PFC 102/0/2015

Tutorial letter 102/0/2015

Mathematics and Science Teaching

PFC102R
Department of Mathematics Education

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains feedback on
assignment 02.

BAR CODE

Learn without UNISA

limits
 2

Dear Student
This tutorial letter serves to help you to have a good look at your solutions to
assignment 02, and to compare them with the solutions.

I tried to give you more than just the answers. If you take your time to work through
this tutorial letter, you will find that the explanations and feedback are far more than
just a solution.

The first question involved a mind map on fractions. It is quite easy to make this
mind map, using the text book. You simply need to take the headings and see how
they fit into the structure.

We did not mark this question. A mind map is really a personal endeavour no two
minds work in the same way. But, if you can make as many connections as possible,
you will illustrate a relational understanding of the concepts. (See page 24 of our text
book)

Your lecturer
Dr France Machaba
emachamf@unisa.ac.za
 3 PST201F/201

QUESTION 1
DEVELOPING FRACTION CONCEPTS

USING FRACTION EQUIVALENT

MEANING OF A MODELS FOR CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE &
ESTIMATING WITH
FRACTION
COMPARING
FRACTION FRACTIONS FRACTIONAL PARTS FRACTIONS FRACTIONS
SYMBOLS CONCEPTS

CONCEPTUAL
BENCHMARK USE NUMBER
FRACTION COUNTING FOCUS ON
AREA MODEL FAIR SHARE FRACTIONS SENSE
CONSTRUCTS FRACTION PARTS EQUIVALENCE

BUILDING FRACTION DEVELOPONG AN

LENGTH FRACTION
WHOLE NUMBER NOTATION EQUIVALENT
CONCEPTS MODEL LANGUAGE
FRACTION
ALGORITH

SET MODEL PARTITIONING

ITERATING
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DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR FRACTION COMPUTATION

NUMBER SENSE &

ADDITION AND
FRACTION MULTIPLICATION DIVISION
SUBTRACTION
ALGORITHMS

CONCEPTUAL INVENTED CONTEXTUAL

CONTEXTUAL
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES EXAMPLES AND
EXAMPLES AND
TAKES TIME MODELS
MODELS

MODELS
A PROBLEM BASED DEVELOPING THE
NUMBER SENSE ALGORITHMS ANSWERS THAT
APPROACH ARE NOT WHOLE
MISONCPETIONS NUMBERS

COMPUTATIONAL FACTORS GREATER

ESTIMATION THAN 1 DEVELOPING THE
ALGORITHMS

MISONCPETIONS
MISONCPETIONS
 5 PST201F/201

DEVELOPING CONCEPTS FOR DECIMALS AND PERCENTAGES

EXTENDING THE CONNECTING DEVELOPING

COMPUTATIONS INTRODUCING
PLACE VALUE FRACTIONS AND DECIMAL NUMBER
WITH DECIMALS PERCENT
SYSTEM DECIMALS SENSE

FAMILIAR
THE DECIMAL THE DECIMAL FRACTIONS
POINT POINT ROLE OF MODELS AND
CONNECTED TO
ESTIMATION TERMINOLOG
DECIMALS

APPROXIMATION PERCENT
WITH COMPATIBLE ADDITION AND PROBLEMS IN
FRACTIONS SUBTRACTION CONTEXT

OTHER FRACTION
DECIMAL MULTIPLICATION ESTIMATION
EQUIVALENTS

[5]
ORDERING DIVISION
DECIMAL NUMBERS
 6

QUESTION 2
2.1 Area model
Length model
Set model

The action here

2.2 Example on equal sharing: is SHARING
Continuous whole (area model)
Mary share a pizza between her and 3 friends The action here
fairly (equally) is GROUPING
Each friend gets one-quarter of the pizza

For extra information

Discrete whole (set model)
Mary shares 12 sweets between her and
3 friends (4 people)
Each friend gets one-quarter of the 12
sweets (3 sweets) sweets

2.3.1 Set out 12 counters [counters could be

dry beans, bottle tops]
One quarter
This is three-quarters of the whole set.
three quarters

What will the whole set look like? One quarter

This is the full set (16 counters)

One quarter

One quarter One quarter

One quarter
Bottle
four quarters tops and
beans
One quarter
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Five quarters is
2.3.2 This strip is five- quarters of the whole more than the
whole!

