The X-Y axis
Materials:
Two long ropes, notes and skipping ropes
Instructions:
The long ropes are placed horizontally and vertically on the floor so that they create an x-y axis that respectively represent two different concepts. The x-y axis could represent:
- Social studies – distribution and value politics
- Home economics – food in relation to healthiness-un-healthiness and price
- Geography – cardinal directions (North, East, South and West) in relation to the centre
- Art – draw with chalk and use the skipping rope to create the golden ratio
- Maths – the Cartesian co-ordinate system where the students could jump between the different quadrants and illustrate parabola/ lineal functions using skipping ropes. The students could also be ‘living parts’ and make an equilateral triangle in a group of 3, placing themselves on the x-y axis. The graph could also be used to show mirroring and symmetry
Variation:
In maths a long rope and two skipping ropes can be arranged on the floor as a giant protractor. The students can move around in the circle to different degrees that could be written down with chalk. A development of the activity could be a small obstacle course where the students are in pairs and guide each other through the course with instructions such as: ‘Take two steps forward – turn 90 degrees to the right – take three steps forward – turn 45 degrees to the left – etc.’