Who Lives Where?

This activity gives students an opportunity to use logical thinking and direction clues to locate houses on a street map. Some students may need to revise the compass points for NE, SE, SW, and NW. Before the students begin question 3, you could ask them to estimate who travels the shortest distance to school. Paora, in house D, looks the closest, but does he travel the shortest distance when he goes
to school along the roads? (Note that the students need to calculate the distance travelled along the roads, not the distance of a straight line from each house to the school.) The students can then measure the route each friend takes to school and use the scale to work out who travels the shortest distance.

In question 4, the students need to use a local map to investigate different pathways, including the shortest path between two locations. They could use grid references to identify the location of places of interest such as the school, shopping centre, museum, sports fields, and so on. If a rural map is used, the students could identify farms, golf courses, and any other key features of the local area. They can then investigate the shortest paths between two locations, applying understanding of scale.

Answers to Activity

1. A – Sam
B – Matiu
C – Joe
D– Paora
E – Lisa
F – Mae Ling
G– Lachlan
H– Miriama
2. Approximately 820 m
3. Sam. (Mae Ling walks approximately 500 m, Miriama walks approximately 940 m, Sam walks approximately 420 m, and Paora walks approximately 560 m.)
4. Practical activity