Quick Images
I decided to play along with the class. When first show the image it was easy to see a crescent moon with a small circle or hole in the middle. The first child said he saw the moon and I thought wow that is what I saw. However as the video went on and she asked other students I felt as if they were answering how they saw the shape now not the strategy used to try to remember to draw it. I feel as if the children were trying to give different answers to her question so that they can be heard. I do feel like all the input the children gave were all great strategies to help remember the shape but I feel she could have worded her questioning different such as, “Did anyone use the moon as a reference to remember the image.Case Studies
I was taken back by the misconceptions that most of these children had about what makes a geometric shape a shape. They were could not see the difference between a mathematical terms like triangles or square and familiar objects like diamond or hearts. (line 47) They seem to be able to list certain attribute that make a shape a shape but have a hard time seeing those attributes in any other form. They could not clearly defined what made a square a square as they had the same definition for a rectangle and seamed to be totally fine with that.
Evan was one of the exceptions. He seemed to get the concept that it doesn’t matter if we skew the shape of a triangle by making the sides longer, it is still a triangle.
Em, I feel that this type of thinking will help him with recognition of other shapes. After all if you stretch out a square into a rectangle it still has any attributes of a square. What do you think?
Annenburg – Polygons
This module is a little scary for me. It reminds me so much of trigonometry, yet another math topic I struggle with.
Problem A4
How many polygons can you find in the following figure?
Polygon
|
Names
|
Score
|
Triangle
|
RUV, RST, VWT,
RQT
|
4*3=12
|
Quadrilateral
|
RSTQ, RUWQ, RVWQ,
USTW, USTV,
|
5*4=20
|
Pentagon
|
RUVTQ, RSTWV
|
2*5=10
|
Hexagon
|
RQTSUV, RQWVTS
|
2*6=12
|
TOTAL
|
54
|
It really helped but was very time consuming to draw out each shape. I had a hard time seeing them all but with help from the solution I was able to find them all.
Em, did you draw yours our as well?
As a warm-up for the game, put each of the labels Regular, Concave, and Triangle next to one of the circles on the diagram. Place all the polygons in the correct regions of the diagram.
Working this problem instills in me the importance of manipulatives. It was so much easier to solve the problem once I had it in front of me.
Problem C2
Which
of these definitions work for convex polygons? A polygon is convex if and only
if...
a.
all diagonals lie in the interior of the polygon. True
b.
the perimeter is larger than the length of the longest diagonal. True
c.
every diagonal is longer than every side. False
d.
the perimeter of the polygon is the shortest path that encloses the entire
shape.
e.
the largest interior angle is adjacent to the longest side. False
f.
none of the lines that contain the sides of the polygon pass through its
interior. True
g.
every interior angle is less than 180°.
h.
the polygon is not concave. True
EM, listed above are the correct answers given on the site but I am still unsure of how they got most of these answers. I can work out the problems when it comes to shapes but sometimes I have no idea when it comes to expressing in words. Any thoughts to help me?
Color
Tiles
This
was a fun little activity that I enjoyed doing.
I had no problem finding the two and four figures. When it came to five, I had about 6 different shapes
found and paused. I knew there must be
more but I just couldn't see any more. Maybe
I gave up too early.
The
real shocker came when we had to name the shapes. I feel so dumb, when I think of an octagon I picture a stop sign. I believe this to be what everyone thinks of. I had no idea that it was any 8-sided polygon (a flat shape with straight sides)
It make total sense to me now. This confirms what I talked about above. If we don't show our students when they are young it could take them until they are in their 40's to figure it out!
Ok Em, did this come as a surprise to you?
Em, I feel that this type of thinking will help him with recognition of other shapes. After all if you stretch out a square into a rectangle it still has any attributes of a square. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!. This young man is able to see beyond what is placed in front of him. When looking at the shapes he is able to take into account all of the attributes both inside and out. That insight will make learning about different shapes easier for him.
Em, did you draw yours our as well?
Not only did I draw the shapes, I had to keep track of the letters that I was using. I found myself duplicating the same shapes over again. I am not such if this is an age issue, but lately I find myself getting distracted and off task very easily.
EM, listed above are the correct answers given on the site but I am still unsure of how they got most of these answers. I can work out the problems when it comes to shapes but sometimes I have no idea when it comes to expressing in words. Any thoughts to help me?
The only advice that I think that I am capable of giving is the method that works for me. In order to understand the question you must first understand the definition of a convex polygon. Although the Annenberg site gave an example I was still confused. Therefore, I went to my friend google to gain a better understanding. Once, you gain understanding, compare the question to the attributes of the shape. …I hope that helps.
Color tiles
Ok Em, did this come as a surprise to you?
I was also unaware that every any 8 sided shape was called a polygon. This was because we were never exposed to this idea. Thinking through it now and knowing the definition make absolutely sense. Early exposure is the key for all future understanding.