Kim Henson
EMAT 6700
Summer 2005
Description of project: Below you will find a list of the new 7th grade mathematics Georgia Performance Standards. Under each standard is a brief description and link to mathematical activities that correspond to the particular objective. Each activity engages students in mathematical problem solving and the use of technology. The process standards are also embedded within the activities. Feel free to use these activities as you see fit in your classroom and modify them in any way to meet the needs of your students.
Click here to read my rationale for this project.
Number and Operations
M7N1. Students will understand the meaning of positive and negative rational
numbers and use them in computation.
· Addition with Integers in the Geometers Sketchpad.
This activity uses a number line and the Geometers Sketchpad software to teach students the meaning of addition with integers.
This activity uses an excel spreadsheet template to help students recognize patterns that develop when adding integers.
Geometry
M7G1. Students will construct plane figures that meet given conditions.
This activity requires students to make constructions in the Geometers Sketchpad and make conjectures about their constructions.
· Scripts in Geometers Sketchpad.
This activity guides students through making a script that will construct an equilateral triangle from any two given points in the Geometers Sketchpad. Then, students are asked to apply this knowledge to construct a square and create a script for their construction.
M7G2. Students will demonstrate understanding of transformations.
· Transformations on the Coordinate Plane.
Students will use the coordinate grid system and transformation tools in the Geometers Sketchpad to analyze the results of a new triangle after it has been translated, rotated, dilated and reflected.
M7G3. Students will use the properties of similarity and apply these concepts to
geometric figures.
Students manipulate a template in the Geometers Sketchpad of a triangle that has been dilated. Students are guided through a series of observations involving the ratio of the side lengths, perimeters and areas of the two triangles. Then, they are asked to apply this knowledge by making predictions about future dilations.
M7G4. Students will further develop their understanding of three-dimensional
figures.
Students use a Geometers Sketchpad template to determine the minimum surface area for a fixed volume in a real world application.
Algebra
M7A1. Students will represent and evaluate quantities using algebraic
expressions.
Students create rectangular arrays using toothpicks. Then a spreadsheet is used to help guide them through the process of defining variables, and using these variables to write algebraic expressions showing the total number of toothpicks in an array.
M7A2. Students will understand and apply linear equations in one variable.
Students write equations to model to similar situations and then use an excel spreadsheet to analyze and compare the results and graphs.
Geometers Sketchpad is used to explore what happens in the line y = mx+b as changes are made in m and b.
M7A3. Students will understand relationships between two variables.
· Goldfish
Students apply what they have learned about spreadsheets and equations from previous activities to solve a problem on their own.
This activity is similar to “Which is the better buy?” but it gives less guidance. Given to similar situations students must define variables, write equations to model the situation and create a spreadsheet from scratch to help them analyze the data.
Data Analysis and Probability
M7D1. Students will pose questions, collect data, represent and analyze the data,
and interpret the results.
Given data about various brands of peanut butter, students must use a spreadsheet to decide how to best represent the data to different audiences.
Students use their knowledge of spreadsheets and how to calculate mean, median and mode to help them analyze and discover more about the meaning of central tendencies.
Resources:
Some of the problems in my activities were based on problems found on the Intermath website