Geometry Lesson

The three-day lesson plan below lays the ground work for the geometry session shown in the video. The standards are included in the lesson plan.

Course/Grade Level:   5th grade                       Unit Title:   GEOMETRY

Lesson Title:     “Make My Shape”

Instructional Time:   1 day introduction, 2 days of review activities

Lesson Materials:   paper, pencil, six  2-yardlengths of heavy yarn, overhead projector and markers

Overview:  Students will work in groups of 4, creating polygons that fit a set of verbal rules. Students will also individually create polygons with paper and pencil and share their examples on the overhead.

Standards & Expectations:     

            (from “National Council of Teachers of Mathematics” Standards)

The GEOMETRY strand:

  • Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.
  • Specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other
  • representational systems.
  • Use visualization, spatial reasoning and geometric modeling to solve problems.

The LEARNING PRINCIPLE:

  • Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.

The TEACHING PRINCIPLE:

  • Effective mathematics teaching requires understanding what students know and need to learn and then challenging and supporting them to learn it well.

Guiding Questions/Invitation

  • How can we create polygons using our hands and a length of yarn?
  • What makes a polygon a “regular polygon”?
  • What makes a polygon an “irregular polygon”?
  • What are perpendicular lines?
  • How are intersecting lines the same as perpendicular lines?
  • How are intersecting lines different from perpendicular lines?
  • What is a right angle?
  • What is a 90 degree angle?
  • What are triangles? Squares? Rectangles? Pentagons? Hexagons?

Pre-Teaching Activities/Invitation

  • Students word process in the computer lab everything they know (or think they know) about geometry.
  • Students discuss, in groups of four, their typed lists. They compare the information they have written to other lists, looking for any discrepancies in information.

Student Activities/Tasks (Steps/Process)

  • Work in table groups of four, standing in an open area of the classroom.
  • Using a 2-yd. loop of yarn, create the described polygon. All hands must be touching the yarn, and may form an angle if needed.
  • Several polygons will be formed with discussion among group members allowed.
  • Several polygons will be formed with no discussion in the groups allowed.
  • Students will return to their seats and sketch out described polygons on paper independently.
  • Selected students will draw their sketches on the overhead to be discussed and analyzed by the class.

Homework (Independent Practice):

       Take home written rules for various polygons and search your home for an example. Sketch it and label the drawing with what the object is and where it was found in your home.

Wrap-up/Reflection Activity

        Final oral review of terms.

Evaluation/Assessment:

        Each student adds new knowledge to word processed list started as a preset.

Teaching/Learning Options (extensions, grouping, environment, accommodations)

Technology extensions:

  • pairs create a power point presentation, creating one slide per  geometry term or concept
  • create a word search or word scramble on the computer of geometry terminology
  • use “Geo Logo” computer program for further skill and concept development.

Cross-Curricular Connections

  • Technology

           Microsoft Word

           Power Point

           Bookmarked Internet Sites ( Puzzles.com, etc)   

Notes for Next Year:

 

 

Submitted by:    Ima Teacher   6/200x