This sheet is nice and simple and user friendly! I love the visual graph because students “see” that they are learning.
Here is a link to my word template. It may not look pretty because I used some fun fonts, but its enough to get you started.
Curriculum & Learning Targets
Planned lessons, tasks & activities along with Learning Targets in 6 week “chunks”
Geometry: Planning the last 6 weeks
The last six weeks of geometry will focus on similarity, dilatation, indirect measurement, similarity transformation proofs, and circles:
We will start with a review of real world ratio and proportion practice, interactive notes page & review, possible including activities such as New York Minute (NCTM Illuminations).
We will then head into applying the properties of proportion to geometric figures in discovering and defining similarity as described in the investigation activities in Discovering Geometry.We will complete an interactive notes page and practice. We will use similarity to measure tall objects using a mirror and measuring tape with indirect measurement. It is also an excuse to get outside, since it is getting warmer out and we are all developing cabin fever.
I am hoping we will have time to incorporate the Math Assessment Project‘s lesson: Solving Geometry Problems: Floodlights (MARS).
I am very excited to try to channel my inner Fawn by spending 2 days on Letting Them Own the Problem applying similar triangle properties.
We will explore & discover properties of dilatation’s with the Flip Family (page 13 of this pdf), followed by an interactive notes page and practice. I am just going to have to create a Dilatation Station Rotation because that has a fun name (and students will need some practice).
The scariest part for me will be attempting to teach similarity proofs through transformations as describes by Kate Nowak here. Hopefully, at the least we will all learn something.
Next we will discover & apply the relationship between similarity and proportions with area and volume through discovery activities, interactive notes and this little gem.
Then we are on to a short excursion into circles. We will begin with developing an understanding of radian measure, followed by a 3 act lesson by Mr Stadel. I plan to dedicate a few days on the Math Assessment Project’s Sector of Circles lesson. We will also do the 3 act lesson be Dan Meyer: Lucky Cow.
I plan to end the school year with a Modeling project adapted for my students to be more self directed: rolling cups.
I want more time!!! Surface area & volume projects galore!
There are too many projects that I want to incorporate for teaching surface area and volume. I’m not sure yet how to pick and choose and adapt to best meet my students needs. Please share other good projects in the comments! I am writing this blog post as a way to list options for future reference:
| Surface Area
Lisa Bejarano: Interactive notes Mr. Stadel: File Cabinet Kaplinsky: Foil Prank Miss Calcul8: Tin-Man Project |
Volume: Engaging Math: Volume of a Pyramid Tap into teen minds: Prisms & Pyramids, a 3- act task Fawn & NCTM: I am a Doughnut Kaplinsky: Gumball Machine Kaplinsky: Drug Money Kaplinsky: Cigarette Butts Yummy Math: Penny Wars Dan Meyer: You Pour I choose Dan Meyer: Meatballs Dan Meyer: Water Tank MARS: Calculating volumes of Compound objects Open Middle: Find 3 different cylinders that hold between 110 and 115 cu. ft. of water. Fawn: Listerine to Fuji water | Both Surface area & Volume: Mathalicious: Canalysis Kate Nowak: Spiky Door Piccini: Pop box Design & my post on how it went MARS: Evaluating statements about enlargements MARS: Designing Candy Boxes Mathalicious: Cheese that goes Crunch with these adaptations |
Planning the next six weeks of Geometry
I really struggled planning the next six weeks of the school year for geometry. Although I hate it, the big fat state testing happens mid March. Probability & statistics is addressed heavily, and since my students have not seen it much, and it is important, and it is included in our states adoption of the CCSS for geometry, I decided that I should do a quick basic review of it. I may be cramming it in, but it will be fun goshdarnit!
This hexter starts with finishing up some real world trig, measuring with clinometers and a fun triangle pile up task as a performance assessment. Then we will collect data & make scatter plots, finding equations of the line of best fit and making predictions,and of course, this interactive note page. I decided not to use calculator regressions because my students need to work on developing fluency writing linear equations anyway. After that we will experiment with mean and median and how they are affected by outliers. We will do Jellyblubbers to help develop understanding of sampling strategies, although if I need more time with other skills, then Jellyblubbers will not happen and I will be sad.
I need to allow enough time to have lotsa fun with probabilities too. I am going to ensure they understand compound probabilities, and’s, or’s, independent & dependent events. I do not have a lot of resources for the probability week, so i’ll either have to create some (and I’ll share!) or you can share your awesomeness in the comments.
After the state testing we will do surface area & volume. I’m excited to introduce surface area with Mr. Stadel’s file cabinet post it task. Then will do some interactive notes on surface area & some practice with various irregular solids. Then on to volume. I am going to go with some of these tasks, combined with notes & practice.
- Mathalicious’s canalysis
- pop box design
- penny wars
- you pour I choose
My plan is not as concrete as it normally is. I am not sure why, but I know I figure it all out. I just can’t think about things that will be happening after spring break. Also, I am in a little bit of a panic over how the heck to teach my programming class.
Here is the learning target tracking sheet:
Planing Hexter 4 (or the first 6 weeks of 2nd semester), or, Hey! Kate Nowak, this is why blogging kicks ass!
Waayyy too much time and thought went into this! I have to remind myself that teaching & covering are not the same and that I have to let some things go in order to tech other content well. I’m just not going to do Law of Sines & Law of Cosines in geometry. It isn’t happening. I’m trying to be OK with this. I’m also not going to teach simplifying radicals. There. I said it.