The strip

Divide the
strip into 5
Five-quarters equal parts

Each part is
one quarter

four-quarters

This is the
whole

2.4

2.5 Length model

The number line

For information: an alternative solution

Paper strips
Take a paper strip and divide into 8 equal parts
The whole

The
whole The whole divided into 8 equal parts
must be
the same Shade 6 parts
size
The whole divided into 4 equal parts
Shade 3 parts
 8
The same part of the whole is shaded in each case
Therefore: six eighths = three quarters

A set model is made up

2.6 Using a set model: of loose objects, such
as bottle tops Work through the steps to
understand the subtraction of

Let us choose a whole of 8 counters (set model)

using counters.
You must choose a whole which can
be divided into 8 AND 2 parts (so
choose a whole with 8 objects

The whole is 5 counters

8 counters form 5/8 of
the whole Take 4
eighths away
from 5
eighths

4 counters
form of the
whole
One eighth
remains
The whole is
8 counters

For extra information

Multiplication of fractions
To understand multiplication of fractions, it is easier to talk about the word of.
Let us explain:
SET model (loose objects)
Think about the meaning of one half of six.

In symbols:
 9 PFC102R/102

The concept
Say you can take half of 6 apples on a plate: involved here
is GROUPING

You might put the apples into

two GROUPS, and take one
group. There are 3 apples in
one group.

So a half of 6 = 3

We can say that:

AREA model (continuous whole)

Only a three quarter of a pizza

Say you can eat half of the pizza left was left in this box!

over in the box

Now we have to reason differently! The concept

involved here
is SHARING

This piece was So you will cut the

left in the box
pizza up like this

This is a three quarter of a

pizza, and you may eat half of
it

Now what part of the whole pizza could you eat?

Cut the pizza in

quarters and then
each quarter in half. You can eat three
The pieces are now eighths of the
all eighths of the whole pizza
original.

So we can say:
IN SUMMARY:
For a set model, the action is GROUPING
For an area model, the action is SHARING
10
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Using the formula for the area of a rectangle

2.7 To use the area model to find the product of two fractions, you need to know:
the formula of the area of a rectangle [Area = l b]
how to divide the length and breadth up in equal parts.

For example: (using whole numbers)

What is the area 4cm
of this rectangle?

1cm2

5cm
The area of the
rectangle is
4cm 5cm = 20cm2

To multiply by

Divide the rectangle in 4 equal

parts, and shade 3 parts, like this

Now divide the rectangle in 5

1 unit
equal parts, and shade 2 parts,
like this:

The overlapped section will be

shaded like this: 1 unit

Each little
block is a
The shaded part forms of the twentieth of
the whole

whole rectangle
 12

Understanding place value

2.8 You have to draw the units to scale. Use a ruler

This is 10 This is 100

This is 1

This is one -
tenth

This is one -
hundredth

2.9 We will use the same scale as in 2.8

2.9.1 2,01
This is 2 ones and
one hundredth
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2.9.2 50,3

This is 5 tens and

three tenths

2.10
First round off the numbers to the nearest tenth to get a better estimation of the position on
the number line
0,987 1,0
1,364 1,4 A
1,643 1,6 B
0,879 0,9 C
1,943 1,9 D
0,789 0,8 E
9, 978 10,0 [I am leaving this out]
Draw a number line about 10 cm long, using a ruler.
E C A B D

0 0,5 1 1,5 2
 14

2.11 Setting a real life problem involving percentages:

A hat is on sale at Woolworths for 20%
discount. The original price was R39.99.
What is the sale price?
We will work with an original price of R40.

20% of R40, is of 40

So you need to find of 40, which is 8. The selling price will be R32.

Another example
James got the following marks for three English tests:

Find the average of the tests if they all carry the same weight.
We need to convert to percentages to get the weights the same:

= 72% = 54% and = 30% (Now all tests count out of 100)

The average will be (72 + 54 + 30) 3 = 156 3 = 52%

Now calculate the average if you just add up the marks and the totals:
Marks: 18 + 27 + 30 = 75
Totals: 25 + 50 + 100 = 175
Think a bit!!!!
You got: = or 43%
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Why do the marks differ?

