AuSable Primary Math Resources

• Analyze Characteristics
• Specify Locations
• Apply Transformations
• Use Visualization

The primary goal of this activity is for students to explore the properties of quadrilateral shapes by manipulating them in a virtual environment.  There are endless possibilities for transformations, rotations, slides, and more for the different quadrilaterals.

What mathematical content is being learned (or intended to be learned)?

 Students are building their schema about what quadrilaterals are and how dragging their corners affects their size, and overall shape while retaining the requirements of quadrilaterals.

Is the focus on instrumental or relational understanding?

• instrumental understanding (carrying out procedures)
• relational understanding (understanding the meaning of mathematical words and symbols; connections among ideas)

Students manipulate and make observations about quadrilaterals.  They witness the differences in behaviors of the square, rectangle, rhombus, and others. 

What role does technology play?

 

The technology provides a way to see many more transformations of the quadrilaterals than someone could draw or represent in other ways.  Students can come to a discussion of quadrilaterals after this activity having explored them much more thoroughly than in a non-technology supported exploration.

What instructional function(s) does the resource serve?

• practice (i.e., practicing skills or knowledge already learned)
• direct instruction/explanation (i.e., explaining or presenting content to students)
• learning through exploration (i.e., provides context in which students can see new relationships; come to new understandings)

This activity provides exploration of quadrilaterals.  Students come to understand the shapes through their own manipulation of them.

What kinds of representations of the mathematics are used?

• symbolic (i.e., numerals, symbols)
• graphical (i.e., standard graphical notation such as Cartesian (X-Y) coordinate system, bar graph, pie chart)
• visual/spatial (e.g., circles or squares with lines to show fractions)
• concrete or real-world objects (e.g., images of base-10 blocks, puppies, or jars)
• dynamic (mathematical ideas represented through motion or sound)

The activity is visual/spatial because it is using representations of shapes.  It is dynamic because the shapes can be manipulated by the student.