The activities in this four-lesson unit enable students to use their knowledge …
The activities in this four-lesson unit enable students to use their knowledge of number, measurement, and geometry to solve interesting problems. Planning and visualizing, estimating and measuring, and testing and revising are components of the ladybug activities. Students design "virtual paths" that enable a ladybug to either hide under a leaf or go through a maze. They develop navigational skills by testing their path and revising it. Two interactive Java applets (Ladybug Mazes and Hiding Ladybug, cataloged separately) support student solutions.
This lesson unit is intended to help you assess how well students …
This lesson unit is intended to help you assess how well students are able to: Perform arithmetic operations, including those involving whole-number exponents, recognizing and applying the conventional order of operations; Write and evaluate numerical expressions from diagrammatic representations and be able to identify equivalent expressions; apply the distributive and commutative properties appropriately; and use the method for finding areas of compound rectangles.
Students explore in detail how the Romans built aqueducts using arches—and the …
Students explore in detail how the Romans built aqueducts using arches—and the geometry involved in doing so. Building on what they learned in the associated lesson about how innovative Roman arches enabled the creation of magnificent structures such as aqueducts, students use trigonometry to complete worksheet problem calculations to determine semicircular arch construction details using trapezoidal-shaped and cube-shaped blocks. Then student groups use hot glue and half-inch wooden cube blocks to build model aqueducts, doing all the calculations to design and build the arches necessary to support a water-carrying channel over a three-foot span. They calculate the slope of the small-sized aqueduct based on what was typical for Roman aqueducts at the time, aiming to construct the ideal slope over a specified distance in order to achieve a water flow that is not spilling over or stagnant. They test their model aqueducts with water and then reflect on their performance.
The purpose of this task is for students to identify figures that …
The purpose of this task is for students to identify figures that have lines of symmetry and draw appropriate lines of symmetry. I started out by having them create their own line-symmetric shapes by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting a shape out. Then they darkened the line represented by the fold to reinforce that it is a line of symmetry for their shape. Then I used the examples in the lesson and the worksheets available. The students enjoyed the real life activities, finding real life symmetry.
I found additional activities at https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/content-standards/tasks/676
This is an instructional task that gives students a chance to reason …
This is an instructional task that gives students a chance to reason about lines of symmetry and discover that a circle has an an infinite number of lines of symmetry. Even though the concept of an infinite number of lines is fairly abstract, fourth graders can understand infinity in an informal way.
This task provides students a chance to experiment with reflections of the …
This task provides students a chance to experiment with reflections of the plane and their impact on specific types of quadrilaterals. It is both interesting and important that these types of quadrilaterals can be distinguished by their lines of symmetry.
This task is intended for instruction, providing the students with a chance …
This task is intended for instruction, providing the students with a chance to experiment with physical models of triangles, gaining spatial intuition by executing reflections.
This task can be implemented in a variety of ways. For a …
This task can be implemented in a variety of ways. For a class with previous exposure to the incenter or angle bisectors, part (a) could be a quick exercise in geometric constructions,. Alternatively, this could be part of a full introduction to angle bisectors, culminating in a full proof that the three angle bisectors are concurrent, an essentially complete proof of which is found in the solution below.
In this activity, learners slide shapes to create unusual tiled patterns. Learners …
In this activity, learners slide shapes to create unusual tiled patterns. Learners transform a rectangle into a more interesting shape and then make a tessellation by repeating that shape over and over again. Learners will also calculate the area of a rectangle. This activity works best as a "centers" activity.
In this three-lesson unit, students participate in activities in which they focus …
In this three-lesson unit, students participate in activities in which they focus on connections between mathematics and children’s literature. Three pieces of literature are used to teach geometry and measurement topics in the mathematics curriculum, i.e. using and describing geometric figures, estimating the volume of an irregular solid, and exploring the need for a standard unit of length. Activity worksheets and ideas for extension are included.
This lesson unit is intended to help you assess how well students …
This lesson unit is intended to help you assess how well students are able to: Interpret a situation and represent the variables mathematically; select appropriate mathematical methods to use; explore the effects on the area of a rectangle of systematically varying the dimensions whilst keeping the perimeter constant; interpret and evaluate the data generated and identify the optimum case; and communicate their reasoning clearly.
In this math lesson, learners measure distances using an outline cutout of …
In this math lesson, learners measure distances using an outline cutout of their own feet. This enables learners to practice using nonstandard units. This activity is recommended as a follow up to the "Measuring with Teacher's Feet" lesson (see related resources). This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions.
In this series of three hands-on activities, students develop an understanding of …
In this series of three hands-on activities, students develop an understanding of the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percents based upon models of hundredths. Each activity requires students to display their one hundred pieces of candy in a different way: linear model, grid model (rectangular area), and region model (circle graph/pie chart). This lesson includes student worksheets, assessment questions, extension suggestions, and a link to a circle graph tool.
This classroom task gives students the opportunity to prove a surprising fact …
This classroom task gives students the opportunity to prove a surprising fact about quadrilaterals: that if we join the midpoints of an arbitrary quadrilateral to form a new quadrilateral, then the new quadrilateral is a parallelogram, even if the original quadrilateral was not.
This is a reasonably direct task aimed at having students use previously-derived …
This is a reasonably direct task aimed at having students use previously-derived results to learn new facts about parallelograms, as opposed to deriving them from first principles. The solution provided (among other possibilities) uses the SAS trial congruence theorem, and the fact that opposite sides of parallelograms are congruent.
This lesson could be used in a High School Geometry course when …
This lesson could be used in a High School Geometry course when students are working with similar triangles and the fundamental theorem of similarity. Students will be challenged to solve a non-routine problem by applying a geometric concept in a modeling situation. The lesson plan is extensive including samples of student work and possible misconceptions. The activity can be adapted to meet the needs of your students.
No restrictions on your remixing, redistributing, or making derivative works. Give credit to the author, as required.
Your remixing, redistributing, or making derivatives works comes with some restrictions, including how it is shared.
Your redistributing comes with some restrictions. Do not remix or make derivative works.
Most restrictive license type. Prohibits most uses, sharing, and any changes.
Copyrighted materials, available under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for US-based educators, or other custom arrangements. Go to the resource provider to see their individual restrictions.