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QUESTION 3

3.1

The correct solution:

= or

3.2 This error is common among primary school learners. This learners knowledge of
whole number operations interfered with his knowledge of addition of fractions. He
simply added numerators and denominators, without any real understanding of a
fraction. He does not understand that one can only add fractions of the same kind.
Fractions are of the same kind if they are the same part of the whole. (Also called
like fractions).The number of parts the whole is divided into is dictated by the
denominator.

3.3 Primary school learners must not be taught algorithms before they have a solid
understanding of fraction concepts. Any two strategies, for example:
Using manipulatives (concrete objects) (see below)
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Two strategies
Working with a continuous whole

Showing: using a paper strip, or a area model.

You have to choose a suitable whole. It is necessary that learners understand why it
will be good to choose a whole that can be divided into 12, 3 and 4 parts. [This
forms the basis of understanding the lowest common denominator]

Use a ruler, and draw a rectangle of length of 12 cm.

This is the whole

This is of the whole

This is of the whole

This is of the whole

Putting them together

This is of the whole

Working with a discrete whole (set model)

Can you see
Count out 12 counters the grouping
Ask learners to show you one twelfth of the 12 counters strategy?

Ask learners to show you one-third of the 12 counters

Ask learners to show you one-fourth (a quarter) of the 12 counters

This is one This is one

The whole twelfth of the
This is one
quarter
third
whole
 18

Now you are ready to do the rest!

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Assignment 3
Geometry activities
SECTION A
Individual work will be marked
YES NO
Statistics of learners correctly presented
Activities selected correctly
Teaching strategies correctly described
Thought levels correctly indicated
Geometrical knowledge of learners discussed
Examples of learners work included

SECTION B

1 The other three faces POS, PYS and SYO

2 The other five edges PS, PY, SY, SO and YO
3 The other three vertices S, O and Y
4 Polyhedron with eight faces? Octahedron
5 A prism is a three dimensional polyhedron, with two congruent, parallel faces, and
with side faces parallelograms/rectangles
6 Hemisphere, cone, cylinder, ellipsoid

Complete: A sphere is a three-dimensional closed surface consisting of all points that are a
given distance from a centre

7 Nothing to submit

8 Nets of any three of the platonic solids

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8 Nets of any three of the platonic solids

9 You will have to count the number of vertices (V), edges (E), and faces (F) of each polyhedron, before
you can fill in the table below.

Polyhedron Vertices Faces Edges

Tetrahedron 4 4 6
Icosahedron 12 20 30
Octahedron 6 8 12
Hexahedron 8 6 12
Dodecahedron 20 12 30

10 There is a special relationship among the number of vertices, faces and edges in a polyhedron. Look
for patterns in the table to discover the relationships. By adding or subtracting V, F and E (or some
combination of two or three of these operations) you can create a formula that will work for all
polyhedrons. This formula was discovered by the Swiss mathematician Leonard Euler (1707-1783),
and is commonly known as Eulers formula. What is this formula?
Eulers formula: V F E 2

11 If a solid has 8 faces and 12 vertices, how many edges will it have? 18

12 If a solid has 7 faces and 12 edges, how many vertices will it have? 7

13 If a solid has 6 faces, what are all the possible combinations of vertices and edges it can have?
6 vertices and 10 edges; 8 vertices and 12 edges .
 21 PFC102R/102

14 One face of the net of a tetrahedron

is missing. Complete the picture

15

The restriction was
that you should
build on this one:

There are 5
possibilities

16 just reading
17 Complete the picture below to show what the net of
an octahedron would look like if it were cut along
some edges and unfolded into one piece. Two faces
are missing. (See number 8 above)

18 The regular dodecahedron is made with 12 regular pentagons. Suppose you were to
cut the dodecahedron into equal parts. They would resemble two flowers, each
having five pentagon-shaped petals around a centre pentagon. If half of the
dodecahedron were cut along edges connecting the petals and then unfolded, what
would it look like? Complete the pattern for half the dodecahedron.
 22

19 The top half of the cube below is coloured red and the
bottom half is coloured blue. Colour the nets below the cube
RED
so that it will make the cube in the picture once it is folded. BLUE
(The nets in the answer are already partially coloured in red.)
Use the two colours when you answer the question!

