Source: Cyberchase:"A Perfect Fit"
Funding for the VITAL/Ready to Teach collection was secured through the United States Department of Education under the Ready to Teach Program.
National K -12 Subject:
Lesson Plans Using this Resource:
In this video segment from Cyberchase, the CyberSquad must build a raft to cross a river. The first raft they build floats, but there are gaps between the pieces of the raft that allow biting piranhas to jump through the holes. The CyberSquad uses their knowledge of tessellations to build a second raft that has no gaps or overlaps.
Download and ShareHere are some Frame, Focus and Follow-up suggestions for using this video in a math lesson.
What is Frame, Focus and Follow-up?
Frame: When a floor is installed in a bathroom or a kitchen it is often made up of tiles of the the same size and shape. The tiles fit together without any gaps or overlaps. Why would that be important? Fitting together shapes of the same size is called tessellating. Where have you seen examples of tessellations?
Focus: In this video segment, you will see the CyberSquad build a large square raft from smaller squares. Inez says that the big square raft is a tessellation. What does she mean? Why is the raft an example of a tessellation?
Follow Up: The first raft the CyberSquad built did not tessellate. Why? Why did the squares that made up the second raft tessellate so well? In your own words, how would you describe what it means to tessellate?
DIGIT: Cast away, me mateys!
DIGIT: Let’s see if this crazy contraption floats!
INEZ/MATT: PUSH!!
JACKIE: It’s working!
DIGIT: Yeah...no problem!
DIGIT: YEOW! Piranhas!
JACKIE: Didge!
INEZ/MATT: What happened!/You okay?
DIGIT: They’re coming through the holes!
DIGIT: I coulda been eaten alive!
MATT: If we don’t wanna be fish-food, we better build a raft with no holes or gaps!
INEZ:No overlaps, either. The pieces have to fit together exactly. Inez and Jackie walk towards the water.
JACKIE: And we need to make it bigger, too. This raft’s barely big enough to hold Didge!
DIGIT: Here’s a bunch more... But they’re different from the others. Matt picks up 2 squares, compares them.
MATT: Yeah, all the same size...and all squares!
JACKIE: Perfect!
JACKIE: The sides are all the same...And they fit together nice and tight!
JACKIE: Whoa! Cyber-paste!
INEZ: That’s what I like about cyberspace - anything’s possible!
DIGIT: Let me try!...Another snug fit!
INEZ: Not only that, we just made one big square!
JACKIE: I think we’re onto something, guys. If four little squares make one big square - we can keep putting squares together until we make a raft as big as we need!
DIGIT: Beautiful! This is what I call a raft!
INEZ: Actually, Didge, it’s a tesselation.
DIGIT/MATT/JACKIE: A what?
INEZ: A tesselation. That’s what you call it when you use simple shapes to cover an area with no gaps or overlaps. See!
INEZ: No gaps or overlaps like the last raft.
JACKIE: Well, we better get this tessellation turned around or we’re in big trouble!
KIDS/DIGIT: Uhhh! CYBERSWIRL!!!
Loading Standards
Connections
Print Connections
