Skip to main content
Tāhūrangi - New Zealand Curriculum
Support
Tāhūrangi - New Zealand Curriculum
Support
Switch Curriculum:

Starry-eyed

This is a level 2 number activity from the Figure It Out series. A PDF of the student activity is included.

<img src="/images/decorative.jpg" alt="" />

Tags

  • AudienceKaiako
  • Resource LanguageEnglish

About this resource

Figure It Out is a series of 80 books published between 1999 and 2009 to support teaching and learning in New Zealand classrooms.

This resource provides the teachers’ notes and answers for one activity from the Figure It Out series. A printable PDF of the student activity can be downloaded from the materials that come with this resource.

Specific learning outcomes:

  • Solve problems using addition strategies.
Reviews
0

Starry-eyed

Achievement objectives

NA2-1: Use simple additive strategies with whole numbers and fractions.

Required materials

  • Figure It Out, Level 2-3, Theme: Under the sea, "Starry-eyed", page 10
  • a calculator

See Materials that come with this resource to download:

  • Starry-eyed activity (.pdf)

Activity

 | 

Usually in number problems like this, all the spaces are left blank and you are given a list of the numbers to place. This makes it difficult to complete the number patterns. The problems on this page are more accessible for students because they have been given some line and some positional numbers.

These problems help students to develop systematic thinking. Consider this process for solving problem a:

A star diagram with the numbers 12, 9, 6, 8, 10 at each individual point of the star.

Since 6 + 5 + ? + 10 = 24, the ? number must be 3.

A star diagram with the numbers 12, 9, 6, 8, 10 at each individual point of the star.

For i., 8 + 3 + ? + 12 = 24, and so ? = 1, and for ii., 8 + 5 + ? + 9 = 24, and so ? = 2.

This leaves 4 to go in the remaining space.

Similar reasoning can be used for problem b:

A star diagram with a collection of numbers and letter inside and besides it.

9 + 12 = 21, so the two numbers for spaces i. and ii. must add to 9. Only 4 and 5 do that.

A star diagram with a collection of numbers and letters inside and besides it, as well as equations.

The numbers for the other spaces can be found using the line total.

The side totals of the inside pentagon tell you what each pair of outside numbers must add to.

Another way for students to solve these problems is to write the missing numbers on small pieces of paper or card and put them in different circles to find what works. This trial and error process is cumbersome, but it can be effective. It also provides lots of mental computation practice.

 a.

A star diagram with the numbers 12, 9, 6, 8, 10 at each individual point of the star and 1, 4, 2, 5, 3 within the star.

b.

A star diagram with the numbers 3, 1, 4, 7, 5 at each individual point of the star and 11, 13, 10, 12, 9 inside the star.

c.

A star diagram with the numbers 19, 17, 15, 13, 16 at each individual point of the star and 5, 2, 4, 6, 3 inside the star.

d. Answers will vary.

The quality of the images on this page may vary depending on the device you are using.