Maths Meets the World Cup: Potchefstroom Central School Learners Build Stadiums and Trophies

Geometry can feel abstract in a textbook, but at Potchefstroom Central School learners got to build it with their own hands. The school's World Cup-themed Mathematics Project Exhibition asked each grade to apply its geometric and spatial skills to a football-inspired creation.

A project for every grade

Each grade from 4 to 7 took on a different challenge, building in difficulty as the learners got older.

• Grade 4: 3D soccer stadiums
• Grade 5: Custom World Cup trophies
• Grade 6: Geometric soccer balls
• Grade 7: Double-sided optical agamographs

An agamograph is an artwork made on a folded, zigzag surface that shows a different image depending on the angle from which it is viewed – a clever way of putting angles and shapes to work.

Maths is everywhere

The school said the learners showed that “math is everywhere – even on the pitch”. It thanked teachers and parents for supporting what it called “these future innovators”.

What this means for you

Hands-on projects like these help children see where classroom maths fits into the real world. Parents can keep the conversation going at home – counting the seats in a stadium, or spotting shapes in a soccer ball.

Photos of the learners' projects are on the school's Facebook page.

Source: Potchefstroom Central School (Facebook), https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1098882506234054

Photo: Potchefstroom Central School Facebook page