BLUE RED BLUE

RED
BLUE

BLUE

RED RED RED RED BLUE BLUE BLUE BLUE

RED

RED

RED BLUE
BLUE BLUE BLUE BLUE RED RED RED RED
RED
BLUE RED
BLUE

RED
BLUE BLUE

BLUE BLUE BLUE

BLUE
RED

BLUE
RED RED

BLUE
RED

RED
BLUE RED
BLUE
BLUE
RED

RED

RED

RED BLUE BLUE RED BLUE

BLUE

RED
RED

RED
 23 PFC102R/102

20 The following list of objects is given. Complete the table by linking each of the
everyday objects to the geometrical objects. The first one is done as an example.

Cylinder triangular prism square prism square pyramid hemisphere

Sphere triangular pyramid octagonal prism pentagonal prism
Cone rectangular prism heptagonal pyramid hexagonal prism

1 Die A Square prism (cube)

2 Tomb of Egyptian rulers B Square pyramid
3 Container for a scoop of ice-cream C Cone
4 A box of breakfast cereal D Rectangular Prism
5 A round kitchen bowl E Hemisphere
6 Birthplace of a bee F Hexagonal Prism
7 Stop sign G Octagonal Prism
8 Toblerone chocolate H Triangular Prism
I They come in a variety of
9 Childrens play tent
shapes
10 Moon J Sphere
11 Can of tuna fish K Cylinder
12 Book L Rectangular Prism

Regular Undecagon
Regular Pentagon

Regular Nonagon Regular Heptagon

 24
5. Make a figure next to each of the following to explain its meaning:

a Quadrilateral
A quadrilateral is a polygon with four
sides.

b. Parallelogram
It is a quadrilateral with two pairs of
opposite sides parallel

c. Isosceles triangle
It is a triangle with two sides equal in
length

d. A median of a triangle
It is a line that joins the vertex and the
midpoint of the opposite side of a
triangle. If you draw all three medians,
you will find that they meet in one point
inside the triangle.

e. The altitude of a triangle

The altitude of a triangle is a line drawn
from one of the vertices, perpendicular to
the opposite side.

f. An angle bisector in a triangle

It is a line that bisects an angle in a
triangle. If you draw all three angle
bisectors, you will see that they all go
through one point.

g. A right angled triangle

It is a triangle with one right angle
 25 PFC102R/102

h. An equilateral triangle
An equilateral triangle is a triangle with
all sides equal in length

i. A line segment
A line segment has a definite beginning
and endpoint.
A B
j. AB//CD
Two lines are parallel, if they are of
C D
equidistance from each other

k. Vertical opposite angles.

Vertically opposite angels are formed
when two lines intersect. They are
always equal.

l. Complementary angles
Complementary angles add up to 90
60
30

m. Supplementary angles
60 are angles that
80
add up to 180. 40

n. A hexagon is a polygon with 6 sides.

o. An octagon, a polygon with 8 sides

Guidelines for the October 2015 / January 2016 examination

 26

The following are only some guidelines and not in detail about all the questions.
The drawing of figures will play a role in each question.

Question 1 [10]
Multiple choice
Question 2 [9]
Teaching and Learning concepts related to Fractions forms (fractions)

Question 3 [7]
Fractions

Question 4 [4]

Number sentences concept of substruction

Question 5 [10]
Fractions and percentages
Question 6 [11]
Space and shape
polyhedral and polygons

First three levels of the theory of van Hiele

Mr France Machaba machabaf@webmail.co.za 072 359 5509

ACEME3E

Mr Sello Ngwenya Sello.Ngwenya@gauteng.gov.za 0835712582

Avhatakali Colbert nyadzani@gmail.com 0822120577

Sofowora Samson Sammy4u64@gmail.com 0840344396

Andile mamba 0834581033