Computer Lab Activities
Antarctica: A Math Hunt Activity
In this challenging activity, students research the freezing tundra to determine the answers to five math questions related to it.
- Grades: 3–5, 6–8
“Antarctica” (grades 5–8), an online learning activity from Scholastic’s Math Hunt series, takes students to ice-covered regions where they must excavate key information that will help them solve five challenging math problems.
In addition to testing students’ reading comprehension skills, “Antarctica” tests these “math hunting” skills:
- Converting Units of Measurement
- Decimals & Percentages
- Multiplication/Division
- Ratio & Proportion
- Understanding Number Systems
Sample Question:
What is the total amount of ice on Earth? (Not just the South Pole.)
a. 7.78 million cubic miles
b. 77,778 cubic miles
c. 6,300,000 cubic miles
Learning Objectives
By participating in Math Hunt, students will:
- Practice problem-solving skills from the grade 5–8 math curriculum
- Explore topics from the grades 5–8 science and social studies curriculum
- Learn basic Internet research skills
- Develop an understanding of the construction of standardized test questions and multiple-choice answers
Related Resources
Students set out on fact-finding missions that test math skills, provide practice researching on the Web, and boost reading comprehension.
- Subjects:Counting and Numbers, Content Area Reading, Reading Comprehension, Research Skills, Fractions and Decimals, Logic and Problem Solving, Multiplication and Division, Number Sense, Ratio, Proportion, Scale, Real-World Math, Measurement, Word Problems, Tundra, Real-World Science, Antarctica and Arctic Regions, Geography and Map Skills, Climate, Summer, Winter, Communication and the Internet, Computers, Teaching with Technology
- Skills:Research Skills
