Maths: More than just Numbers

Recently, Year 8 handed in their Ratio Maths projects. This project consisted of choosing an object and making it larger or smaller, according to a ratio of their choosing. The students then had to physically make this replica of their items. Some of the projects included a sized up lego brick, a shrunken Pringles can, a large Ritz box, a mini Woolworths shopping bag and numerous others.

One of the Year 8 students, Mia, made a Chupa Chup that was three times the size of the actual product. She said that, 'I found the project enjoyable because I got to mix the maths component with doing more art based work.'

However, that doesn’t mean it was easy, as Mia explained, 'Some of the challenges I encountered included finding a round object the exact size I needed for the lolly part, reproducing the letters to the exact scale and rolling the straw to be the exact size.'

Another student, Lottie, chose to downscale one of her family’s clocks. 'I made a fully working clock that was 3 times smaller than my family's clock.' She said she came across some difficulties, such as 'having to mould the clock out of cardboard and paper mache.' Despite these troubles, Lottie said that she 'found the project enjoyable and a little stressful but it really helped cement the maths concepts we were learning.'

'Doing the project helped me understand the maths concepts better,' Jaxon agreed. For his assignment, Jaxon made a 5:1 scale die out of wood. 'My dad helped me cut it down to the correct size using a drop saw and then we used a hole drill to make the holes,' he explained. 'I found it challenging to get the holes to the correct size.'

Year 8’s Ratio assessment was a great way to teach new topics and get the students to exercise their creative sides.