Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! A Mathematical Story by Debbie Tilley and Marilyn Burns (Scholastic, 2008). View and read along with Glennan Saraceno at https://youtu.be/jN_GmgeU5cw.
Cut eight pieces of paper into 2 inch x 2 inch squares. Find markers of some type to represent chairs. I will use buttons. (You could use mini cookies, bottle caps, or even a small lego piece -- anything to pretend we have a chair at the table). Pretend the paper is a table and place one chair (the button) on each side of each table. There should be 32 chairs for guests to sit at. Four at each table.
In the story as each new guest arrived they pushed tables together to make room. Actually they were making fewer places to sit each time they moved a table or tables together. Pretend new guests come. Push a couple tables together. How much room is there for chairs now? Tell your own story about people coming to your house for dinner. Move the tables and chairs. See how moving the chairs changes the number of chairs that can be put at each table.
In the story as each new guest arrived they pushed tables together to make room. Actually they were making fewer places to sit each time they moved a table or tables together. Pretend new guests come. Push a couple tables together. How much room is there for chairs now? Tell your own story about people coming to your house for dinner. Move the tables and chairs. See how moving the chairs changes the number of chairs that can be put at each table.
And does it matter if we put the tables in one long row or put the tables in a larger square?
The outside edge of the tables is called the perimeter.
Make your own drawings and write the problems.
How many sides x 2 feet = perimeter.
How many sides x 2 feet = perimeter.
Each person needs 2 feet to sit at the table so, perimeter divided by 2 = the number of people that can sit at a table.
Try these problems:
- Put all eight tables together, how many chairs or people will fit at the tables?
- Put four of the tables together, how many chairs or people will fit at the tables?
- Put two of the tables together, how many chairs or people will fit at the tables?
- If each table is by itself, how many chairs or people will fit at the tables?
- Can you think of any other way to arrange the tables?
- What arrangement allows the most people to sit at the eight tables?
- What arrangement allows the least number of people to sit at the eight tables?
Answers:
- (18) 1 on each side of the table, and one at the 2 ends = 18
- (10) 1 on each side of the table, and one at the 2 ends x 2 (sets of tables) = 20
- (6) 1 on each side of the table, and one at the 2 ends x 4 (sets of tables) = 24
- (32) 8 tables x 4 = 32
- 8 tables set alone so that one person can sit on each of the four sides.
- When all 8 tables are set end to end, two sides on six of the tables can not have people sitting at them; and two tables can only have three sides with people at them.
Use your paper pieces to show each arrangement; or just draw the arrangement on a piece of paper.
Teachers/parents: If you wish more titles that feature mathematical concepts, you may wish to visit: Math Connections & Literacy. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/Math-Literacy
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McElmeel, Sharron (2020, April 21). Spotlight on Literacy #9 - Math Literacy. Reading Trove. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/readingtrove-9
