Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Symmetry and different types of Symmetry!

What is "symmetry" in geometry?- Symmetry is when one shape becomes exactly like another if you flip, slide or turn it.

So what does that mean?!
Basically, and shape or object that is EXACTLY the same if its split in half.

Are there different types of symmetry?- Yes! And in geometry we will specifically talk about 3 of them!

  1. Line symmetry- A figure has line symmetry if a line can separate the figure into two congruent parts.
  2. Rotational symmetry- If you can rotate (or turn) a figure around a center point by fewer than 360° and the figure appears unchanged, then the figure has rotation symmetry.
  3. Point symmetry- If a figure or graph is rotated about a point by 180° and yet looks identical to its original, that point is called the Point Symmetry.
Activity!!
Check out this super cool symmetry website and activity!!!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Tessellation, Transition, Rotation, OH MY!

Soooo... We have all these shapes... What can we do with them now?!

Graphing shapes is endless!


Tessellation- tessellation is created when a shape is repeated over and over again covering a plane without any gaps or overlaps. Another word for a tessellation is a tiling.

Remember there are only THREE regular polygons that can be made into a tessellation!

*Equatorial triangle 
*Regular Hexagon
*Square/ Rectangle

Above is an example of a tessellation!
Having students make their own tessellation on paper is a fun activity that helps solidify their understanding of the concept! And it will keep them busy for a while!



Transformation- Moving a shape so that it is in a different position, but still has the same size, area, angles and line lengths.

The link below is to a HILARIOUS retake on the popular Gangham Style song turned into math vocabulary! Check it out for a laugh!



Rotation- "Rotation" means turning around a center: The distance from the center to any point on the shape stays the same.



Surface Area!

What is "surface area"?
And how is it different from regular "area"?
  1. The surface area of a solid object is the total area of the object's faces and curved surfaces.


  2. Below is a link for a game to help better students understanding of surface area!
  3. http://www.learner.org/interactives/geometry/area_surface.html

The video below is a funny little surface area song a teacher wrote to help his students understand better!

Volume!

Volume of geometric shapes!

Volume is the measure of the amount of space inside of a solid figure, like a cube, ball, cylinder or pyramid. It's units are always "cubic", that is, the number of little element cubes that fit inside the figure.

To fine the volume of a figure you need a formula to help remind the students which numbers to use!


The link below leads to an AWESOME volume game for students! 
The game involves matching shapes to their given volumes to fine the correct answer!
Give it a shot!

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/geometry/shapeshoot/VolumeShapesShoot.htm

Area Of A......

What is "area" anyway?!
Area would be explained as the size of the shape!

How do we find area?!

Area Activity!
Below is a link for a cool math activity that walks a student through the steps of finding the area needed to make a garden! This is a cool example of how area can work for us in our day to day lives!

http://www.mathsisfun.com/activity/garden-area.html








Saturday, April 19, 2014

All About Me!

Welcome to my wonderful world of teaching
Here we call it:
Allison's Wonderland
About me!
My name is Allison Giroux and I am from Chandler Arizona.
I have been teaching at a Montessori School for 2 and a half years now!
I work with first through sixth grade.

Working in the Montessori Environment has allowed me to have a chance to work with all different ages and find the age that truly fits me perfectly






I live in Paradise valley with my wonderful boyfriend James


Last year we adopted our first son, Django, our "fur baby"

I will be attending NAU in Fall 2014 for my BA in Elementary Education and SPED.