Name: Donald in Mathmagic Land: Video Worksheet & Word Search (Bundle)
SKU: 643e086ed253580018fe2ff7
Price: 39.99 USD
Availability: InStock

About this resource

What's inside this resource

Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land is a great video that helps students understand the importance of mathematics in everyday life. Essentially, the video explains to students how mathematics can be helpful in real life and the video gives students examples on how math can be seen in nature and in everyday objects! The video uses a simple format to explain complex ideas for students.

I used to be a substitute teacher for many years, and this was one of the lessons that I always carried with me while substituting 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grade (just in case I needed to fill in time). This will be a great lesson for your regular classroom instruction or as an emergency lesson plan. Additionally, it is a great video to show students interested in math.

These 16 teacher-generated questions will keep your student's attention during this informative video. After words, have the students complete a word search on key vocabulary from the video (I have included easy, medium, and difficult word searches for you to choose from). Answer keys included for both the videos and word searches! Ready print and easy to use!

You can find the video here: Donald in Mathmagic Land

What's included

Two student pages with Name and Date lines carrying questions 1 to 16 in the film's chronological order
The instruction line "As you watch the video, please answer each question. The answers are in chronological order."
Fill-in items on the tone produced when a string is halved, the basis of today's music, the phrase "arranged according to number and mathematical ______" and "The ______ is the birthplace for all of man's scientific achievements"
Two true/false statements — that the moves in chess are mathematical, and that all optical instruments are created through mathematics
A three-slot list question: "List three pentagon shapes that appear in nature"
Two unscramble prompts, each set beside a picture with only its first letter printed — P for question 5's shape and B for question 12's game
A TEACHER KEY reproducing both question pages with all sixteen answers filled in, including 3.14, Pythagoras, Octave, Pentagram, Forever, Petunia / Star Jasmine / Starfish, Chess, Billiards, The circle, Mind and Galileo Galilei
A margin joke on the first page: "You know you are getting better at math when you can count to 20 without taking off your shoes."

Resource types: Word Searches, Worksheets, Worksheets & Printables

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Answer questions while a video plays, tracking information in the order the film presents it
Recall specific mathematical facts from the film — the first three digits of pi, the octave produced when a string is halved, and the pentagram
Name three pentagon shapes that occur in nature
Connect shape to activity: the game played on squares, two more played on geometric areas, and the circle as the shape behind many inventions
Attribute two quotations correctly, one to Pythagoras and one to Galileo Galilei

Teaching tips

The instruction line promises the answers arrive in chronological order, so students who lose their place can use the question number to work out how far the film has run
Question 11 asks for two games played on geometric areas and four are accepted — baseball, football, basketball and soccer — so plan for more than one right response
Question 7 wants three pentagon shapes in nature; the intended answers are Petunia, Star Jasmine and Starfish, all worth pausing the film on
Questions 5 and 12 depend on a printed picture and a single letter rather than on text, so check that both graphics reproduce clearly before copying
The film runs about half an hour, which leaves the marking pass and any follow-up puzzle work for a second block of the lesson

Skills covered

Listening for detail — students answer sixteen questions while the film plays, in the sequence the film supplies the information.
Mathematical vocabulary recall — octave, infinity, pentagram and pentagon are all defined by the film and written into the blanks.
Recognising geometry in the natural world — question 7 asks for three pentagon shapes in nature, answered as Petunia, Star Jasmine and Starfish.
Linking shape to activity — students name chess as the game played on squares, two of baseball, football, basketball or soccer as games on geometric areas, and the circle as the shape behind many inventions.
Attributing quotations — two items ask who spoke a given line, answered as Pythagoras and Galileo Galilei.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How are the sixteen questions sequenced against the film?

In the film's own order. The instruction line reads "As you watch the video, please answer each question. The answers are in chronological order," so question 1 on the digits of pi lands early and question 16 on the Galileo quotation closes the set.

Question 11 asks for two games played on geometric areas — which responses count?

Baseball, football, basketball and soccer are all accepted, and any two of them satisfy the item. Question 9's square-based game is chess, and question 12's scrambled game is Billiards.

What appears on the page for questions 5 and 12?

Each pairs a picture with a single opening letter — P beside question 5 and B beside question 12 — and students work out the word from what the film has just shown. The intended responses are Pentagram and Billiards.