Educational activity based on the short film One Small Step
Realise that maths is part of everyday life and useful to us.
One Small Step © TAIKO Studios
TitleOne Small Step
ThemeMemory, Family relationship
Genre & keywordsNarrative, rocket, astronomy, perseverance, father, daughter
Age (for the film)3-11 years
Duration7 min40 s
DirectorAndrew Chesworth & Bobby Pontillas
MusicSteve Horner
ProductionTAIKO Studios (China, 2018)
Look for mathematical references in the film to give meaning to learning in this subject.
There are a lot of references to mathematics in this film. This will be an opportunity to make a list with the children so that they realise we need maths in our daily lives.
Show the short film to the children. Have a class discussion after this first viewing and ask them to tell the story in their own words. This film is very moving. The little girl dreams of becoming an astronaut but it's not easy. Her dad encourages her, but one day he disappears. Now a young woman, she pursues her goal and finds her motivation again. The journey is strewn with pitfalls but she hangs on and ends up making her dream come true.
After this comprehension work, offer the students a second viewing with a task to complete: answer the question “what is mathematics for?” ". To do this, make an inventory of all the mathematical references and jot them down in rough as the film plays: the countdown to the departure of the rocket, the number of candles on the cake, to make the cake it was necessary to weigh ingredients (the masses), the clock which gives the time, the calendar hanging on the wall, the passage of time (the characters grow/age/the father dies), the street number 2814, the number of metres/kilometres she covers when exercising, the contents of the teapot (the liters), the watch on dad's wrist, the clock at university, the different geometric shapes... After the film, write down the children's ideas on the board or on a poster. Plan a further viewing to fill in any gaps if needed.
From these notes, sort and group them by the mathematical concepts involved in order to answer the question asked: maths is used to count (the number of candles, the age of the little girl, the countdown, the title "One Small Step"), to measure (lengths, durations, masses, capacities), to number (street number), to locate (the time), to trace (geometric shapes). But there are concepts missing from the film... Ask the students to complete them themselves: maths is used to calculate, use money, etc... Then give them a written summary to stick into their lesson book. Example of a written summary on mathematics on the Val 10 blog...
Activity sheet written by: Valérie du blog Val 10. Discover the Val 10 blog...
