Measurement (length): Baffling Bamboo
Challenge level ⭐⭐
(designed for children with prior knowledge of the Year 3 and Year 4 programme of study)
Learning Objective
We are learning how to solve a natural world problem by using and applying our skills and knowledge of measurement (m & cm) and number.
Useful prior knowledge:
- To know how many minutes are equal to a quarter of an hour
- To convert between different units of length (m & cm)
Credit: BBC Two - Wild China
Clip Description
It is common knowledge that a panda’s diet consists mainly of bamboo, but did you know that bamboo is one of the world’s fastest growing land plants? Because of its height and strong stem, it is often mistaken for a tree. However, bamboo is actually a type of grass.
In this fascinating clip, clever time lapse filming captures the growth of moso bamboo. This particular species of bamboo can grow to a height of 18 metres. It is grown in China and Japan for a variety of uses that include making furniture, paper and musical instruments.
Whiteboard Number Challenge
1,718 different species of bamboo have been identified growing around the world so far.
Can you use your knowledge of place value and addition to record some number sentences that have this number as its total?
e.g. 1,000 + 700 + 10 + 8 = 1,718
Can you write a number sentence that no-one else will have thought of?