Pam and Ava s Mapping Adventure Home Connection Activity 1

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1 Home Connection Activity 1 Dear Family, Today we did an activity called Pam s View, Ava s View from a STEM project called. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. This activity the first of four introduced children to these mathematical concepts: Objects look different when viewed from different locations. Shapes can be used to describe common objects. Ask your child to tell you what happened. Have your child explain the pictures on the back of this letter. Listen for words that describe shapes, such as square, rectangle, triangle, oval and circle, as your child tells you about the activity. If your child needs help in telling you about the activity, use prompts such as Who are Pam and Ava? Why did Pam and Ava have different views? What objects did you view? What was the shape of the visitor centre (or boat, or tree) from a ground view? What was the shape of the visitor centre (or boat, or tree) from a sky view? Try This at Home: Two Points of View Have your child look at household objects from two different perspectives at eye-level (ground view) and from the top looking down (sky view). Ask your child to describe the shapes of the objects using shapes that are familiar. For example, your child might say, This cup looks like a circle from a sky view. Consider tracing some of the objects and talking about the difference between the views. This STEM project has been written in partnership with Texas A&M University LRM2791-HCL developed in association with

2 Activity Sheet 1 Different Views Pam and Ava live in a National Park and are good friends. They have found several things in the park, but their views on the objects are different. Complete the following sentences using these words: racoon owl sky ground down Ava is an and she flies up in the sky looking on objects. She has a view. Pam is a She has a and she travels along the ground. view. Today Pam and Ava have spotted a green tree, a red visitor centre and a yellow boat. Can you colour the different objects using the correct colours and then place a sticker of Pam or Ava next to the shapes that you think they see. M Properties of shapes I can see and name 2D shapes by looking at 3D shapes at different views.

3 Home Connection Activity 2 Dear Family, Today we did an activity called Ava s Map of the Park from Pam and Ava s Mapping Adventure. This activity introduces children to this concept: Geography: Creating simple maps and using symbols in a key. Let your child tell you what happened in the activity. Have your child use the map on the back of this letter to help explain how he or she drew a map of the park. If your child needs help in telling you about the activity, use prompts such as How did you know what to draw on your map? What does the colour blue mean? What does the colour green mean? How did you decide where to put the stickers for the tree, visitor centre and boat? Try This at Home: Mapping a Room Work with your child to make a map of one room in your house. Use a piece of paper that is roughly the same shape as the room. Have your child draw in the windows, doors and major pieces of furniture in the room. Alternatively, have your child attach sticky notes to show the placement of furniture in the room. This STEM project has been written in partnership with Texas A&M University LRM2791-HCL developed in association with

4 Activity Sheet 2 Park Map Can you make a map to show the places Pam and Ava have found in their park? Maps use symbols to tell people what features are on the map. We will use these symbols on our map to show the trees, the visitor centre and the boating lake. Use your stickers to create the map. We also use a compass symbol on a map to help us find our way around. Do you know what direction each letter stands for? Fill in the key to help people understand your map clearly Key G Geographical skills I can describe the location of objects on a map.

5 Home Connection Activity 3 Dear Family, Today we did an activity called Hills in the Park from Pam and Ava s Mapping Adventure. This activity introduces children to these key concepts: Maths: Some shapes are two-dimensional (flat) and others are three-dimensional (solid). Geography: Contour lines on a map can show land changes. Let your child tell you what happened in the activity. Have your child use the map on the back of this letter to explain what we did. As your child speaks, listen for words that describe the shape of the land, such as flat and steep, and comparison words, such as taller and shorter. If your child needs help in telling you about the activity, ask questions such as How did your teacher make lines on the hills? What do the stickers on your map show? Which of the hills on your map is taller? How do you know that hill is taller? Try This at Home: The Contours of a Cone Help your child make a clay cone that is about 15cm tall. (If you do not have clay, use a play dough recipe that can be found with a simple Internet search.) Slice the cone into three roughly equal pieces. Help your child place the three slices of clay on a piece of paper and trace around them with a crayon or pencil, then cut out the paper shapes. Finally, have your child stack the three paper pieces in order of size, with the largest on the bottom. Ask them to explain how the pieces of paper are like the lines on his or her map by Learning Resources Ltd This STEM project has been written in partnership with Texas A&M University LRM2791-HCL developed in association with

6 Activity Sheet 3 Shapes of Hills Pam and Ava s park is not flat. We can show hilly areas by using lines called contour lines. When you have finished your experiment to show the contour lines, place your two contour lines stickers on the map to show the hilly areas. See if you can answer these questions: 1. Which hill is higher? Put a red cross at the top. 2. How do the contour lines tell you this hill is higher? G Geographical skills I can describe the location of objects on a map.

7 Home Connection Activity 4 Dear Family, Today we did an activity called Pam s Bike Path from Pam and Ava s Mapping Adventure. This activity introduces children to these key concepts: Engineering: A map can be used to design a solution. Geography: Contour lines on a map can show where land is steep. Geography: Compass directions can be used to describe a route on a map. Let your child tell you what happened in the activity. Have your child use the map on the back of this letter to explain what we did. If your child needs help in telling you about the activity, ask questions such as Where did Pam want to go? How was Pam going to travel? Where is the visitor centre? Where does Ava live? How did you decide where to put the bike path? How did you know if the land was steep? As your child describes the activity, listen for these words that describe the shape of the land such as flat and steep (not too steep). Try This at Home: Map Your Path Work with your child to draw a simple map of your home. (If your home has two floors, show just one floor.) Then have your child use a crayon to trace the path he or she takes to get ready for school. Ask your child to use the map to describe what he or she does at each step. For example, your child might say, First, I go to the bathroom to wash my face. Then I go to my bedroom to get dressed. Next, I go to the kitchen to eat. Then I go out the back door. Encourage your child to point to each location on the map. As your child speaks, listen for sequence words, such as first, next and last. Now find out where north lies in your house. Repeat the exercise and encourage your child to use north, south, east and west as they move through the house. This STEM project has been written in partnership with Texas A&M University LRM2791-HCL developed in association with

8 Activity Sheet 4 Bike Path Plan Pam and Ava are building a bike path for their friends. They will need to plan it out carefully making sure the path does not get too steep. Can you help? When you have finished your experiment to show the contour lines, place your two contour line stickers on the map to show the hilly areas. Lay the blocks on your map to help you plan it out. A bike path on a map is sometimes shown by a dotted line and we can add a bicycle symbol to make it clear. When you are happy with the location of your path remove the blocks and draw your path with a dotted line. Use a bicycle sticker to show where your path starts and finishes. Key Visitor Centre Coniferous Trees Boating Lake Bike Path Fill in the following sentences to help describe your bike path. Use the compass points to help you. My bike path starts near. It then heads in the direction towards the. Then it goes in the direction and finishes near the. G Geographical skills I can use compass directions to describe my bike path.