102090 Secondary Curriculum 2A

Assignment 1: Unit outline and three

professional resources

Student name: Quang Huy Do

Student number: 18322138

In this assignment, I will create a unit outline for the unit of Measurement in
the NSW Mathematics Standard Stage 6 syllabus and three professional
resources to be used in these lessons. Included will be a rationale explaining
the choices and decisions made in the development of this unit outline.
Unit Outline – Mathematics Standard (Year 11)

1
2
Lesson number Teaching, learning and assessment activities

Lesson 1: Units of measurement Students will review different metric units of measurement (Stage 5 content)
(MS-M1.1)
Content:

• Apply context in using units of area (when to use)

• Take measurements in common metric units of measurements
• Convert between common units of measurement, for example: meters to centimeters.

Activities:

• The teacher can show the conversion diagram

• Stack five 20 cm ruler to make 1 metre, hence 1 m = 100 cm (conceptual
understanding)

Lesson 2: Measurement errors Content:

(MS-M1.1) !
• Absolute error = × precision
"

• Limits of accuracy: upper bound and lower bound

-./01234 45505
• Percentage error =
647/2546483
× 100%
• Types of errors: human or device limitations

Activities:

• Students learn about errors in using common measuring instruments such as a ruler
and how to assess uncertainty in measuring. Can be done by actually measuring

3
 items around the classroom and compare results from all students. Some students
will be 1 or 2 mm more or less than other students and the class will discuss this.

Lesson 3: Scientific notation and significant figures Content:

(MS-M1.1)
• Scientific notation as a way to effectively express very large or very small numbers
• Significant figures as methods to determine the accuracy of a number.

Activities:

• Relate lesson 2’s content in this lesson to see the effect of increasing significant
figures can have on reducing percentage errors.

Lesson 4: Units of energy and mass Content:

(MS-M1.3)
• Metric units of energy: calories, kilocalories, joules and kilojoules and their
abbreviations
• Metric units of mass: grams, kilograms and tonnes and their abbreviations
• Converting between units of energy and mass.

Activities:

• Take measurements or research on the internet the mass of familiar objects to

students so they can visualise the difference between grams, kilograms and tonnes.

Lesson 5: Applications of units of energy and mass Content:

(MS-M1.3)
• Solving problems related to food and nutrition.

4
 • Energy expenditure in activities, including kilojoules.

Possible activity:

• Online internet research on nutrition labels of popular brands of breakfast cereals and
answer questions and make an informed decision.

Lesson 6: Energy and electricity consumption Content:

(MS-M1.3)
• Units for energy consumption, including kilowatt hours
• Electricity consumption of common appliances
• Solve problems involving electricity consumption

Possible activities:

• Online internet research on electricity consumption of common household

appliances.
• Energy saving ideas (sustainability issues)

Lesson 7: Investigative learning lesson for MS-M1.1 and MS- Students to participate in an investigative, open-ended and multi-entry/exit point task
M1.3 using the knowledge obtained from the previous 6 lessons.

The task needs to be open-ended in design and encourages discussions amongst

students, focusing on the cross-curriculum priority of sustainability and the general
capabilities of literacy, numeracy and ICT.

Lesson 8: Review of Pythagoras’ Theorem and scale factor Content:

(MS-M1.2)

5
 • Pythagoras’ Theorem and use it to solve problems involving the calculation of the
side length of right-angled triangles.
• Scale factor and use it to find unknown lengths of similar figures.

Activities:

• History of Pythagoras and definitions of theorems

• A concrete task using Excel to compare the sum of the squared of the two shorter
sides and the squared of the hypotenuse.
• More abstract applications with the formula for both Pythagoras’ Theorem and
scale factor

Lesson 9: Perimeters of regular and composite shapes (other Content:

than circles)
• The meaning of perimeters
(MS-M1.2)
• Converting units of measurement involving length (revision from lesson 1)
• Calculations of the perimeters of regular and composite shapes (triangles,
rectangles, parallelograms and trapeziums).

Activities:

• Students can solve practical problems involving perimeters

• Applying Pythagoras’ Theorem and scale factor in the previous lesson in
calculating perimeters

6
Lesson 10: Perimeters of circles and related composite Content:
shapes
• Calculations of the perimeters of circles, sectors and composite shapes involving
(MS-M1.2)
circles
• The circumference of a circle formula (C = 2 × 𝜋 × 𝑟)
A
• Secector as a fraction of a circle ( )
BCD

Activities:

• Students can solve practical problems involving perimeters of circles and sectors
• Combining with content from the previous lesson to come up with creative
solutions for open-ended questions involving composite shapes.

