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Lessons 7 & 8

Main focus To introduce the idea of organising a concert via the mathematics curriculum. The lessons put the pupils in the position of being an event organiser. This is the 7th and 8th lesson of the series and builds on the first previous lessons. The acts and stage layouts have been finalised and now it is time to make sure that the pupils have appropriate lighting to ensure the concert is a success.

Why not consider using real music tracks/videos at the start or end of the lesson to energise students and demonstrate the everyday use of maths.

Learning objectivesTo be able to:

• ensure that all of the stage sets are correctly lit

• solve problems using plans and views in 2-dimensions

• solve problems using construction and loci.

Curriculum LinksLinks to the maths curriculum are as follows:

• Interpreting Plans and Views

• Scales

• Loci

• Construction

Teaching aids • Lesson Plan

• Prepared flipchart

• Prepared resources - 4 worksheets containing stage layouts with light sets

• ‘Gina’s Law’ worksheet

• Lighting flipchart pdf

‘Gina’s Law’ – ‘What can go wrong might well go wrong!’

Gina is a real music promoter who travels the world. Everything doesn’t always go to plan though. Use maths to help solve some unexpected problems and see how important maths is in organising a successful concert. The worksheets are intended as a starting point. Please add new scenarios if you wish.

Flipchart - To use flipchart on your Promethean board you will need to have installed the Activinspire software. Available here.

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Lessons 7 & 8

Lesson 7Objective – To construct accurate loci based on the information given for each lighting layout.

Introduction• The activity could be introduced by a video clip showing extravagant light settings from big events.

• Ask students can work in pairs or on their own and introduce the activity using the flipchart resources. Share worksheets 1 – 3.

Main lessonTeaching and Learning:

• The pupils need to test if the whole of the stage is lit.

• Pupils need to complete the designed activities. The light will not travel through objects (link to science) so where the stage set up has more objects more lights may be needed.

• For a lower ability group you may wish to ask them to focus on working through the simpler lighting problems. In some cases this task may need the scale to be simplified for the less able.

• A middle ability group should work through the simpler problems but also be expected to calculate if the stage is covered using circular beams of light. This requires using a set of compasses to draw loci and interpreting scales.

• For the top set, an additional level of complexity is introduced by repositioning objects on the stage as they will need to work out how to ensure everything still remains lit, given that light cannot travel through objects. Could repositioning the lights ensure full coverage? Here the task is much more open ended as pupils can position the lights wherever they want.

Plenary:Clear the classroom and make a rough replica of a rectangular stage. The pupils can then visually demonstrate their answers to one of the questions using people to outline the relevant loci.

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Lessons 7 & 8

Lesson 8Objective – To construct their own lighting set using different lights and bulb settings (radius changes) using as many lights as possible.

Introduction• Circulate worksheet 4.

• Students will already be familiar with the concept of setting up lights as they did so in the previous lesson. In addition, this lesson introduces the concept of what happens when two different coloured lights overlap. Explain that to make their light show as spectacular as possible students will need to create/include as many colours as possible.

• Encourage discussion on what a great light show would look like.

Main lessonTeaching and Learning:

• The students need to make sure the whole of the stage is lit using Loci.

• Students will need to demonstrate what happens when two light beams cross in terms of colour.

• Where three or more overlaps occur what happens? Can we only create certain colours for our light show if this happens?

• At an advanced level students may decide to let one of the lights roam meaning even more change to the light set. How would this work?

Plenary:• Question and answer session on how light works and how the students made their light show as

spectacular as possible.

• How did students’ light shows measure up against their initial ideas?