Module 8 Strategy Application Blog Post: Text-Based Questions and Graphic Organizers

 The text used to formulate these questions is Chapter 12 from the Glencoe Geometry Textbook. (Pages 12,13,1, and 20)

Question Example

Purpose

Type of Question

What is the difference between Lateral Area and Surface Area?

Literal

Key Details

What is a Composite Solid?

Literal

Key Details

Based on this composite figure, how would you structure the steps to solve for the surface area? (Do not solve for the surface area at this time.)

Structural

Inferencing

What can you infer about the difference between prisms and pyramids from their surface area formulas?

Interpretive 

Word Choice/Inferencing

Why is the “B” different in the following figures?

Interpretive/Literal

Key Detail/Inferencing


These text-based questions force students to read the material closely to understand and be able to answer the questions. The concepts covered by these questions are difficult for students to understand when they are first introduced to them. I chose these questions because they help guide the students’ reading towards the important parts of the unit that are essential to comprehending the harder questions that come later. Students need to be able to identify if a figure is a prism or a pyramid to know which formulas to use to solve for the surface area. In each surface area formula, the variable “B” represents the area of the base. The exact formula for B will vary depending on the shape of the base. Thus, students need to know why it is different each time and how to solve for the area of each possible shape. These are concepts that most students struggle to understand, and I feel they need to spend more time reviewing. I would first have the students read each of the passages relating to the content, skipping the examples that ask them to solve the problem. Then I would have students work in pairs to answer each of the text-based questions, giving them time to reread the material to find the answers. I would then bring the class together to have a group discussion about each topic and hear from each pair of students so that the class can hear answers in different ways to help cement their understanding.



Note-Taking Strategy: Flowchart Graphic Organizer




I chose a flowchart to help students determine which formula to use to solve for the surface area of different 3D figures. This is a topic that students struggle with understanding due to the multitude of situations that they can encounter when solving these problems. The hardest concept for them to understand is which formula needs to be used for the area of the base, or "B". To help with this, I made a simple flowchart for them to follow along with as they do each problem. They first need to determine which type of figure they are looking at, either a prism or a pyramid. Then they will identify what the shape of the base of the figure is. Once they have identified the correct shape of the base, they will then be able to see what formula is required to find its area. I find that this flowchart helps students focus on the important parts of the formula and have better success having all of the information is laid out in an easy-to-follow manner. This allows students to spend more time comprehending the process and main ideas of the unit opposed to trying to figure out when to use each formula. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Module 4 Digital Jumpstart

  Creating a digital jumpstart for my class has helped me realize the importance of giving students a strong outline of key concepts within a unit. Providing students with clear definitions of the terms they will need to know and the theorems they will be using, in a way that they can easily review, can significantly increase their overall understanding. I feel that my digital jumpstart gives students the theorems, definitions, and examples main ideas of the unit that they will need to know and apply throughout. On my next jumpstart, I would most likely find some form of audio to add that fits the content. Additionally, I would like to find examples of real-world images to use as references. My Geometry classes have a lot of vocabulary terms that are used throughout the entire school year. I think that doing digital jumpstarts would significantly help my students with retaining and reviewing these terms as we progress through the course. Often students forget what a word means when...
Read more

Module 2 Strategy Application Blog

  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...
Read more

Module 1 Strategy Application Blog

  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...
Read more