Directions

Group Work

In this project, students will work in groups to:

• explore the distribution of piglets on a mat on the basis of the coordinates of each piglet’s nose;
• arrange the piglets on the grid so they are not piled on top of one another (piling is a sign that the piglets are cold);
• explore the distribution of piglets on a heated mat and record the nose coordinates; and
• draw conclusions about the relationship between piglet size, nipple number, weight gain, and preferred temperature zone.
  
   

Materials Needed

For Piglet Noses, each student will need one copy of the "Piglet Noses Grid."

For Perfectly Comfortable Piglets, each student will need:

• the "Piglet Noses Grid" used for the Piglet Noses activity;
• one copy of the "Piglet Cutouts," scissors, and tape or glue; and
• one copy of the "Temperature Zones" overlay printed on transparency paper. Students may share one copy of the overlay. The overlay is not consumable and may be used across classes. 
   

Final Report

Individually, students will use their findings from the group work to answer a series of questions that comprise a report to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Students should have access to their group worksheets and online activity as they complete the final report.

Extension Activity

Create a 40-by-40, four-quadrant grid on foam board to serve as a game board. Using colored stick points (map pins work nicely) as game pieces, each student starts at a corner. Students take turns using a spinner or die. The student moves his or her pin vertically or horizontally the number of units indicated on the spinner or die. The first student to reach the origin exactly wins the game. The difficulty can be increased by requiring students to give the new coordinates before actually moving the pin.