An interactive whiteboard resource that gives you a complete lesson activity for teaching about approaching problems systematically.  The problem presented here is an updated version of one first presented by H.E. Dudeney in the early 20th Century. 

The IWB resource presents a reaction test.  The test is successfully passed if 4 circles are lit up and they form the shape of a square.  The resource will join up the circles if the square is formed. The resource is really only intended to engage the students in the problem.  It is used best if the students come up and try and achieve a succesful square by pressing the red button.  When the first student achieves one tell the class that the next square must not be of the same type as the one previously done.  Or if a student misses an intended circle ask if it is possible to still form a square.

Here are 2 examples of two possible scoring formations:

You can see that both layouts form a square.

Once the students understand the ways to find a scoring layout set them the challenge of finding how many different ways there are to achieve a scoring layout using 4 circle targets.  This works best if in the first instance you let the students come up with their own methods.  In the pdf for this resource there is a blank target to be printed for the students to use.  Most students will try colour coding and find that it is hard to work clearly.  The next step is to introduce them to working systematically using a table.  The pdf includes a tabular layout to allow the students to easily work through all of the different combinations and come up with the final number.  You can print this or the children can create their own.

Once the students believe they have worked systematically and are confident they have got the final total you can press solve on the resource to cycle through all of the solutions with a count to help you keep track.

I’ve found this lesson very effective in allowing the students to see how much easier a task is if laid out in an appropriate manner and worked through systematically.  Download the pdf for further notes.  Please feedback on any problems or ways that you have used the resource in the comments section below.

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Get supporting print out.

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This interactive whiteboard resource is designed to facilitate a class competition.  The children in the class are divided into 4 groups and allocated a team colour: red,green, blue or yellow.  Students follow a printed instruction set to generate a number.  Once the team have discovered the combination the team captain goes to the interactive whiteboard, selects his team colour and then enters the combination.  Once the number is entered he/she presses the key button.  If the combination is correct the appropriate button slides away to reveal a jewel.  If the combination is incorrect that team ’s light goes out and they are locked out for a number of seconds.  The winning team is the first to get and enter the correct combination.  Mis-keys can be corrected by pressing the ‘E’ key.

In the first instance there is one sheet available to download that can be used for students to follow and find a combination.  This is designed with a session in the computer suite in mind.  The teams will need to use the internet to research facts to help them discover the combination.  Teams that make efficient use of planning, communication and teamwork will have an advantage.  A good tactic that the students can be left to discover themselves, or informed of, is for some of the team to go ahead in the questions to find necessary information for when it is needed by the students who are performing the calculations.  In this way students can develop research and social skills as well as applying their existing mathematics skills.

Teachers can set the number of seconds incorrect answers lock out a team  by clicking the solitary triangular button (with the double arrow on it) and then adjusting the slider on the pop-out panel to the desired amount of time.  On this panel the appropriate question code should also be selected (there is only ‘number 1′ question sheet available at the moment).

New question sheets will be released over time.  It is hoped that teachers who feel they can make use of this resource will create new ones and submit them for others to use.  Themed question banks could be created this way where the research is focussed on a particular subject.  Or sheets that use only maths skills could be created so that the internet isn’t needed.

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Get Combination Sheet Number 1.

Get Get the answers for Combination sheet number 1, this is a word document with the working out for the sheet above that can be modified for creating new question sheets.  Once you have created the new sheet submit it to the email address below and it will be formatted and its final code added to the resource.  Please state what credit you would like to receive i.e. name or school etc.

Get Combination Sheet Number 1ii.  (This produces the the same code as sheet 1 so combination 1 should be selected on the resource still).  This combination sheet has been generously created and shared by W.S. Frost.  This sheet uses pure mathematical skills so no research tools are necessary and it can be used in any classroom.

Get Combination Sheet Number 1iii. (This produces the the same code as sheet 1 so combination 1 should be selected on the resource still). This combination sheet has been generously created and shared by J Scott.
Get Combination Sheet Number 1iii Answers.

Get Combination Sheet Number 2i. This produces a code that corresponds to combination 2 so ensure that you select the correct combination before beginning. This combination sheet has been generously created and shared by Deanne Forrest of Texas. Its geographic origin is reflected in a couple of the questions so those not from Texas should check ahead.
Get Combination Sheet Number 2i Answers.

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