This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Subject taught
- Math
- Physics
Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3d0Y-JpRRg
Type of Product
- Videos
Language Skills Developed
- Listening
- Speaking
Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
Develop listening and speaking skills
Analyse and understand a problem involving exponential growth by mathematically modelling a real situation writing an equation for the problem
Teach how to apply the experimental scientific method
Description
This teaching resource takes into consideration general, linguistic and subject specific aims.
The general aims are the following:
- Make cross - curricular links combining maths with history (of maths), physics and science
- Increase students’ motivation and interest in studying by using clil methodology
- encourage students to develop the ability to think critically
- prepare students for life in a more internationalised society
- Develop the ability to think in English
The linguistic aims are the following:
- enable students to develop language skills which emphasize effective communication
- motivate students to learn English by using it for real practical purposes
- Promote the learning of a more extensive and varied vocabulary
- Allow students to develop listening and speaking skills
The subject specific aims are the following:
- understand how a mathematical model can describe the legend of the chessboard and the rice grains
- help students to write an equation for the problem
- learn how to represent the number of the rice grains in each square of the chessboard in a table
- learn how to think in terms of order of magnitude by using the scientific notation
- let students measure the average length of a rice grain
- let students measure how many rice grains are there, in average, in a container with known volume
- remind and apply error propagation in physics
- learn how to demonstrate or reject the statements at the end of the video
Target group age: this activity is for students of the fourth year of high school from 17 to 18
Level of competence in English (CEFR) should be B1 at least
Time required to use the resource with the students: 2,5 h (1 h as homework)
How to use it
The teacher shows the video to the class.
Then the teacher asks the students to summarise and explain the meaning of the video.
The teacher separates the class into small groups and gives them a ruler, a little graduated container and some rice in order to measure the length and the volume occupied by the rice.
The teacher assigns each group the homework of demonstrating or rejecting the statements about the total length of a line made with the rice grains in the 64th square of the chessboard and the volume occupied by the same amount of rice.
The teacher asks each group to present the results
Possible difficulties for the students:
- talk in English about scientific topics
- understand how to take direct and indirect measurements with their experimental errors
- understand the problems concerned with error propagation