Maths, Reading & Visualisation

In reading we have been working on our comprehension strategies.  Last week we focused on visualisation - they way we can create mental images when we read to deepen our understanding of the text.  We read a short passage that explained how to measure a very tall object without having to climb it and we visualised how we would do this.

Yesterday we went out and put this knowledge into practice. Here is what to do:

You will need:

A pencil,

A tape measure,

A pole to measure 

and a Trusty friend.

Step 1: Ask your friend to stand at the base of the pole.

Step 2: Hold your pencil vertically at arms length in front of you. Carefully walk backward away from the pole until the top and bottom  of your pencil are lined up with the top and base of the pole.

Step 3: Keep the bottom of your pencil in line with the base of the telephone pole and rotate it so it is parallel to the ground.

Step 4: Ask your friend to step sideways away from the pole until they are in line with the other end of your pencil.

Step 5: Tell your friend to "FREEZE!" when they are lined up with the other end of your pencil. The more dramatic you sound, the more fun this will be. 

Step 6: Walk slowly towards them and remind them not to move. When you reach them, smile, and ask them politely to hold the end of your tape measure. Measure the distant between your friend and the pole. 
This will tell you the approximate height of the pole.
I really enjoyed this activity although there must have been something wrong with the tape measure because when we measure the actual height we could never get it right.