Measure: Bearings and Scale Drawings - offline version

Objectives:

• Pupils will measure accurately, convert measurements using a scale factor and translate information into diagrams.

National Curriculum:

• AT3 Level 5
  When constructing models and when drawing shapes, pupils measure and draw angles to the nearest degree.

Resources required:

• Protractors
  
  
• Compasses
  
  
• Rulers
  
  
• Pencils and paper
  
  
• Worksheet

Teaching activities:

Mental Starter

• Start with questions such as 180-20, 90+30.
  
  
• Progress to questions where you draw a straight line on the board: "If this is 180°, and I take 10° off..." - draw the other line - "...what is this angle?"
  
  
• It is important for bearings that pupils are aware of the appearance of a 90°, 180°, 270° and 360° angle.

Activities

• Pupils are given the worksheet (compasses, protractor, ruler, pencil, if required)
  
  
• When pupils are doing the scale drawing it is important that they understand that the angles stay the same and the lengths of the side change. The teacher could use this time to ensure pupils understand the mathematical meaning of the word similar.
  
  
• In questions three and four it may help if the points of the compass are on the wall. When explaining about bearings being measured from North clockwise it would add interest to talk about why every country uses this convention.
  "What would happen if some countries didn't and a ship was in trouble in the middle of the ocean?"

Extension

• Pupils could be introduced to finding bearings using calculation.

Plenary

• Pupils are given quick fire questions on the topics covered.
  
  
• Pupils are asked to define the key words such as similar and bearing.

Suggested homework:

• The students could be given a teacher prepared worksheet of diagrams to be drawn accurately. These could involve the use of ruler, compasses and protractor.