Unit 9, Lesson 12
Designing a 5K Course (Optional)
Grade 7
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this optional lesson, students design a 5K course and use their trundle wheels to measure distances. They draw a scale drawing of the course on a map or a satellite image of the school grounds, give instructions where the start and finish of the course should be, and decide how many laps are necessary to complete the race. Students use their experience with the smaller path to design a path of the required length (MP7). After planning their course, students use their trundle wheels to measure the course they planned and adjust their plan as necessary. As students measure their course, they decide the appropriate level of precision based on the tools they are using (MP6). This lesson may take 2 days.
- Calculate the distance of a path using the circumference and number of rotations of a trundle wheel.
- Create a scale drawing of a 5K course and present (using words and other representations) the map and course details.
- Use proportional reasoning to calculate the number of laps of a course that is equal to 5 kilometers.
Let’s map out the 5K course.
Required Materials
Required Preparation
Prepare maps or printed satellite images of the school grounds, one copy per student.
Prepare to distribute the trundle wheels students built in a previous lesson.