Secret Door Foldables!!

What to do at the end of a two year Geometry class, with a group full of seniors who have had senioritis since Christmas...

It is my every day dilemma that I sometimes overcome after stumbling upon genius on Pinterest or Youtube. In this case, it was the latter. BEHOLD, Geometry research projects made fun. A three to four day project incorporating hands-on learning, organization, research skills, math inquiry, and creativity in order to produce something purposeful but also self-paced.

I began by creating criteria for my students on what should be on the project. See the handout below.

Hidden Door Research Project Handout


Then I had students watch the Youtube video below in order to create the crazy cool foldables. Let me tell you...my students were complaining like crazy (because they have senioritis and do not want to complete much work, much less research), but they quickly changed their minds when they got to play with this mind teaser. They thought they were so cool, and quickly agreed to the rest of the project because of it! So watch this video, and use this project to either practice vocabulary, to complete a project, or just to amuse your students for an hour;)

Secret Door Foldable Video


Watch this video showing all of our work!!

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Photo Scavenger Hunt

April, April, April. What to do during that long drawn out month without any days off...when students have already checked out for the summer, and yet I still have an observation left. Oh and let's not forget the endless battle with student phones. Ugh! Well, the solution to all those problems is a nicely planned photo scavenger hunt!! 

1. Use this Power Point to introduce the project, set up guidelines, establish groups, and get the project rolling.

Introductory Power Point Presentation

2. Have students carry around these lists looking for their geometric photo op!

Scavenger Hunt List

We present in a couple of days. When they do, I will post some student work!

Here is a fantastic presentation that came in. I had to delete some hilarious student photos that the students added, but the students had a ton of fun with this as you can see, and they really let their personality show.

Tetrahedron Kites!!

It is April and the students are restless. I am wracking my brain for activities that are relevant, educational, related to the curriculum, but also fun. The less direct instruction per day, the better we all do. So, at the end of our quadrilateral unit, I decided to make kites with all three of my classes and fly them. The kites aren't exactly kite-shaped, but they fit in with the theme and are still very geometric. It took two 90 minute class periods for my students to finish. That is with 20 minute warm-ups each day. 

Day 1:
First, I quickly detailed the project, helped students locate the materials, and outlined group expectations. I wanted the project to mostly be fun, but I had them complete a quick reflection each day to hold them accountable.
 I then showed a video: Mr. Otter's You tube video on Tetrahedron Kites. This video demonstrates how to build the kite step by step. Students were encouraged to replay the video as needed to figure out how to complete the different steps. (This was easier for my students to follow than the paper directions with pictures, although I had some in case students wanted them).
 Students chose their groups, and got to work. I walked around and encouraged groups. No help though. They had to do it all.
 Here are some of the finished products. Students who finished early could make kite tails or help another group. I would have encouraged them to make bigger kites, but I had limited supplies. By the way, the bendy straws work just fine without being cut.

 Day 2:
Students were reminded of their group roles and then got back to work where they left off the day before.

Day 3:
Warm-up: Mixed review on quadrilaterals; Foldable notes on faces/edges/vertices; Student practice determining faces/edges/vertices of kite; Let's fly a kite!!

Math is a Verb!

So, one of my Geometry students who has some of the worst English grammar the class has ever heard has become famous for his eclectic rhetoric. I told him I would write a book on him one day. Instead, here is a blog. 

Algebra (verb) 
 to correctly solve a math problem using algebra
"Mrs. Scanlon, did I algebra it?"

Math (also a verb)
    to tactically* and correctly solve a math related problem
"Mrs. Scanlon, I mathed that word problem so good!"
"Did I math it correctly?"

Tactical
  cool, swag, awesome (I'm actually still not sure of the true definition).
"That sweater is tactical."
"Mrs. Scanlon, is your baby tactical yet?"

Carl (noun)
  In reference to the perpendicular bisector in a circle that is hard to refer to in every day conversation. Hence, Carl came into being. Carl stands for Crazy Abstract Ridiculous Line (which was an afterthought to the original name).  (The picture is terrible, but you get the idea).

At first I resisted the new vocabulary, but now it is a part of our class as much as the student we tagged as "coplanar" because he complains a lot, and the way they make fun of my New York mannerisms down here in Tennessee. So what if I thought Ingles was a Spanish store. So what if all my students thought I was a new student at school last year. The important thing is that at the end of the day, I have "repeated myself so much that they cannot get me out of their head" (a quote from one of my charmers), and now they know Geometry whether they wanted to or not.