Site title: The Challenge – How Big is the Great Pyramid?

URL:            http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/activity/act_main.html 

Level             3

Rating            

Purpose of the site:

This challenge is part of the website of the British Museum. The site contains a variety of materials about Ancient Egypt, including this challenge that involves students in estimating the size of the Great Pyramid. Potential users of the site include students working at level 3 of the Measurement strand of the Mathematics Curriculum. 

New Zealand context:

The challenge on this site asks students to estimate the height, area and weight of the Great Pyramid. It provides visual guides to help develop the skill of estimation. For example it asks how many buses could be parked on the area covered provided by the pyramid and it shows a diagram of the relative sizes of a bus and the pyramid.   This challenge is ideal as an independent task to help develop the skill of estimation. It also gives the students some experience thinking about large size items.

New and Different:

Pyramids are appealing and the great Pyramid is so large students will be interested and amazed. The graphics are clear and easy to follow and the scale diagrams help to communicate the vastness of the pyramid.

Curriculum References:

Mathematics, Levels: 3

Strand: Measurement