8,2), the lighthouse where the treasure is buried.
Thanks for solutions to Andy, Craig from Vernon Junior School and Ashley, Lewis, Adam, Gemma, Jodie, Emily, Sophie, Rachel, Leah and Maria from Middlewich Primary School, Cheshire. Thank you Yifan from Glasgow and Claire, as well.
Teachers' Resources
Using NRICH Tasks Richly describes ways in which teachers and learners can work with NRICH tasks in the classroom.
Why do this problem?
This problem is an interesting way of practising using coordinates in the first quadrant. The answer is found in a way which will intrigue able young learners.
Key questions
Possible extension
Learners could make their own treasure island map on squared giving the coordinates of various objects.
Possible support
Suggest finding the objects at each of the given coordinates and writing down their names. It is the initial letter of the picture clues which you need to spell out the answer.