Lesson 11: Areas of regular and composite shapes (other than Content:
circles)
• The meaning of areas
(MS-M1.2)
• The area as the space contained inside a shape
• Calculations of the areas of regular and composite shapes, including the area
formulas of triangles, rectangles, parallelograms and trapeziums.

Activities:

• Solving practical problems involving area

• Converting between units of area (revision from lesson 1) – focus study: identified
as an area of weakness in 2015, 2016 and 2017 HSC papers.
• ICT Activity using Excel spreadsheet to calculate apply the area formulas.

7
Lesson 12: Areas of circles and related composite shapes Content:
(MS-M1.2)
• Calculations of the areas of circles, sectors and composite shapes involving
circles, including the area formula for circles.
• Solving practical problems involving area
• Applying the area formula of circles and other regular shapes in solving practical
problems.

Activities:

• Combine content from lesson 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 to solve a small task such as design
a backyard involving rectangles and circles with certain restrictions such as cost
per square meter (affects size) or the shape of the land but maximise the area
and visual appeals, etc. This allows the teacher to assess learning on the go for
the content learnt so far to adjust the teaching strategies in time.
• Continue with the ICT activity every lesson by adding in new formulas.

Lesson 13: Surface area of solids Content:

(MS-M1.2)
• Definition of surface areas
• Creating nets to calculate the surface area of solids
• Surface areas of prisms, cylinders and spheres

8
 Activities:

• ICT focus: continue creating formulas to calculate surface areas of solids in Excel
spreadsheet
• Interactive activity: 3D visualisation of prisms
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/SurfaceAreaAndVolume/

Lesson 14: Surface area of solids Content:

(MS-M1.2)
• Calculating surface area of composite solids
• Solving problems involving surface area

Activities:

• Converting between units of measurements involving area (review from lesson 1)

– focus study: area of weakness in 2015-2017 HSC papers.
• ICT Activity
• Start work on the investigative task (due in lesson 18)

Lesson 15: Volume and capacity of solids Content:

(MS-M1.2)
• Definition of volume
• Students learn to calculate the volume of solids including prisms, cylinders and
spheres by learning to develop the formulas and explain their choices.
• Visualise volume as a 3D enclosed space. Can be visualised with bead poured
into a cube or a shape.

9
 Activities:

• Continue working on the investigative task

• ICT focus: continue adding formulas to Excel spreadsheet

Lesson 16: Volume and capacity of solids Content:

(MS-M1.2)
• Volume of composite solids
• Converting between volume and capacity
• Solving problems involving volume and capacity

Activities:

• Continue on the investigative task

• ICT: adding formulas to excel spreadsheet

Lesson 17: Trapezoidal rule Content:

(MS-M1.2)
• The rationale for using Trapezoidal rule
• Derive Trapezoidal rule for one application
• Use Trapezoidal rule to estimate area
• Use Trapezoidal rule to estimate volume in of water in a lake of pool

Activities:

• Practical application, students can use their ruler and start taking measurements
of objects around the classroom to approximate its area using trapezoidal rule

10
Lesson 18: Trapezoidal rule Content:
(MS-M1.2)
• Use Trapezoidal to solve practical problems
• Continue using the Excel spreadsheet to assist calculations

Activities:

• An outdoor lesson, students can use trapezoidal rule to approximate the area of
their playground or their back oval. Measurements can be taken using measuring
tapes. The class will be divided into groups with two or more groups measuring
the same area, however, each group will increase the number of applications.
Students can see the improved in accuracy when results are later compared in
class.
• Groups to hand in their investigative task.

Lesson 19: Summing it up Activities:

(MS-M1.2)
• Groups to present their calculations on the area that they calculated from the
previous lesson.
• The class will participate in a discussion of the effect of increasing the number of
applications will have on improving the accuracy of measurements.

11
The unit outline for the topic of Measurement (MS-M1.1, MS-M1.2 and MS-M1.3) was
developed based on the contents of the NSW Stage 6 Mathematics Standard Syllabus
for 2018. The intent and the essence of the syllabus has been adopted, particularly on
the area of applying the contents in solving practical problems, increasing the students’
deep understanding, heighten the students’ engagement and encouraging a sustained
focus on conceptual understanding. These elements were included in the unit outline
through the use of various teaching strategies and a range of different activities that
facilitate differentiated teaching as well as the ability to cater for gifted and talented
students. Additionally, the general capabilities priorities of sustainability, creative
thinking and ICT were also made important throughout this unit.