So, here’s the plan:
We are going to start the semester with TV Space to motivate the Pythagorean theorem. I’ve asked. My students have not heard of it. I know, they should have, but they don’t know it. They are going to dominate it in a few weeks. We’re going to follow that up with Mathalicious’ Viewmongus, which, at this point, students should be able to work through pretty comfortably. I know this is a lot of Pythagorean Theorem, but I’m trying to build persistence and a culture of problem solving as the semester gets going. Then I am going to support my students writing a program in their TI-84’s to use the Pythagorean theorem given 2 coordinates (AKA distance formula). I plan to use the sheet shared by Jasmine Walker as a guide.
Right after that, I’m hitting ’em with Taco Cart. Dan & Fawn have done wonderful work. I’m so so so excited about finally getting to do Taco Cart. Yes, its the holiday break & I can’t wait for school to start to get in some serious problem solving with me being less helpful!
Then we’ll spend a day reviewing midpoint & programming in that baby to the TI’s. Next we’ll spend a class period on Pam Wilson’s distance & midpoint activity. I may make it into a scavenger hunt, as mentioned in the comments, we’ll see how ambitious I am when we get to that. Depending on how the pretest for this unit goes, I may do a 1 day activity reviewing slopes of parallel & perpendicular lines, then we are off & running with coordinate quadrilateral proofs. I’m sure I’ll throw in Illustrated Mathematics’ Is this a Rectangle? The big project for this unit will be a choice between Jasmine Walker’s quadrilateral programming project or Mathy McMatherson’s Facebook project described here & incorporating his reflective follow up here.
Then we’re hitting up some right triangle trig. I think I am going to go old school with this unit. I’ll introduce the concept using Tina Cardone’s geogebra exploration, but then I think were just going notes & practice: roundtables, problems around the room, row games. Once we’ve got it down we’ll build clinometers to measure tall stuff outside (flagpole, maybe?). That’s probably all we’ll get in in the next 6 weeks, but I intend to follow this up with this awesome trig task as soon as I can, maybe the start of the next 6 weeks. I’m like a kid in a freggin’ candy store with all of the awesomeness spewing out of the MBToS! Y’all fire me up!
Here’s the learning target tracking sheet for the next 6 weeks:
Day 75: Summing up Transformations
I forgot to take pics of our notes today, so hopefully I’ll remember to add some later. I focused on students practicing the formula notation for translations, rotation & refection. Next year I think I will re sequence this unit to start with Mathalicious‘ Face Off, then notes & practice on symmetry & reflections. Then, this project, followed by notes & practice on translations & rotations. Finishing with the Math Assessment project lesson on transformations.
[update 12/20: pic of the transformation notes]
Geometry breakdown: the next 6 weeks
As I’ve mentioned before, my school operates on Hexters (sixths of a school year). The best part is that we get a day to plan & grade at the end of each hexter, which gives me a chance to plan out the next 6 weeks of learning targets, and roughly outline the sequence of instruction. On tap for next hexter is finishing up triangle proofs using Proof Blocks, polygon properties & quadrilaterals, and transformations. I am hoping to include this modification of proof blocks by Tina C, A kick ass intro to polygon angles from Kate Nowak. I plan to introduce transformations by using Mathalicious’ “Face Off”, then we will spend a few days working on transformations concept development based on this lesson by the Math Assessment Project. I will create an Interactive Student Notes page based on this awesomeness.
I need to decide on a project for this hexter. I am considering giving students a choice. My current ideas are:
- perplexing parallelograms
- Pick’s Theorem here or NCTM’s or a combination of both?
- Vi Hart’s stars with activity in Discovering Geometry
[update 11/04: Dan Meyer just posted this which includes a number of polygon investigations which could lead to good choices for a project]
[update 12/21: Next year use this awesome Mrs. PacMan idea from Robert Kaplinsky as a final project to the transformations unit.]
I’d love suggestions in the comments!
I’m also excited to participate in an hour of code in December. I am hoping to teach a programming class next semester, because I know how much this would benefit students at my school, although I haven’t written an program in about 20 years..I’ll be forced to get good at this if I have to teach it – right? I am just a glutton for punishment, but hey! It would be a great way to force students who need an extra math credit to practice the Standards of Mathematical Practice.
Here’s the student Learning target progress tracking sheet:
Hexter 2 geometry
I made an ambitious list of learning targets for SBG for our second hexter. Here it is:
Learning Target Tracking Sheet & Overall Grade Tracking
I have had long debates about the bast way to have students track their progress on learning targets. This is what I ended up with. I wish there was a place for them to set a goal, but I think i’m going to make a separate overall average tracking sheet with a place for goal setting. It’s not perfect, but I’ll start with this and tweak it in the future.
You can download an editable version of this here.
[update 8/1/14: here is a few examples of LT tracking sheets filled out by students:]
Learners keep this in their binder and update their scores after each assessment.
I copy this on the back of the tracking sheet:
2013-2014 Geometry Pacing
I worked for many days developing a pacing guide for geometry that follows the Common Core Standards, and uses the Discovering Geometry text book. I plain to add more detail following this sheet including learning targets, activities, vocabulary, essential questions. I’d love feedback.
Crazy Math Teacher Lady 