Transversals & Parallel Lines

Fun Ideas for Special Angle Pairs

Alternate, corresponding, and vertical angles, oh my!  Although some lessons can become monotonous and uninspiring, special angle pairs are so easy to make fun and interesting! 

It’s never good to feel stuck in the routine of lectures, notes, research, and quiet independent work.  Spice up your Geometry lesson with a few creative and unique ideas.
 
So, how do we liven up teaching transversals? 

​I have a few activities that are simple for you to create, and engaging and meaningful for your students!

I've separated this post out into introduction, practice, and challenge activities for lessons on transversals and angle theorems.

​Introducing Transversals & Parallel Lines
 
First, students will need to be able to identify angle pairs, then know the properties and relationships that exist when the lines that the tranversal intersects happen to be parallel.  The perfect solution for you and your students is to incorporate doodle notes into your lesson.
 
Kids can draw out a big transversal crossing a pair of lines in their notebook and then color code.  They can then make an attempt at structuring their own sketch notes for the properties that special angle pairs have when the lines are parallel.

Colors and patterns help students to learn and remember the special angle pairs, plus they can reference the visual notes at any time and use their color and pattern codes to identify the special angles.

​Or if you want to step it up a notch, these doodle notes coincide exactly with teaching transversals!  The set includes sheets for your students to fill in, answer questions, and doodle on/embellish.  The content includes:
 
- identifying special angle pairs
- alternate interior 
- alternate exterior
- corresponding
- vertical
- same-side interior
- same-side exterior
- theorems for parallel lines that intersect a transversal
- converses of the theorems
- using linear pairs and the special angle pairs to find missing angle measures
- practice and examples

Why should you incorporate doodle notes or sketch notes in class? If you haven’t read my recent posts, doodle notes use both the left and the right hemispheres of the brain; there are so many proven benefits to this!
 
The proven benefits of communication between the two hemispheres of the brain include focus, learning, memory/retention, and even relaxation. 

The right and left hemispheres of the brain communicate through the corpus callosum, a fiber bridge that crosses between the two sides.  When you encourage interaction between the hemispheres of the brain, you strengthen this connection.  In addition to doodle notes, there are many other ways to activate the right brain in your math class!
 
A recent study proved that doodling increases focus and the ability to recall new information.  With these color-it-in, doodle-friendly note sheets, your students can use their colored pencils and the right side of their brains, and then remember key vocabulary, math examples, and new concepts more easily.
 
It’s amazing to see students so engaged while making connections in their minds about a topic.  This makes the concept really stick!

​Another great way to introduce transversals is through this inquiry lesson pack.   This lesson pack begins with an investigation where students discover properties of corresponding angles by sliding tracing paper down the transversal.  Through this and the other components of this lesson pack, your students will gain a strong understanding about angle relationships that occur when a transversal is cut by parallel lines, while showing more engagement in the lesson.

Practicing with Special Angle Pairs
 
Once students are familiar with identifying angle pairs and the properties, they will love trying an exciting game for hands-on practice! This familiar game will help the students remember these properties in an active, engaging way.
 
Take a look at this video on how to play “Twisted Fingers.”  Or read on for a description.

​You can make your own or check out this pre-made game set.   There are two different game boards plus a spinner included. You’ll need push pins, erasers, and paper clips for spinner assembly (unless you have a set of plastic spinners). 
 
Students play in small groups. The spinner tells what type of angle pair to find and whether to place fingers or thumbs on it. The game is over when a player cannot simultaneously keep the correct fingers on the correct spaces or cannot reach an angle pair that fits the criteria.

Challenge Activities with Transversals, Angles, & Parallel Lines
 
Do you ever struggle with keeping fast learners occupied and engaged, while also extending their learning?  Thinking of new, creative ways to extend learning can be difficult.  For those students who are ready for an extra challenge when teaching transversals, try this rolling ball game.
 
In this game, students use properties and theorems for parallel lines cut by a transversal, and then write and solve systems of equations to determine angle measures.

​The goal is to figure out the slight slant of each set of ledges in order to determine which way the ball will roll. Students have to figure out where the ball will end up. This activity combines Geometry skills, Algebra skills, and Critical Thinking skills; it will definitely be a fun task for those who are ready and up for the challenge!
 
It’s pretty tricky, so be ready!
 
For easy differentiation, there are 2 separate worksheets that you can use to meet and challenge each student’s ability.
 
I hope you find some of these unique ideas helpful for your teaching!  Do you have any creative ways to introduce, practice, or offer a challenge for your students when teaching this unit? Comment below; we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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