1/22/2018 1 Comment Lesson Refresh: Basics of GeometryNew Ways to Teach Definitions & Axioms: Points, Lines & Planes
Sometimes, Always, Never Freebie
Who can say no to a free printable download to start out with? I sure can’t! Especially one that gets students active and critically thinking, while giving you a break from time-consuming planning and grading! This “Sometimes, Always, Never” activity comes in two different versions; you can choose which one will fit in your lesson the best, or just save one for when you need a review activity. The best feature of this lesson is the way it gets students talking. You’ll hear some deep thinking out loud, and maybe even a healthy argument or discussion as pairs work together to think through each case.
Version 1
In this version, each student gets a handout filled with circles that have a “fact” inside. Students decide if it’s sometimes true, always true, or never true; then, using the key on the side of the handout, they color in the circle. When colored correctly, the design can quickly be checked for accuracy; students won’t be able to predict the design! This activity would be great for those early finishers on test days, because it can be easily completed alone! Version 2 The 2nd version of this download has a similar concept, but it is a sort, so you may choose to incorporate it differently; it would be a great station. Students have cards with the same “facts” and sort them into three categories, (Sometimes, Always, Never), on a sorting mat. You can print the cards and sorting mat on colored cardstock and laminate them to re-use each year!
Geometry Sketch Game
Sarah, from Everybody is a Genius, saw her students were becoming bored with geometry definitions; so, she came up with a simple game to liven things up and give her students some extra practice! She drew out 10 sketches of figures with points, lines, and planes, making them increasingly more complicated. She let her students pair up and gave each individual 5 cards with sketches and 5 blank index cards. The students took turns describing their sketch (using only words) for their partner to draw. When the student was done drawing they compared sketches. If the sketches matched up, then they got a point. Then, the students switched roles.
Word Wall
As you know, I love getting creative and adding color and design to rigorous learning. Learning new topics while using creativity not only helps your students relax, but increases memory and retention. Shana, from Scaffolded Math and Science, gives so many wonderful ideas for creating fun word walls in your high school classroom! Since word walls are commonly used in elementary classrooms, you have to get a little more creative to ensure there is age-appropriate detail. Beginning a geometry unit is the perfect time to begin using a word wall; there are so many new terms to learn!
Real Life Problems
We all have heard the endless questions about applying math to real life; so why not practice some real-life problems in your own classroom? The Teaching Channel shares a great video of a 6th grade teacher inviting her students to solve a real-life geometry problem about finding a table for 22 people! Think about what you are teaching in class, and try to notice how you can integrate it in your everyday life; from you can develop a developmentally appropriate problem for your students.
Geometry Construction Art
Once you get through some of the definitions, axioms, and tedious introductory material, it’s a great time to dive into the first constructions and get a little hands-on. I love teaching the basic constructions, and kids love to pull out the compass and get working in a different way. In the Math Giraffe TPT store, you can find an artistic project including three intricate designs that increase in difficulty level. Students follow the instruction page for each design, using a compass and straight edge. They end up with a beautiful design that they can color and hang around the room. In addition to basic circles and arcs, the following constructions are included (with guidance): * Perpendicular bisector * Midpoint * Equilateral triangle * Copying a distance * Constructing a regular pentagon
High School Geometry Super Bundle This awesome bundle from the Math Giraffe Teachers Pay Teachers store gives you access to ALL Math Giraffe high school Geometry activities! BONUS: Once you purchase the bundle, you also get any updates and additions for free by re-downloading in your ‘My Purchases’ tab!
I hope these ideas help you to liven up your geometry lessons! Do you have any other creative geometry lesson ideas? Comment below; we’d love to hear!
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The Quick & Easy Route to Interactive Notes
How to Use DIY "Doodle Note" Stickers to Let Students Convert Any Notebook Page Into a Memory-Boosting Graphic Note Sheet
If you are hoping to boost your students' understanding and retention of a lesson, you can't beat graphic notes!
Visual note-taking is a surefire way to build connections in your students' brains and increase:
An easy way to maximize these brain benefits without having to do a ton of prep work is to use DIY doodle note stickers. Grab your free set, then print this list of all of your options. There are so many ways to use these! Option 1:
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Even though Thanksgiving is my own personal favorite, I love the Christmas holiday season too! I always make a point to bring the holiday cheer into the classroom.
