Explain this
Katamino
How the publisher describes it:
“Pick 4 shapes, fill the space. Take an extra shape, fill the space. Take 6, 7, 8 and more. The sense of achievement felt when completing the easier, early stages of the puzzle, leads to determination to keeping trying the harder levels. With 1000s of different challenges, it’s enough to keep the most boisterous of kids quiet in the back seat. ”
Review by Ruth TomsettMark Humble
In brief:
Pentominoes can be used to develop children’s understanding of the concepts of area and perimeter, transformational geometry including enlargement, congruence and symmetry, nets, volume and classification.
“Their potential as a motivating teaching resource at Key Stage Two cannot be over-estimated”
Katamino is based on the 12 unique shapes ‘pentominoes’ that can be created by connecting 5 congruent squares. Pentominoes are said to have been ‘invented’ by Solomon W. Golomb in 1953 at a talk he gave for the Harvard Mathematics Club. They had in fact been around for a time. He brought them to the attention of a much wider audience and since then a vast number of problems have been set using these 12 intriguing shapes.
Their potential as a motivating teaching resource at Key Stage Two cannot be over-estimated and there follows a series of uses to develop children’s mathematical concepts and thinking, their spatial awareness and their problem-solving strategies. Children of all abilities can use them. They certainly provide the level of challenge to inspire and motivate more able children.
In my experience as a classroom teacher I have often found that lower attaining mathematicians have a surprisingly high level of spatial ability. Operating at a similar level to more able children could do wonders for the weaker child’s mathematical confidence.
Pentominoes can be used to develop children’s understanding of the concepts of area and perimeter, transformational geometry including enlargement, congruence and symmetry, nets, volume and classification. All these will be illustrated through the various activities below. There are also some suggestions for the use of pentominoes in developing children’s sense of number.
