Bunting

[Decoration]

Bunting

Pupils work out how much material is needed to make bunting to go round a garden.

Links

Practical details

Suitability
National Curriculum levels 5 to 8
Time
45 minutes to 1 hour
Resources
Paper, ruler and calculator

Key Processes involved

Representing
Choose a method to determine the amount of material.
Analysing
Work out how many flags should be made and how much material is required.
Communicating and reflecting
Communicate their findings effectively and check that the solution fits the problem.

Teacher guidance

You can help pupils to understand the task, for example, with a short video on bunting at a street party (eg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVYjCa77CAw ) with comments:

  • Bunting is the word for a series of flags, usually triangular, that you often see on occasions like street parties.
  • You are asked to work out how much material is needed to make bunting to go round someone’s garden. You are given some facts and two steps to follow.

The task requires percentages, tessellations and areas and perimeters.

During the work, the following probing questions may be helpful:

  • Are you confident that your method will work out how much material Kim needs?
  • Are there different ways you could plan your lay-out to get the most flags out of each metre of material? Is yours the best way? How do you know?
  • Is there any other information that Kim needs from you?

Teacher notes about possible tessellations are given in the Annex at the end.