Maths Key Stage 1 - Rowing multiplication challenge

Duration: 11:55

Two rowing-mad Key Stage 1 schoolchildren are taken to Bisham Abbey. They meet Olympic sculler Anna Watkins, and are set a maths challenge related to rowing.

Using a real rowing boat to help them, the challenge is to work out how many oars a four person crew need if they have two each. Having completed the challenge, the two children are presented with 321 Go! medals by Anna.

Possible uses in the classroom:

Set the scene by asking the children to name as many Olympic sports that can think of that are in or on the water. List them on the board and then ask the children what equipment is needed for each.

Show the video clip up to the point where the challenge is given. Ask the children to predict how many oars there will be and how they know.

You could model the challenge using children sitting in four chairs in a line. Ask them to write down a number sentence to describe what they did.

Show the rest of the video. Did the boys do a good job? How did their number sentence compare with the classes?

Write number sentences for sculls with 2 people, 8 people. Can they make up some number sentences about two sculls, five sculls, ten sculls?

I have 20 oars. How many sculls could I have?

Extension:

If I have 3 sculls what is the most number of people I could have?
What’s the least?
What’s the most number of oars?
What’s the least?

I have 30 oars. What’s the most number of sculls I could have? What’s the least?

Support:

Children who find this challenging may find it easier to focus on the number of rowers rather than the number of oars.

Make simple cut out boats with representations of people. Children make up their own umber sentences about the rowers

Learning outcomes-

Numbers

KS1 curriculum:

[Ma2 3c] …know multiplication facts for the x2 and x10 multiplication tables

This is a useful clip to use in the classroom to tie in with the current BBC Olympic 2012 torch relay coverage.

Commissioned by BBC Two Learning Zone with advice from Lynne McClure (Director of NRICH, Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge), the clips were produced in collaboration with BBC Sport.