An Untold Tale Activity

The Untold Tale Activity presents ten algebraic and geometric problems (along with applications of logic) in a story book setting.

Use the two 8.5" x 11" colored masters to produce enough colored back-to-back copies for a classroom set. It is advisable to have the copies laminated for future use. The "An Untold Tale" activity could be used as either an extended individual or group challenge.

Make sure that the students who will be participating in this activity read the Background and Procedure listed on the poster and also listed below.

Background: One evening while you are standing in your yard, a traveling salesman approaches you and entices you to buy an old leather bound book titled: An Untold Tale. You then go inside and begin reading about a wayward teenager in ancient Persia who is cast out of his home and is caught by a band of thieves. After you finish reading Chapter 1, you turn to the next page only to discover that the remaining pages of the book are blank. Suddenly, you are magically thrust back in time and become the young adult in the book that you have been reading.

Procedure: Carefully read the information given in each chapter. Then, using only a compass, protractor, and ruler and the information provided, record your answer(s) for each chapter. When finished, give your responses to your instructor who will inform you whether or not your tale is worth being told.

When the activity is completed, each student should turn in the completed responses to the instructor. To enhance student motivation, an "Author of an Untold Tale" certificate is also included as part of the download along with the solution to each problem and with some commentary.