What's Going On? December 15th through December 19th

Construction Mania!

This week students will continue their work with their "Construction Mania" project.  For this summative project, students will be constructing five geometric figures: an isosceles right triangle, an isosceles trapezoid, a kite, a regular quadrilateral, and a figure of their choice.  To complete this project, students may use the "old school" technology of a compass and straight edge, or they may choose to use "new school" technology like the Geometry Constructions Tutor Lite App or Geometer's Sketchpad.  Regardless of which method they chose, students will give a definition of their shape, construct the shape using the approved construction tools, and give a step-by-step explanation for how they performed the construction.  All projects are due at the beginning of class on Friday, December 19th.  Since this is a summative assessments, students MUST complete the project in order to receive a grade for the course.

Students will be given class time to work on the project.  If students maintain the following suggested schedule they will be on-pace to complete the project on time:

• Friday: Complete the project proposal form, define all shapes, and start the construction of one figure.
• Monday: Complete the construction of the first figure and write the step-by-step instructions
• Tuesday/Wednesday: Complete the construction and instructions for two figures.
• Thursday: Complete the construction and instructions for two figures.
• Friday: Turn in the "Construction Mania" project.

I urge students to remember that they must CONSTRUCT all figures.  For example, if a student needs a 90 degree angle in their figure, they must construct a perpendicular:

Be sure to leave all compass marking on the construction diagrams!

Please be sure to stay on pace with the suggested schedule and ASK QUESTIONS if you get stuck!

What's Going On? September 29th through October 3rd

Reasoning and Proof

This week we will be finishing up our unit on reasoning and proof.  We have been getting to know the basic structure of two column proofs by applying them to something we're already pretty familiar with: solving algebraic equations.  Now we'll start applying our knowledge of two column proofs to some geometric principles.

Then we will spend a class period reviewing our unit on reasoning and proof before we take our second summative assessment on Thursday.  Please remember that students can be eligible for a test retake if all formative work is completed by the start of class on Thursday.  Please check out Infinite Campus to make sure you are up-to-date with all assignments for the unit.

What's Going On? September 22nd through September 26th

Unit 2: Reasoning and Proof

This week we will continue our study on reasoning and proof.  Last week we started learning about "Conditional Statements".  This week we will further our study by talking about deductive reasoning and how we can give a formal argument using a two-column proof.  We will start by applying two-column proof to Algebraic concepts.  Once students start to grasp the concept of proofs with Algebra, we will start to apply our knowledge to Geometric proofs.

On Tuesday the 3rd period freshmen enrolled in the course will complete the first of three math MAP tests for the year.  The 8th period freshmen enrolled in the course will MAP test on Thursday.  The math MAP test is designed to chart a student's growth in math knowledge throughout the year.  

On Friday, students will take a short formative assessment on logic statements and our introduction to proof. This will help students prepare and get feedback for next week's summative assessment which is scheduled for Thursday.

If students have questions, they can come see me for extra help.  I am currently available starting at 7am each morning until I go on maternity leave.  Once I am on maternity leave, students can make arrangements with our long-term substitute, Mrs. Rahn, for extra help.

What's Going On? September 15th-September 19th

Basics of Geometry

This week in Honors Geometry we'll be finishing up our first unit on the Basics of Geometry.  We will start off the week by learning about the different types of polygons.  We'll take a look at examples and non-examples of polygons to craft our own definitions for the figures.  We'll then talk about ways to classify the different types of polygons that we'll encounter in our class.

Once we conclude our study of polygons we'll review all of the material discussed in class so far this year.  Our first summative assessment will take place during class on Thursday.  Please remember that summative assessments now account for 100% of a student's grade.  Students who are interested in earning the privilege of a test retake must have all of their formative work completed by the beginning of class on Thursday.

If students have questions or need extra help, I am available at school each day beginning at 7:00am.  I ask that students schedule an appointment so that I know when to expect them.  I'm here to help!

What's Going On? September 7 - September 11

Basics of Geometry

In Honors Geometry this week we'll continue our study of the Basics of Geometry.  We will start the week by performing basic constructions using a compass and a straight edge.  We will be able to accurately duplicate segments and angles.  We will also be able to bisect angles and construct perpendicular bisectors.  On our second day of class for the week we will have our first formative assessment.  The formative assessment will focus on applying the vocabulary we have learned about during the first week of class.  We will also focus on using the segment and angle addition postulates.  We will finish up the week by talking about deductive reasoning and start applying Geometric concepts to the coordinate plane.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school!  My name is Mrs. Kamenar and I will be working with you this year in your Honors Geometry class.  This year I will begin my tenth year at Waukesha North.  In my time here I have taught a variety of math and computer science classes.  In addition to being a teacher, I am also an assistant women's cross country coach and the school's yearbook advisor.  

I hope that everyone had a fun and relaxing summer vacation!  This summer seemed to go by too fast, but I guess it always seems that way.  I really enjoyed spending my summer with my three year old son, Jack.  We got to spend a lot of time together going to the zoo, swimming, camping in the back yard, reading, and doing other fun things.  My husband and I are expecting our second child at the end of September so I also spent a lot of time preparing for our new arrival.  This means that I intend to take a leave of absence starting at the end of September and I plan to return in mid-November.  Students will be working with another teacher while I am out of the building on maternity leave.  So, we will have about four weeks to get to know each other before I take a leave of absence.

Since I am already talking about taking a leave of absence, we better start learning!  This week we will begin our study of some basic geometric terms.  We will ease into the year by talking about inductive reasoning and patterns.  We will also talk about some of the basic building blocks of Geometry and their naming and labeling conventions.  We will finish up the week by going over measurement and learning the properties of segment and angle addition.

I am really excited to get to work with you this year.  I hope we are all able to learn a lot and have some fun along the way!  If you have any questions as we move through the year, please don't hesitate to contact me.

What's Going On? The week of May 27-May 30

Transformations 
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and is feeling refreshed!  We're down to our last three weeks of school and there's a lot going on!  When we return from the long weekend, we'll spend a day reviewing for our Transformations test.  I will also check in our Unit 11 for our Book Creator project and collect your amazing tessellation projects!  After our day of review we'll take our test on Transformations (5th and 6th period will take the test on Wednesday and 4th period will take it on Thursday).

Once our transformations test is complete we will focus on our final exam and set a due date for our Book Creator projects.  If you have questions, comments or concerns, please see me ASAP!   I am available for extra help and I would be happy to help you end the year to the best of your ability!