I believe the curriculum for the NSW Stage 6 Mathematics Standard course provides
flexibility for creativity in how to deliver the content as deemed appropriate by the
teachers. Ultimately, the goal is to deliver a unit of work that allows the students to
achieve and meet the outcomes as set out in the syllabus. As a result, this unit outline
develops the lessons with reference to the principal of the SOLO taxonomy in the
sense that initial lessons will set the foundations for the students by providing them
with the necessary knowledge and skills so that they can later use these tools to apply
to unseen practical problems and investigations (Biggs & Collis, 1982). For example,
lesson 1 to 6 will each provide students with a tool to work with, be it the ability to
convert units of measurement, scientific notation or units of energy and mass. In each
lesson, the students will be exposed to related problem-solving questions. These skills
and knowledge will come together in lesson 7 where the students will participate in a
research task and must make a justified decision that not only requires the knowledge
of previous lessons but may also draw on the knowledge from other topics such as
financial mathematics in justifying the costs. These aspects align itself with the
elements of the SOLO taxonomy and consequently aims to provide the students with
the ability to create new ideas and explore new domains beyond the confinement of
the topic being studied. This is evident in not only the internet research activity but
also the ICT activity where students are expected to generate new formulas on the
Excel spreadsheet themselves or the investigative task where they need to devise an
effective strategy to be able to correctly obtain the solution.

Students’ engagement is another arena in which this particular unit outline places a
strong emphasis on. This was achieved through various opportunities to engage
students in group work activities, class discussions, ICT investigations and challenging
work that seeks to encourage students to challenge themselves and step out of their
comfort zone, making connections and value each others’ intellectual abilities (Boaler,
2008). Peer communication allows students, particularly adolescent senior students,
to separate themselves away from their closed peer group and more interaction and
knowledge exchange will occur more effectively (Sit, 2012). In addition to this, more
challenging work through the assessment for learning item will allow gifted and
talented students to flourish, according to Ladwig, Gore and NSW Department of
Education (2009). Nonetheless, low ability students are also not forgotten because the
design of the activities was inclusive of all students' abilities that everyone can
contribute (Biggs, 1995). As such the first two questions of the last investigative task
for the unit requires only basic knowledge, allowing students with low ability an
opportunity to participate. Additionally, opportunities and time are included in each
lesson allowing students opportunities to ask questions and the teacher can explain
those again.

The cohesiveness and strategic placement of the lessons and teaching strategies in
the unit outline seeks to keep the momentum of the content throughout the whole
academic year by explicitly connecting new contents to previously learnt contents.
This is based on Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development, which refers
to the increased ability of the students to absorb information if they are guided and the
lessons are structured (Shabani, Khatib & Ebadi, 2010). For example, the subtopic
focus of MS-M1.1 is taught before MS-M1.2 because the students will need to know
how to convert between units of lengths and areas before they can calculate areas
which often requires a conversion of one unit to another before the calculation is
applied. Through this strategy, the students can have a more concrete conceptual
understanding of the concept of area and how the units of measurements are related
to the area. Additionally, the process will also be easier to understand for the students.

In conclusion, the unit outline has been developed first and for most to achieve the
outcomes set by the NSW Stage 6 Mathematics Standard Syllabus. However, it also
goes to great lengths in ensuring a more cohesive mathematical development in
students where real learning happens through more effective teaching strategies that
keep students engaged and more useful assessment items that students can learn
and gain more knowledge from.
REFERENCES:

Biggs, J. (1995). Assessing for learning: Some dimensions underlying new

approaches to educational assessment. The Alberta Journal of Educational
Research, 41(1), 1-17.

Biggs, J., & Collis, K. (1982). Evaluating the Quality of Learning - the SOLO Taxonomy.
New York: Academic Press

Boaler, J. (2008). Promoting ‘relational equity’ and high mathematics achievement

through an innovative mixed-ability approach. British Educational Research
Journal, 34(2), 167-194.

Ladwig, J. G., Gore, J. M., & New South Wales Department of Education and Training.
(2009). Quality teaching in NSW public schools: a classroom practice guide (3rd
edition). Sydney, Department of Education and Training, Professional Learning
and Leadership Development Directorate.

NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). (2018). Mathematics Standard Stage 6

Syllabus. Retrieved from
http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/537e631f-b7dd-4522-
b005-bc5d84a1cf9a/mathematics-standard-stage-6-syllabus-
2017.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

Shabani, K., Khatib, M., & Ebadi, S. (2010). Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal
Development: Instructional Implications and Teachers' Professional
Development. English Language Teaching Journal, 3(4), 237-248.