During such a busy time of year, when combined with the rising emphasis on our students’ test scores and meeting all standards, I know many teachers find it difficult to find the time. No one wants to waste precious teaching and planning time with too much “frill”. I never like to add anything into a class period unless it has a valid math purpose! We just cannot afford to waste time in the curriculum schedule, especially in math class. With so much to cover, I love finding ways to incorporate rigorous math activities into the fun of the Christmas season. |
Congruent Triangles: Winter Snowflake
Level: 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th
One of the easiest ways to bring holiday cheer into your classroom is through decorations. This FREE activity incorporates challenging problem solving and provides pretty student-made winter decorations for your walls. It’s a worksheet style set of practice problems including:
- Writing congruency statements
- Using Triangle Sum Theorem
- Identifying corresponding parts of triangles
- Using base angles of isosceles triangles
- Setting up and solving linear equations to find missing angle measures
Level: 6th, 7th, 8th,
This hands-on activity puts your students’ math skills to work! In groups, your students will work together to measure all sides, heights, and angles, classify polygons, find the area and perimeter of each piece, identify two separate pairs of similar figures, and cut to construct trees. By the end, you will have a whole winter forest of trees you can post on the bulletin board or wall!
This activity covers the following concepts:
- Measuring with a ruler
- Measuring with a protractor
- Finding the perimeter
- Finding the area of triangles and trapezoids
- Identifying similar figures
- Classifying triangles
- Classifying trapezoids
Level: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
This awesome and fun activity created by PNC, helps you introduce basic economics to your class by pricing out each gift from “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Your students will work in groups to search on the internet and through ads to calculate the total cost of the twelve gifts mentioned in the song.
There are more activities in the free downloadable lesson plan to guide you if you are looking to extend the lesson!
Level: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th
In this activity you can have your students work to solve equations to color in beautiful ornaments, like a color by number.
The awesome thing about this activity is how easily you are able to differentiate learning for your different learners. There are three different sets of equations. Set A is the easiest and contains a variable only on one side of the equation. Set B has a medium difficulty level with variables on both sides of the equation. Set C is the most challenging. You can choose one set, or choose to use any combination!
Level: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
File Folder Fun provides an awesome free downloadable resource! Download and print these 3-D shapes for your students to cut out and glue together, allowing them to have some hands-on experience with shapes. Then, let them decorate their creations like holiday ornaments to hang around the classroom! You can even make a tree on your bulletin board (or a full, live tree if you have a spare corner in your room)! If possible, have students use tape instead of glue for easier assembly of the flaps.
Christmas equations
Level: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th
This activity includes a set of challenge equations, providing a fun approach to algebra and building problem-solving skills.
Three levels are included:
- 4 basic (easy) cards that can be used before or during middle school grades for critical thinking
- 4 medium level cards that are perfect for middle school or high school students
- 4 difficult cards that offer a challenge, even for high schoolers
You can also use these when teaching substitution or the transitive property!
Level: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
Advent is a very special time for the Church; you want your students to be thinking about it throughout the day. In this bulletin board sized Advent calendar, you get 24 flaps that each have a problem of the day based on the nativity.
Your students will love entering the room each day knowing they are getting an exciting new problem. The best part is how it perfectly integrates math and religion!
With this product you get many choices, so you can choose what’s best for you and your students. You have a choice of three designs (options for color printers as well as black and white on colored paper).
There are three sets of problems included, one for grades 3-4, one for grades 5-6, and one for grades 7-8. Mix and match questions from each set of questions to perfectly fit what your students are covering, or simply print the set that best fits the grade(s) you teach. You will have plenty of options!
Level: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
An article on The Guardian shares an idea that includes making beautiful Christmas cards with the use of math through stitching geometrical designs on cards. Essentially, you draw two straight lines that intersect, and then draw points along those lines at equal distances. When you join dots from one line to the other, you get a perfect parabola. The article also shares how to achieve other intricate designs, and tips to make the project run smoothly!
Do you have any ideas to bring the holiday cheer to your classroom? We would love to hear more!
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