Cite the resources you evaluated. http://www.scienceu.com/geometry/classroom/buildicosa/index.html
This resource is very good for my lesson plan because it focuses on engaging students in the actual properties of a polygon. It is age appropriate at the 8th grade level for several reasons. First it is a very sophisticated project in that the instructions for constructing this polygon is complex, therefore it takes high cognitive skills in order to build such a project. It is ambitious enough that the entire class is engaged and that at this grade level students will have enough knowledge to be both challenged in its construction while still feeling that they are doing something productive and not overwhelmed.
The content is very pertinent to the discussion of polygons by identifying that constructing a polygon requires not only understanding that there are many points but that there are precise mathematical instructions for the properties of a polygon. This exercise applies both the math as well as the theory behind polygons together into an interactive exercise which makes it very accurate in allowing students to practice precisely how they are going to build their polygon.
Finally, it accommodates many different types of learning styles because it engages students on different levels. For students who learn through repetition, this exercise forces students to do the mathetical concepts over and over again in order to perfect the polygon. Students who are at a lower level will be intrigued by the building stage of this exercise and thus still be actively engaged and better understand the concept because it is engaging. While students who are already exceeding this level will be challenged by the interactivity and the actual immensity...
Thus this project fully utilizes the skill levels of all students in the class and blends the sophisticated with the simplistic at the same time. http://www.scienceu.com/geometry/activities/tetrapuzzles/index.html
This project is also very age appropriate, it is individually oriented rather than group oriented which is good on many levels because it allows students to work at their own pace. The necessary skills to understand how to operate the construction process engages students but does not overtax them allowing all students at this cognitive level to work effectively on the project.
The accuracy of the content is crucial to this project because it expounds on how we can precisely apply what the students learn about the special properties of the square to the overall context of this project. Not only does it show that a square is a special polygon but it utilizes all of the different equations that I stress throughout this lesson plan.
Finally, in terms of applying to each level of a student's needs, this project can be either very sophisticated or easy depending on the level of the student because it is interesting therefore for those who are very good it will replicate quantity, while it is at the same time easy if students are not good at the operational aspect. Since this is individualistic, students can all work at their different levels and still achieve measurable improvements within their understanding.
E. In each of your lessons, include at least two varied instructional resources found outside of the classroom. One must be an Internet resource of some kind. List these in the Resources section of the template in APA format.
