Why are only four colors needed to color webs from regular pentagons, not five? An assessment task requires young mathematicians to first construct regular pentagons using a compass and straightedge, then has them consider a shape formed from a net consisting of regular pentagons. The majority of the task focuses on how many colors individuals need to color webs made from regular pentagons (Four Color Theorem).

Concepts

regular polygons, pentagons, color theory, nets, compasses

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Have struggling learners cut out nets from paper

Classroom Considerations

• You may want to provide colored pencils or markers
• Note that the resource uses some terms that may be unfamiliar to some pupils, such as ascribed

Pros

• Diagrams are clear and well-drawn
• Task incorporates multiple areas of mathematics

Cons

• Rubric has descriptors for a partial level that does not distinguish between one or two points