Teacher to:

• print out the map grid and blank location squares (PDF, 89KB) from the provided blackline master document
• remind students about the ‘Creating a play’ sequence (if relevant).

Students to:

• recall the places on the journey that Bear and Chook visited
• recall the character they previously created (if relevant).

Students:

• draw images of each location on the blank location tile
• cut out each tile
• place, check, then glue the tiles to match the order of events in the story
• draw arrows to connect each event in the sequence
• write instructions for the Bear and Chook tile to get from their home to the sea:
  • Bear and Chook must only move in the direction of the arrow and turn left or right when necessary
  • should use appropriate mathematical language to describe the movements.
• think about the character they have been creating:
  • where would it like to go? why?
  • draw images of the locations it would visit on its journey and map them out on the grid.

This lesson has been designed to integrate computational thinking and mathematics outcomes with analysing and creating a narrative structure. The second journey mapped out by students will be used as the basis for the narrative of their play. For a reference view this example of a completed map (PDF, 276KB).

Students will continue to refer back to their map from this lesson. Keep them safe in a work folder or perhaps use this as an opportunity to integrate digital technology by having students scan or photograph their work and save it in the same folder as their artwork.

Extend the exercise by asking students to:

• mime the events in the journey of Bear and Chook
• act out the new journey they created for their character using verbs like over, under and through.

These kinds of physical activities, including having students call out movements for others to follow, such as move forwards three steps, turn left etc. are a useful alternative activity for students for whom the visual hands on cut and paste activity is not suitable.

Completing this activity affords students the opportunity to:

• recognise that there are different kinds of texts when reading and viewing and show an awareness of purpose, audience and subject matter (EN1-8B)
• plan, compose and review a small range of simple texts for a variety of purposes on familiar topics for known readers and viewers (EN1-2A)
• represent and describe the positions of objects in everyday situations and on maps (MA1-16MG)
• describe mathematical situations and methods using every day and some mathematical language, actions, materials, diagrams and symbols (MA1-1WM)
• follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve problems (ACTDIP004).