What's Going On? February 24th through February 28th

Right Triangle Trigonometry

This week we will be taking a look at right triangle trigonometry.  For this unit I highly encourage students to have a traditional scientific calculator, as opposed to using their iPad.  As I have mentioned earlier, different calculators require different keystrokes for trigonometric ratios.  It is best if students get to know a traditional calculator that they would use on a standardized test such as an ACT.

We will start the week by talking about the three basic trigonometric ratios: sine, cosine and tangent.  We will then use these ratios to solve for missing side lengths and missing angles.  We'll discover that if we know only a little bit of information about a right triangle's angles and sides, we can figure them all out!

We'll be able to figure things out, like how tall the building is that is drawn on the left, just by applying our knowledge of trig ratios.  The knowledge of trig ratios will set up for success in Algebra 2 and beyond.

If you have trouble with the content, please come see me for some extra help.  I am available most days before school and after school.  I am also in the media center every Thursday during AO (7:20-7:50).

What's Going On? February 17th through February 21st

Second Semester Project

This week we'll be starting our second semester project.  For this project students will create a book using the app "Book Creator".  At the end of each unit, students will summarize the content that we've learned about and provide solutions for four different sample problems.  With each chapter, students must include definitions, formulas, and other important concepts.  Each chapter must contain at least four images and two videos.  The videos can provide a nice way for students to explain their steps for solving each problem or provide a way to explain the content.  Students will work on this book throughout the semester.  At the end of the semester, students will have a summary for each unit.  This will be useful when preparing for the final exam and for when students need a Geometry refresher in the future.

This week we'll be starting our unit on right triangle trigonometry.  For this unit I HIGHLY suggest that students use a traditional calculator rather than their iPads.  When it comes time for high stakes tests (like the ACT), students will not be able to use an iPad only a traditional calculator.  Students should have lots of practice with their traditional calculator.  This unit will introduce some new mathematical operations (like sine, cosine and tangent) which work very differently on different calculators.  If students start to get the hang of these keystrokes on their traditional calculator they will be better prepared when it's time to take the ACT.

Right Triangle Trigonometry



We will start this week by focusing on right triangles.  We'll revisit the Pythagorean Theorem (which students have already learned about in years past) and we'll talk about relationships that exist in special right triangles.  We'll finish up the week with a short formative before we start talking about the trigonometric ratios of sine cosine and tangent.

What's Going On? February 10th through February 14th

Similarity

This week we will finish up our unit on similarity.  We will brush up on the properties associated with similarity and we'll make sure that we clear up any misconceptions about similarity that exists in triangles.

Once we're clear on triangle similarity, we'll take a look at how self-similarity can be used to create designs like the fractal pictured on the right.

We will then review for our similarity summative assessment.  In class, students will become our "class experts" on one of the problems from our review.  Students will then create a video using "Explain Everything" to explain, step-by-step, how to solve the problem.  These videos will then be uploaded to a shared folder on Google Drive.  If a student gets stuck on a review problem while preparing for our summative assessment, they can check out a classmate's video.  We are scheduled to take the test on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Please remember that students must have completed all homework assignments by the day of the summative assessment to be eligible for a test retake.  If a student would like to complete a retake they would need to make corrections on the original assessment, complete some extra practice, and take the retake summative assessment within a week of receiving their test back.  The retake score will then be recorded into webgrader.

What's Going On? February 3 through February 7

Similarity

This week students will continue their study of similarity.  We will start the week by taking another look at triangle similarity shortcuts.  Students will take a look at a pool of triangles and decide which figures must be similar and how they know.  We will also have a short formative assessment on ratio, proportions, and triangle similarity shortcuts.

Next, we will move on to right triangle similarity, triangle proportionality and similarity transformations.  I will be out of the building for a few days this week, so students will rely on the videos found on our BlackBoard class website.  Each day students will complete a formative assessment to check-in with me.  I will then communicate with students that may be lost on the material.  While I am out of the building, I encourage students to work together during class and to e-mail me any questions that they may have.  I will return to North on Friday and I will be available for extra help before school and after school.  There is also a "Just in Time" help session staffed by several math teachers for students in the library each Thursday from 7:20-7:50.