“Reindeer Games”

From the February 2012 DynaMath magazine
(print edition and Web site)
“Reindeer Games”
Lesson Plan (for use with grades 3 to 6)
Lesson Objective
FEBRUARY 2012 VOL. 30, NO. 5 ISSN 0732-7773
In DynaMath’s “Reindeer Games” magazine article
(above) and related content, students learn about
an exciting reindeer race and explore a line graph .
Discuss What Students Know
About Line Graphs
Ask students to identify what they already know
about line graphs. List their ideas on the board
for the entire class to see. (Ideas may include
the parts of a line graph and where students
have seen line graphs outside of school.)
Step 2
Watch the Video
Play the “Reading a Line Graph” video for
students, accessible here (type in or click on the
link): www.mathsolutions.com/videopage
/videos/Final/Dynamath-MS-Reindeer.swf.
Vocabulary word: Estimate
While an estimate is not an exact answer,
it should be based on known numerical
facts. On this graph, the values of some
data points must be estimated, but those
values can be predicted fairly accurately
based on where the points appear in
relation to the numbered lines.
After the video, ask students what new information
about line graphs to add to the list on the board.
Step 3
Read the Article (pages 3 and 4
of this document)
Have students read the “Reindeer Games”
article on a computer screen, whiteboard,
or printout. Review the line graph with the
students. Ask them to explain the meaning of
the information that it shows.
INSIDE
• Smashing
Records
• America’s
Top Dogs
• Metric
Monsters
Reindeer Racers
In this race in Finland, reindeer pull skiers very fast. Use these facts to figure out how
fast: A human can run up to 27 mph. A grizzly bear can run up to 3 mph faster. These
reindeer run up to 7 mph faster than a grizzly bear. How fast are the reindeer racers?
For more about reindeer races, see page 4.
Get more DynaMath at
www.scholastic.com/dynamath.
NAME
Step 4
Complete the Activity
Step 5
Discuss the Answers
Step 6
Extend the Learning
Alone or in small groups, have students answer
the questions that follow the graph. (Page 4 of
this document can be printed for students to
write on.)
In small groups or as a whole group, have
students share their answers. Encourage
students to express their answers in complete
sentences. For questions 4 and 5, students
should share how they arrived at their estimates
and discuss why some estimation methods
seem more accurate than others.
Have students complete the “Exploring Line
Graphs” activity to convey their understanding
of line graphs and when a line graph is the best
way to display a set of data. Students will work
with a partner for question 2.
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to reproduce this page. ©2012 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Step 1
“Reindeer Games”
Standards Covered
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Content Standards
• Measurement and Data: Standard 3.MD
Represent and interpret data.
• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Standard 4.OA
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Standard 4.NBT
Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
• Statistics and Probability: Standard 6.SP
Summarize and describe distributions.
Mathematical Practice Standards
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
4. Model with mathematics
6. Attend to precision
NCTM Standards
1. Number and Operations
2. Algebra
5. Data Analysis & Probability
6. Problem Solving
7. Reasoning and Proof
8. Communication
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to reproduce this page. ©2012 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
Statistics: Reading a Line Graph
r
e
e
d
n
i
e
R
Games
An annual reindeer race marks
the end of a long animal migration
Y
ou’ve heard of
horse races. But
how about reindeer
races? They’re a
popular sport in countries
such as Norway and Finland.
In many areas shown
on the map on the next
page, people raise and herd
reindeer, which do well in
DYNAMATH
cold climates. People use the
reindeer for food, milk, and
transportation.
In early winter, reindeer
migrate to where the snow
is less deep. In February
and March, some reindeer
herders hold reindeer races
at the end of the migration.
Herders work with
A reindeer
race in
Finland
scientists to keep track of
reindeer populations, which
can vary a lot over time.
“Normally, herds will rise and
fall every 40 to 50 years,”
says biologist Don Russell.
Read the line graph on
the next page to track one
reindeer population.
Continued on next page
To order DynaMath, click here or call 1-800-724-6527
REINDEER GAMES continued
Watch a Video!
Many of the human
racers wipe out long
before the finish line!
Click here for
“How to Read a Line Graph”
Asia
FINLAND
Europe
North
America
Reindeer
habitat
U.S.
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
What to Do
This line graph shows
the reindeer population
in Svalbard (SVAHL-bahrr),
Norway, for select years.
Use the graph to answer
the questions.
1
Story by Linda Buchwald. Kimmo Brandt/EPA/Landov (reindeer).
In which year on the
graph was the reindeer
population in Svalbard,
Norway, the lowest?
2
In which year was this
reindeer population
the highest?
3
Reindeer Population in Svalbard, Norway
NORWAY
In which year was this
reindeer population
about 600?
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004 2009
Year
4
a. About how many more
reindeer were in Svalbard
in 2004 than in 1999?
b. About how many more
reindeer were in Svalbard
in 1999 than in 1994?
c. Did the population increase
more between 1994 and 1999
or between 1999 and 2004?
By about how many reindeer?
Source: Olav Strand and Erling J. Solberg, NINA
ARCTIC
OCEAN
Number of Reindeer
PACIFIC
OCEAN
5
First, figure out how
much the reindeer
population in Svalbard
increased from 2004 to
2009. Now suppose that
it increased by the same
amount from 2009 to 2014.
Estimate what the reindeer
population in Svalbard
would be in 2014.
Web Extra!
Visit DynaMath’s Web site:
Click here or go to www
.scholastic.com/dynamath!
To order DynaMath, click here or call 1-800-724-6527
Exploring Line Graphs
Use this activity with the “Reindeer Games” article.
1
Look at the graph on page 4. Pretend
you are explaining to a new student
how to find the value of a point that
is located between two lines on the graph.
Use the point for the year 1994 as your
example. Fill in the blanks in these directions
that you might give to the new student:
A. Circle the point above the year 1994.
This point stands for the number of
_________________________ in Svalbard in 1994.
B. Look at the numbers along the _______________
side of the graph. For the year 1994, the
number at the line above the point must have
a value of ___________________ . (The number at
the line below the point is _ __________________.)
C. The point for the year 1994 is located
between the two lines from 1b. Because of
where it is located between those two lines, a
good estimate of that point’s value would be
____________________________________________ .
D. Now, say your answer as a complete sentence:
For the year 1994, the population of __________
in Svalbard was about ______________________ .
2
What ideas would you add to the
directions in #1 to make it easier for a
new student to find the value of a point on
a line graph? Share your ideas with a partner.
Discuss which of your ideas are alike and which
are different. Ask your partner if your ideas
make the directions easier to understand.
3
Say you were the owner of an ice cream
shop. In which situation would a line
graph best be used to show information?
(Fill in the circle next to your answer.)
A You are keeping a record of the number of
cones you sell every day for one month.
B You are keeping a record of the amount of
chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream
that you sold one Saturday.
C You are keeping a record of how much of
your total sales is sundaes.
D You are keeping a record of which flavor
of ice cream is most popular during the
summer months.
4
In the space below, explain how
you chose your answer for #3.
Activity by Dale Beltzner. Photo: Shutterstock. Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to reproduce this page. ©2012 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
“Reindeer Games”
Comprehension Activity
Name _____________________________________