Sit, H. (2012). Teaching Strategies for Enhancing Peer Interaction among Diverse
Learners. Higher Education Studies, 2(4), 31-39.
 ICT Activity
ICT Focus lesson:- can be used concurrently with other resources to teach throughout the 3
weeks of MS-M1.2

Use Microsoft Excel software to determine area, surface area and

volume of common shapes

Step 1: Download the Excel file from this link:

https://app.box.com/s/2djtc5ofhcpt7y41qv2o85xwmkyj18xg

Step 2: Open up the Excel file, you will see I have already written up one example for the
area of a triangle.

Step 3: Insert the correct measurements for the base and the height of the triangles you want
to calculate the area of.

Step 4: Click on the bottom right corner of the area box then click your mouse and pull down
once you see the plus symbol to allow Excel to calculate the areas of the triangles.

How did I do it?

#
From what we have studied, the area formula for triangles is 𝐴 = $ ´ 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 ´ ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

So, in the cell C3 in Excel, I typed "=0.5*A3*B3" since A3 contains the measurement for the

#
base of the triangle and B3 contains the measurement for height of the triangle and 0.5 is $.
Let create another formula in Excel.

Follow the following steps to create a formula for the surface area of rectangular prism

Step 1: Select cells A12 to D12, right click on the cells and select Format Cells

Step 2: Tick Merge Cells then press Enter

Step 3: Name the cells that have just been merged ‘Surface area of rectangular prism’

Step 4: Name the cells A13, B13, C13 and D13 Width, Height, Length and Surface
Area respectively.

Step 5: Click on cell D14 and type the following “=2*A14*B14+2*B14*C14+2*A14*C14”

Step 3: Insert the correct measurements for the width, the height and the length of the
prisms you want to calculate the area of in cells in the appropriate columns for
width, height and length.

Step 4: Click on the bottom right corner of the surface area box in cell D14 then click
your mouse and pull down once you see the plus symbol to allow Excel to
calculate the surface area of the prisms.

The most difficult important formula here is in Step 5. How did I do it?

We have studied the net of prisms from the previous lesson and we have established
that the surface area of rectangular prism can be calculated by adding the areas of the
separate faces, hence:

Area = Front and back rectangles + Left and right sides + Top and bottom rectangles

1. Front and back rectangles = 2´ 𝑤´ ℎ

2. Left and right sides = 2´ ℎ´ 𝑙
3. Top and bottom rectangles = 2´ 𝑤´ 𝑙

Where: 𝑤 = cell A14, ℎ = cell B14 and 𝑙 = cell C14

Now, it’s your turn to create some formulas in Excel.

Follow the steps above to create a formula in Excel to calculate:

1. The area of rectangles and squares

2. The area of triangles
3. The area of parallelograms
4. The area of trapeziums
5. The area of circles
6. Surface area of solids
7. Volume of spheres
8. Volume of cylinders
9. Volume of cones
10. Applications of trapezoidal rule

You can also use this Excel spreadsheet to assist with your investigative task
in lesson 14.
Excel snippet:
 Internet Research Investigation Activity
In preparation for the next lesson on energy consumption and electricity usage, you are
required to do an investigation activity on the electricity consumption of common
household appliances and complete column 1 and column 2 of the table beneath:

Instructions:

Appliances: fridges, heater, washing machine, dishwasher, clothes dryer, tv, water heater,
etc.

Electricity usage information: find an energy label similar to this on your household
appliance and record the energy consumption.

Appliance Energy Cost per Energy Cost per Savings ($)

consumption year ($0.25c consumption year ($0.25
per kWh) of the newer per kWh)
appliances

Table 1. Energy consumption table of common household appliances

In-class activity during lesson 6:

1. Calculate the electricity cost per year for each appliance.

2. Conduct an internet search on popular stores’ websites such as Harvey Norman or
Bing Lee for newer appliances of similar functionality that have lower energy
consumption and record its energy consumption.
3. Calculate the cost of electricity per year for the new appliances.
4. Calculate the savings (if any) for each appliance.
Resources for the teacher to facilitate discussions in lesson 7:

Follow up questions to the same activity in lesson 7:

Students will be divided into groups and to work out whether buying a new appliance to
save on electricity is a sound financial decision. (i.e. probe the students into the time it takes
to recoup the cost of purchasing the appliance with the savings they get from electricity).

The students, however, are required to justify their answers and make an informed decision
about the most effective way of cutting electricity. For example, changing over a relatively
new and perfectly functional fridge that costs $1000 to buy that can save 40kWh of
electricity per year (equals to $10 annual saving) is not a very wise financial decision.
However, if an appliance is broken and needs to be replaced, it is best practice to try to
shop for, amongst other factors, the appliance that has the lowest energy consumption in
the price range.

