Welcome to the MS Computer Lab Blog!
The objective of our blog is to share information about how we integrate our technology curriculum into the subject area curriculum. The foundation of this effort is the methodology of team teaching the lessons with the Middle School subject area teachers. Each post describes a particular lesson, the software used, some of the skills that were targeted, and the number of days that were spent in the lab.
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Thursday, April 2, 2009
Geometer's Sketchpad and Plane Figures
The 6th grade Math students used Geometer's Sketchpad to explore characteristics of different plane figures. They constructed several special triangles and quadrilaterals and measured the sides and/or angles of the different figures. After taking the measures of the sides and angles, the students could move the various vertex points of the figures, changing the side lengths and angle measurements, however, they could also see the relationships that were maintained. For example, all angles of a rectangle always added up to 360˚; the isosceles triangle always maintained two equal sides and angles, and a rhombus always kept its two equal obtuse angles and its two equal acute angles, no matter how the figure was manipulated. Upon constructing all the plane figures, the students then linked the three pages they created with a navigation system of buttons. This project took three class periods to finish.
