5.3 The Amazing Race in the Forest
“The Amazing Race in the Forest!” is a middle school forestry lesson (Lesson MS.NR.5.3) from the Middle School Food and Agricultural Literacy Curriculum that uses an Amazing Race–style group competition to teach math concepts used in the forestry industry. Students rotate through six stations to calculate acreage of forest land, Diameter Breast Height (DBH), tree height, board feet, number of sawlogs, and use a board foot table. The lesson includes a student worksheet, station materials, an evaluation, and answer keys.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
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- As a result of this unit the students will explain the basic concepts of the forestry industry.
- As a result of this lesson the students will apply math concepts utilized by the forestry industry.
- Time required
- Instruction time for this lesson: 45 minutes.
- Grade level
- Middle School
- Materials
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- Overhead projector/transparencies
- ½ sheet poster board – for teacher destination clue card
- Duct tape line on floor (at least 2 feet long) – one per group
- MS.NR.5.3.AS.A (math calculation worksheet) – one per student
- Pencil – one per student
- One piece of lumber for board feet measurement
- MS.NR.5.3.AS.B (information for destination clue) – one per teacher
- MS.NR.5.3.AS.C (labels for each station placed on the walls around the room) – one per station
- MS.NR.5.3.AS.D (explanation of problems for each station) – one section per station
- MS.NR.5.3.TM.A – answers to student math worksheet – one per teacher
- MS.NR.5.3.ASSESS.A – one per student
- Precepts
- F. Continuous Improvement; F1. Implement a leadership and personal growth plan.
- Key Terms
- Diameter Breast Height or DBH; Board foot; Sawlogs
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
National Standards
- NL-ENG.K-12.12Applying Language Skills
- NL-ENG.K-12.4Communication Skills
- NM-NUM.6-8.3Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates