Assessments in Mathematics aren’t always tests, quizzes and exams; we also get students to apply their skills to real-life situations such as designing a popcorn container or making a geometry town.

Popcorn Container Assessment – Year 9

Recently, the Year 9 students were given the task of designing a container that would hold a packet of popcorn with a set volume. Students had to measure and design their popcorn containers and use their problem solving skills to ensure that all the popcorn fitted into the container with minimal space leftover.

Karen McMullen
Learning Leader: Mathematics

Student Reflections

It’s universally acknowledged that what makes a good movie isn’t plot or characters, but whether or not you can enjoy the experience with some buttery popcorn. However, it’s not ideal to carry the popcorn in your hands for the entire movie. So in Maths we came up with the perfect solution. We utilised the skills of volume; varying from the formulas of a rectangular prism to even a cone in order to sufficiently evaluate the volume of popcorn from a ‘Cool Pak’ popcorn packet.

From there we evaluated the perfect dimensions for design and constructed our own popcorn container. I made a pink cone container with white stars and through this task further developed my comprehension of volume. After the ‘popcorn task’, I can now say that I enjoy my movies at last.

Rhiannon Marie-Jeanne
Year 9

In Mathematics, we’ve been exploring the topic of measurement and how surface area and volume interact with each other. As a part of the Year 9 curriculum, we were able to participate in an engrossing and creative assessment task in which each student would have to calculate the volume of a popcorn bag and use that information to measure, design and create their own unique popcorn container. Taking a more hands-on approach to Maths was an intriguing and exciting experience, especially with a popcorn treat at the finish line!

Sophie McKeown
Year 9

I had the experience in Mathematics’ class to create a popcorn container so that we could get a better understanding of volume and total surface area. The goal of the popcorn container was to hold a generous amount of delicious popcorn so that it didn’t overflow and we were allowed to create the design of the container however we wanted. We went through a process in order to create a perfect container. So, next time you settle down to enjoy your next movie night, don’t underestimate the impact of a well-designed popcorn container!

Megan Singleton
Year 9

Geometry Town – Year 7

In the past couple of weeks, Year 7 students have been learning all about geometry. We had an assignment to make a geometry town. It needed to have cafés, bakeries and a Coles and so much more. We had the coordinates of some buildings so we could place them on the map. To add in the additional buildings, we located areas on the map using angles such as alternate, co-interior, corresponding, adjacent, vertically opposite, supplementary and more. I really enjoyed designing my logos for the buildings and using the coordinates to find where the buildings go.

Sophie Donnelly
Year 7