Can there be giants?

mrslack_maths’ investigation lesson asks pupils just this question as they study the relativity of height, strength and weight.

What is it?

A worksheet with tasks designed to tackle perimeter, area and volume, including:

Analyse: a table to compare the dimensions of different creatures such as insects, Mini-Me, humans, giants and monsters.

Activity: a task to get pupils to compare surface area with volume using Multilink cubes.

Thinking: questions asking pupils to consider mathematical possibilities relating to film characters. Could the 50-foot woman really crush a city? Was Dr Evil mathematically correct when he said Mini-Me is “one-eighth” his size”?

Why is it useful?

This lesson will keep pupils entertained and engaged, using a fantastical context that will excite them about measurements. The Multilink activity allows them to visualise how volume and surface area are related, which is particularly useful for weaker pupils.

For the final task, show clips of the films, then make it a competition between teams to see who can work out whether the directors were marvellous at maths or clueless with calculations.