Introduction
Kids ... Get Excited!
Today YOU are a detective and your name is Detective McMath. Your job today is to find out how Math came about. Where and how it was developed and / or originated from. Did it originate in our own country or did it come from another culture or region? You will need to research the many tools and techniques that people used to count. What did they use to keep count and keep track of their goods? How was written Math expressed or organized hundreds and hundreds of years ago. You will also learn about the Abacus; an ancient tool that is still being in our classrooms today. You can work as part of a team of detectives and break up some of the tasks or work on your own and be the sole McMath Detective on the case! Let's get started.
Task
Hello Team McMath!
If there is more than one of you on Team McMath - Please decide what your Detective name will be. Detective Dave? Detective Diligent or Detective Dependable? You get to pick! Please go around and introduce yourselves and don't forget to Introduce yourself by your Detective Name. You can use this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZNq8bznl-4 to make a badge. Follow the instructions up until she begins to write SHERIFF; You can write "Detective _____" in place of that and continue on.
Next, Grab a blank piece of paper. I want each detective to write a quick prediction about where or who they think started MATH. How old is Math / where did it originate? Did the Americans come up with it? If not, who did? Write any predictions to share later.
Here are the questions you will need to find out during your investigation. Use the WEB to help organize your thoughts and find the answers below. Please write the answers to the following questions below. I will include a few websites to use if that would help your team out.
* How and where did MATH originate? Do we even know?
* What are the first few examples of how math / numbers came about?
* List 3 different cultures and write down something unique* to them. ( for example: The ancient Babylonians used a *base 60 system and that is why we have 60 minutes in an hour. )
* Find something interesting about tallying or counting in the past and / or find a tool that people used in the past to "count" with. Draw a picture or print it up.
* Written Numbers - Find something interesting about how people "wrote" or used symbols in primitive cultures.
* What is an Abacus? How long has it been around and when was the first one developed and documented?
* WRITE THREE exciting pieces of information that you learned during your detective research and share with 2 friends.
Process
1. Predict your thoughts about Math and answer the prediction questions in the Task Section.
2. Use the WWW / Internet / Web Pages to find the answers to the specific questions in Task Section.
3. Have fun! Use the Web to search for answers and find out new and exciting things about Math and what we know about it.
4. The following sites will help you gather your information.
https://theconversation.com/when-did-humans-first-learn-to-count-97511
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tally_stick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzKMhPK0JF0&t=63s
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/abacus.asp
5. Share your answers with the Detective Team and see if they came up with the same or different answers.
6. Draw a picture or print up a picture of one of the objects you found on the web that was used in counting or 'record keeping.'
7. Write up three things and share with 2 friends.
Evaluation
Go back to your original PREDICTIONS and see what you thought you knew. Let's see how well you did!
Make a quick chart INCLUDING the following
* Name 3 things you predicted that were RIGHT. If you weren't correct, please write that.
* Name 3 things you you were WRONG about. If you weren't wrong, please advise that on the chart.
* Name the THREE things you learned and shared with 2 of your friends. Have your friends sign the sheet that shows proof of sharing and teaching them this new information.
* Turn in the following to the teacher. #1. Chart of Predictions vs. What You Found Out; #2. The completed answers to the main questions in the Task Section. Once turned in, your teacher will review and determine if your WebQuest has been completed.
Conclusion
CONGRATULATIONS! You have all graduated from McMath Detective School and are McMath Approved Members! You have all become leading advisors in this field and now know where the concept of Math, Numbers and Counting originated from. You have familiarized yourselves with specific tools and techniques from ancient times and even learned about the Abacus that we still use today! NOW GO SHARE YOUR NEW KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHERS! Knowledge is power and you are full of it!
Credits
Reference Used:
Schumer, P. The Conversation; "When Did Humans First Learn to Count?" June 5, 2018
Investopedia; The Investopedia Team; "Abacus" June 17 2022
Helpful DIY - You-Tube; "How to Use an Abacus - Full - Tutorial" 2020
KinderCrafty; You-Tube "Pre-School Abacus Lesson" 2018
Teacher Page
Ideas for EXTRA CREDIT or ways to take this lesson even further.
* After all of your research, can you and your Detective Team come up with a unique and different way to count? Share with your classmates.
* Bring an Abacus to class and show your peers how to correctly use one. Show them how to do the following. Adding. Subtracting. Multiplying.