Texas Mathematics Teacher Fall/Winter 2019 - 20

On the Cover: Find the Mathematics... at the Zoo!
Ryann Shelton, Jamie Wong & Anastasia Walton

O

ne way to encourage students to think about
mathematics in their own lives is to encourage them
to consider the "math encounters" they have outside of
the classroom. From going to the grocery store with a
family member, eating lunch in the cafeteria, or going on a
nature walk, students can look for mathematics all around
them. At the zoo there are opportunities to engage in
all-things science but let's not forget to find the
mathematics as well. The following are some examples
of signs and critters at the San Diego Zoo along with
questions that could be asked of students. These are
arranged by grade-band.

6-8: Giraffes

1. Four Masai giraffes are 16.5 feet, 17.2 feet, 17.8 feet,
and 19 feet tall. The bottom ledge of four buildings'
second story windows are 16.2 feet, 16.4 feet, 18 feet,
and 19.1 feet high. Based on these statistics, could the
average giraffe look into the average second story
window?

K-2: Cheetahs

Chelsea the cheetah gave birth to 6 cubs, and Cherri the
cheetah gave birth to 3 cubs.
1. Which cheetah gave birth to more cubs?
2. How many cubs did the two cheetahs have
altogether?
3. What is the difference in number of cubs
between the two cheetahs?

2. If an average
giraffe's tongue
is about 1/13 of its
height, how tall
would a giraffe be
if its tongue was
16 inches long?
Give your answer
in feet and inches.

3-5: Cheetahs

1. If a cheetah can run 70 mph, how far could it run in
five hours if it stayed at full speed the whole time?
2. If one cheetah weighs 84 pounds and another weighs
140 pounds, what is the total sum of their weight?
How could you estimate this to the nearest 10s?
3. A cheetah can weigh up to 143 pounds. Is this a
prime number or a composite number? How do you
know?

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| Fall/Winter 2019

3. If there were
325,000 reticulated
giraffes in Africa
in 1989, what is
the current giraffe
population? Use
the information
given in the picture
to determine the
answer.

Texas Mathematics Teacher
Texas Mathematics Teacher Fall/Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Texas Mathematics Teacher Fall/Winter 2019