What other effective ways are there to save on electricity?

Some ideas:
• Can it be changing incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient LED light bulbs?
• Or better insulation around the house?
• Or turn off and unplug all appliances when not in used?

The class will also investigate how much electricity a household can be saved by applying
these measures and how much electricity can Australia save each year if those measures are
applied. This activity also requires the students to use their devices to research the
information on the internet (ABS Website for the number of households in Australia,
energy-saving ideas, etc. )

Some links:

ABS 2016 Census QuickStats:

http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quicksta
t/036?opendocument

Energy saving tips:

https://www.originenergy.com.au/for-home/electricity-and-gas/info/energy-efficiency-
tips.html

Energy Efficient Appliances:

https://www.energymatters.com.au/energy-efficiency/
 Investigative Task
Subject: Year 11 Mathematics Standard
Topic: Area, Surface Area and Volume
Assessment weighting: 10%
Date notified: ____________________________
Date due: ____________________________

Outcomes to be assessed:
MS11-4 Performs calculations in relation to two-dimensional and three-
dimensional figures
MS11-9 Uses appropriate technology to investigate, organise and
interpret information in a range of contexts
MS11-10 Justifies a response to a given problem using appropriate
mathematical terminology and/or calculations

Student’s submission declaration:

By submitting this task, I,_________________________, certify that:

• The planning, development, content and presentation of this assessment task is my
own work in every respect.
• This assessment task has not been copied from another person’s work or from books
or from the internet or any other source unless a clear reference and a full
bibliography is provided.
• I have used appropriate research methods and have not used the words, ideas,
designs, skills or workmanship of others without appropriate acknowledgement.

Student’s name:__________________ Student’s signature:________________

Class teacher:

Date:
Task:
You have been hired as a consultant to design a new shipping box for Sinja Japan, a
company that specialises in supplying high-quality food produce. Sinja Japan is now planning
to expand their operations to Australia and has requested your help.

Things to do:

a) Come up with two different designs for the box with some description, either
a cube or a rectangular prism of some sort that has a capacity of 40L.
Remember to include measurements for the length, the width and the height
of your design in centimetres (cm).

b) Investigate which of your two design that achieves the lowest material cost,
given that cardboard costs are $0.0004 per cm2.

c) The airline has provided the company with the dimensions of the space on
each cargo plane that the company can use to pack their shipments as 4m x
4m x 2m (length x width x height). Each flight costs the company $12000 in
freight. Based on this information, which of your 2 designs would best
optimise the shipping and handling cost (includes the costs of cardboard
material) for each shipping box. Explain your choice in detail giving full and
expanded reasons, including a cost analysis for each design.
Marking rubric
Standard Points Standard description Questions
a) b) c)
Inadequate 0 No designs were given or little attempts were made in coming up with two
designs for the box.
No evidence of engagement in the task.
No evidence and/or justification for part b and c.
Novice 1 Some attempts in coming up with two design were evident, however, the
chosen design would not lead to a solution.
Little evidence of engagement in the task.
Some justifications were given for part b and part c but the solution is incorrect.
Apprentice 2 A partially correct attempt for the designs in part a was given with at least one
correct cube or rectangular prism with partially correct dimensions.
Evidence of justifications and connections to previous knowledge through some
calculations that could have led to a correct answer in part b.

Some evidence of attempts to calculate how many cubes or rectangles that

could be fit in the given space was given for part c but was superficial and shows
little understanding of the content. No or little attempts to calculate costs of
shipping.
Proficient 3 A correct attempt for the designs of the two boxes in part a with correct
dimensions for a cube and at least one variant of the rectangular prism.
Correct calculations for the cost of each design in part b and justifications were
given. Evidence of performing the calculation in relations to 2D and 3D figures.

Evidence of partially correct attempt for part c that shows a comparison of the
cube and the rectangular prism but with incorrect calculations. However, the
steps taken could have led to a correct answer. Evidence of attempts to
calculate costs of shipping per box.
Distinguished 4 An efficient strategy is chosen for part c and progress towards a solution is
(Part c only) creatively and effectively evaluated. Additionally, adjustments (if possible) to
the design found in part a were made along the way to better suit the changing
requirements of part c that asks for an optimised shipping cost per container.

Strong evidence of analyzing the situation using appropriate mathematical

terminology and/or calculations.

Comprehensive evidence of performing calculations in relation to two-

dimensional and three-dimensional figures
Total