You say mileage, yo digo kilometraje

I mentioned in my last post that I would be doing a data handling activity using a mileage table with my 3rd year Spaniards.  I thought I'd tell you what we did.


It was another request from my colleague who teaches maths to Y5 and Y6.  The more data handling the better!  Here's how it went:

• I cut up a sheet of questions for each group and stapled them all together at one end.  I wrote each group's number on the question 10 sheet:

• Each group (mixed ability, 3 or 4 to a group as for the jigsaw activity) had an A3 copy of the kilometraje table (see below) and a number help sheet.
• We looked at a simplified mileage table on the board and practised reading numbers from it.  We discussed the fact that in Spain they measure distances in kilometres and not miles, and that it was important to include the unit of measurement when talking about distances.
• I gave each group the first question.  They had to find the correct number of kilometres on the table and then write that number on the question paper in Spanish in words.  When they thought they had the right answer, a representative from the group brought me their answer.  I sent them back with it if the number of kilometres was incorrect, if there were spelling mistakes or if the word "kilómetros" was missing.  If the answer was correct, I tore off the next question from their group's pile and they took it back to their table to find the next answer.
• When the time was up (about 20 minutes) the winner was the group that had answered the most questions correctly.

It got off to a bit of a slow start as the children got used to reading the values off the table, writing the big numbers in Spanish and adding "kilómetros" on the end each time.  It was interesting to see that we have spent so long working on the numbers 30 and above that they forgot that the 20s don't work in the same way!  One of the Y5 groups did fantastically well and managed to complete 9 out of the 10 questions, and it got very competitive towards the end!

I did something similar to this with a fast-track Y9 class once.  I introduced them to the typical Health topic questions about drinking, drugs and smoking - "Je fume quatre cigarettes par jour", "Je bois une bière chaque semaine" and so on.  I gave each group a pile of scrap paper and they had to write sentences in this vein that were (a) correct and that (b) no other group had already written.  As they brought their sentences to the front and they were approved, we wrote the group number on and blu-tacked them onto the board.  By the end we had a winner of the competition (I seem to remember there was a small prize involved) but also lots and lots of examples of sentences.

On both occasions the boys in particular responded well to the competitive element, and the girls enjoyed working in groups.  And all I had to do was stand at the front and read sentences.

It took me a long time to make the kilometraje table, so if anyone would like the original Word document to adapt, please let me know.

Kilo Me Traje kilometraje-qus

image of the car by the brilliant @bevevans22