Jonathan Miller EDRD619: Disciplinary Literacy

  My Geometry class uses the Glencoe Geometry textbook as a source for its content. I will discuss how we can use a Word Knowledge chart to break down and better understand the circles unit, one of the more difficult units in the class. I will start by providing the class with the following chart to fill out prior to them reading the textbook. Word Knowledge rating Definition Example High Familiar Brand new Radius Diameter Chord Tangent Central Angles Inscribed Angles Arc Measure Arc Length Circumference Area Equation of a Circle This chart will provide me and my students with a basis for what is new to them and what they have seen before. Students will go through each term and mark how knowledgeable they are for each term, then write a brief definition and draw an example of what each term looks like for a circle. Most students are familiar with basic terms such as radius, diameter, circumference, and area. While they are familiar with these terms, many struggle to properly define...

  In the Geometry class I teach, we use the Glencoe Geometry textbook as a guide for the course. As with most Math textbooks, these can be difficult to read and understand without proper guidance. The chapter on right triangles and trigonometry is difficult, as it has a large number of vocabulary terms that are new to students. I will use an anticipation guide to help the students understand and navigate the readings in this section. To begin, I will have students make predictions on a set of true or false and short-answer questions about right triangles, such as: Is the sum of the angles in a right triangle the same as in all triangles? Is the hypotenuse the shortest or longest side of a triangle? The smallest angle is opposite the hypotenuse.  Can a triangle have any length of sides, or are there restrictions? Can the Pythagorean Theorem be used on any type of triangle? Are sine and cosine opposites of each other? Can trig functions only be used to find the sides of a triang...