Bearing and distance

Bearing and distance

Auto-markingPencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about reading direction and distance using a radar screen.
When a radar detects an object it appears on the screen as a green dot.
The radar screen shows the angle (bearing) and distance (in km) to the object.
 
 
Use the radar screen to answer the following questions.
radar-screen.png

Question 1Change answer

bearing to a whale shown on a radar screen
a)  What is the bearing and distance of the whale?  degrees at  km

Question 1Change answer

bearing to a shipwreck shown on a radar screen
b)  What is the bearing and distance of the shipwreck?  degrees at  km

Question 1Change answer

bearing to a dolphin shown on a radar screen
c)  What is the bearing and distance of the dolphin?  degrees at  km

Question 1Change answer

bearing to an albatross shown on a radar screen
d)  What is the bearing and distance of the albatross?  degrees at  km

Question 1Change answer

bearing to a buoy shown on a radar screen
e)  What is the bearing and distance of the buoy?  degrees at  km
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (with auto-marking displayed to students).
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Position and orientation
Keywords: 
bearing, direction, distance, radar
Description of task: 
Students write the bearing and distance of a number of objects on a radar screen.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students' understanding of reading bearings and distance from a chart.
NOTE: this resource also involves distance and scale in combination with bearings.
Key competencies
This resource involves knowing and using specialised language of direction and compass bearings and interpreting visual representations (maps), both of which relate to the Key competency: Using language, symbols and text.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Geometric thinking, sets 4-5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 

Y7/8 (03/2017)
a) 030º at 40km [accept 30º] moderate
b) 075º at 20km [accept 75º] moderate
c) 195º at 10km moderate
d) 300º at 15km moderate
e) 135º at 25km moderate
Based on a sample of 40 Y7-8 students.
Teaching and learning: 
This task is about reading direction (bearing) and distance off a representation of a radar screen.
Students need to work out the interval of the gridlines and use this to read plots of objects - including some that require them to interpolate plots that are between the gridlines.
Diagnostic and formative information: 
Common error Misconception
a) 020°
b) 050° or 080°(counting back from 090°)
c) 190° (counting from 180°)
d) 290° (counting from 270°)
e) 120° (counting from 090°)
Incorrect interpretation of unlabelled marks and intervals on the degree scale
Students use rotational degree intervals of 10° not 15°.
b) 085°
c) 185°
 Students use rotational degree intervals of 5° not 015°.
c) 200° (counting from 180°) Students use rotational degree intervals of 20° not 15°.
b) 095°
c) 175° or 170°
 Students read plotted points over 090°/180° from an anti clockwise direction and also use an incorrect interval of 5° or 10°. 
c) 200° (counting from 180°) Students use rotational degree intervals of 20° not 15°.
Next steps: 
Students who use incorrect intervals and/or an incorrrcet direction to find objects could be asked to record all the degree values of the radar graph. They could then check the scale to make sure the intervals are equal-sized, and discuss why all of the values must be consistent (as for any linear scale).
By starting at 000 and finding 6 evenly spaced intervals until 090, students should recognise that an interval is not 10° (or 5°).
Students could also plot some other objects on a print out of a radar screen to test out their active use of the plotting graph, and then have a buddy identify the distance and bearing of their objects.
Students could also explore a similar resource bearing and distance, Distance and bearing.
 
Blank radar template.
bearing-and-distance-blank.png   bearing-and-distance-blank.png