More History With Math.

This past Saturday, I checked for new and interesting math apps for my iPad and I came across one put out by the Midway museum in San Diego California.  I was surprised to find something on the Midway but the authors of the app decided to combine some history with math to make it a bit more interesting. 

The Midway Museum STEAM app has combined information on the aircraft carrier with mathematical problems.  Admittedly there is only one math question per section, this is one of the first apps I've seen to combine history with math.

The app covers 6 areas of the ship.  It looks at the enlisted berth where men sleep in triple decker beds, the foc'sle where the anchor is kept, the galley, the amount of food needed to feed the crew while they are underway, helicopters and the flight deck. 

Each section either has a short video to watch or an augmented reality exploration as a way for students to learn more about things.  After they've checked the video or AR activity, students are given a situation and one math question to answer.  If they get it right, they are told great job but if they miss it, they are told they didn't come up with the proper answer and to try again.  

From a math teacher's perspective, I think I'd ask students to provide their thinking or work as they answer each question.  I would also find additional information to create some sort of sheet to go with this.  For instance, when a student finishes watching the video on the enlisted they are told there are 180 enlisted men and asked how many will occupy a top bunk?  I'd want to know the actual number of enlisted men at various points during it's time of being a part of the navy.

For the information on the anchor, I'd want to know more about the anchor itself such as it's weight, measurements, etc so I could ask additional questions including if we could fit an anchor inside the classroom because most students have no idea how big it is.  We can give them weights but they don't relate to 30,000 pounds but if we said it weighed the same as 5 cars, that is something they can see.

I think it is important to add a bit more math to what the app provides to give students a better idea of how math is found throughout the whole ship but also include activities where they have to relate things to their real lives so they create a connection.  The galley talks about taking 9 pounds of flour to make enough pancakes to feed 100 people and asks how many pounds will be needed to feed 4000 people. I see taking this a couple of steps farther by having students figure out how many pounds of flour will be needed to feed 4000 people pancakes once a week for a month.  Then ask them how many 50 pound bags of flour would need to be ordered for one month, two months, or three months.  Once they have an answer, find out the 3 dimensional measurements of a 50 pound sack of flour and have students calculate the volume the sack is and then ask how much space will the sacks take for a three month voyage.  

By extending the basic questions, it gives students a better feel for what the ship is like.  It could be made into a project where the student is in charge of ordering supplies for a one month voyage.  So in addition to the amount of supplies, students can calculate the total cost of the order.  A real life based project.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.