Week 30

Today was the last day of Geometry class. I can’t believe that we have been together for an entire school year. I am so proud of each of them for all the hard work they have put into geometry . You have grown academically and also as friends. For those who are not coming back next year we will truly miss you, and we look forward to seeing those who are coming back. I think that the you want a break before they do more math though.

Today we had a treat. What do you get when you put a sphere on top of a cone? Well something that looks like an ice cream cone. I brought out my ice cream scoop, they traced it on their paper. Then they were to find the center, and measure the radius. We did the same thing with a sugar cone. We found the center of the cone and measured its height. Then we had enough information to find the volume of both. Then I served up Ice cream on the cone. After that we did problems together to study for the final exam.

There are 2 assignments to study for the final exam, we worked on the first one one in class today. These assignments are very large with 75 questions. The final exam is very large, with 75 problems. If you are proficient with the review assignments then you are ready for the final exam. The final exam is to be taken at home just as all the tests before. It is worth 200 points. There is a memory verse for extra credit. It is worth 10 extra points on the test. There was no video for class today, but if you have questions on any of the review problems, I will make some videos and post them on GroupMe for you. Just make sure you request the problem number and assignment name.

I have never had a class that everyone worked so hard like this before. I want you to know I feel blessed to have been a part of your lives. Thanks for being a part of mine. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 29

We got done early today and had time for the students to do some homework together. This was a wonderful day. They were doing problems and collaborating about their answers. How fun. We continued today with solids and added volume. In section 11.4 we did Volume of Prisms and Cylinders and 11.5 Volume of Pyramids and Cones, then we ended with 11.6 Surface Area and Volume of Spheres. We did many examples of each of these. These are the 3 sections and a quiz for the week.

Next week is the last class, so today we discussed the semester final. The final will covers units 7-11. There is not test over Unit 11, but it will be included in the final exam. The test is worth 200 points, this is double a regular test. The memory verse is always worth 5% extra credit, so on this final exam it is worth 10 points. I have been including review questions in their assignments last week and this week. Next week we will do some problems together in class for more review for the final.

Next week they will be taking their formula madness quiz at home. There will be a formula madness quiz with the final exam also.

I handed back the rubric for the geometry projects. I have supplied comments and a grade for the project. Again I want to emphasize that I was so proud of all of them. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Here are the videos that go with today's lessons.

Week 28

This week we tried to have 2 of our students on Hangouts with us instead of class. It didn't work out as well as I would have liked it. The internet connections on both ends cause both of them to have to leave early.
We started the last unit of the year: Solids. We started with 11.1 The Grammar of Solids and learned the vocabulary and naming process. Next was 11.2 Surface Area of Prisms and Cylinders. We used the formulas that we memorized for these and did several examples to get the hang of them. Last we covered 11.3 Surface Area of Pyramids and Cones. Again we used the memorized formulas and did several examples. For both 11.2 & 11.3 they will have to remember how to find the area of several shapes we covered in Unit 10. As always please send me questions and I can send videos to help. See you next week.

Week 27

Today everyone gave their presentation for their Geometry project. I was beaming with pride over what took place here today. Everyone seemed comfortable and knowledgeable up front (I don’t know how the were inside, but on the outside they seemed comfortable). The presentations were not confined to just one person speaking, there was dialogue on each of the topics. I was impressed with the questions, interaction, and participations by everyone. My goal was for each student to pick a topic that was interesting and teach the class about it. All the participants gain something out of this. I hope that all came away with the idea that Geometry is all around us. What they have been learning this year is not confined to a piece of paper, but it is all around them.  I videoed each of the presentations. I will be sending you a link soon so you can download and watch the presentation.

This weeks assignments are very different. They have to study for their formula madness quiz next week. We will be taking one in class. The video for it is already on my blog. In Unit 11 we will be studying solid figures. I am having them build 8 solid figures for their homework this week. I have instructed them to write their name and the name of the solid one each solid. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 26

I feel that everyone is so comfortable with each other in class. We had a fun time learning geometry yesterday. We continued our study of area. Section 10.4 was long and a bit complicated. We combined our knowledge of 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 triangles with area of regular polygons. That means their brains were using lots of prior knowledge to solve these problems. I have the video for this one uploading and I have given some short videos on GroupMe as helps. Please let me know if you need any help on these! Section 10.5 was far less complicated. It was an extension of area of circles. We found area of sectors. The video for that is already uploaded and ready for review. There is a test this week and this is the last week to work on the project. IT IS DUE NEXT MONDAY. Please be prepared to come and watch all the presentations. ALL PARENTS ARE INVITED! I am so looking forward seeing all of them. Of course as always please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 25

Today we got through all 3 lessons. The students found that these lessons are easier than the circles. We don’t have postulates and theorem term sheets this unit. We are just using our formula madness sheets this unit. Make sure you practice your formula madness this week. We WILL be taking the quiz IN CLASS next class. We are studying area, perimeter, and the angles of polygons this unit. I want to remind everyone to work on your projects. I had a wonderful report today that there one person that is done with the project. I hope that is an inspiration to everyone else. As I went around the table today I noticed that everyone has worked on the project extensively. I am looking forward to watching these presentations on April 15. Parents I hope to see you here April 15. It will be great for you to see what everyone has done. Next week we will NOT have class, you have a break. This could be a time to catch up on your project if you need it. Please send me questions when they arise. The videos are being uploaded now. Here are the videos for this week.

Week 24

This week we concluded our Unit on circles. We covered 9.6 graphing circles, and 9.7 Using Quadratics With Circles & Algebra Review. We were able to finish all of these in class this week. They will do these 2 lessons before they do the unit review and test. The printed schedule is a bit different, please have them do them in this order, 9.6, 9.7, Review 9, and then Test 9. Please have them take the Formula Madness at home this week again. It helped us have more time in class. Next week we will start Unit 10 Area. I am so excited. I had everyone of you ask me a question outside of class. I want to help. Please send me more questions. Have a great week.

Week 23

Today we had a great class. Today we got to know each other better by trying to guess the fib
between 3 statements given. It was fun trying to guess. They were also to try to guess the fib using their geometry skills for section 9.4. It is almost Pi Day (3.14 or 3/14, or March 14) so we had a Brownie Cheesecake Pie to celebrate. There is some calculating they will do with their circular (for pi day) container for homework. We also had so much to cover that we didn’t get done. We were only able to cover 1 section. We decided to do a video for one of the lessons, and I will move the 3rd lesson to next week. So…
* 9.4 I covered in class and will upload the video to the blog
* 9.5 We didn’t get to in class and I made a video that will be uploaded to the blog. This section also has the Pi Day calculations.
* 9.6 We didn’t cover and I will move it to next week. There will be no video uploaded to the blog this week.
As a result I will need to change the quiz. I will be sending another one soon. I believe that the formula madness quizzes are taking too much time in class. I will not be giving them each class. I will only be doing these on the first day of the new information. I will be asking that the parents give these. I will send the quizzes and the answers to you. If you want me to grade it I will. Parents please give the next formula madness quiz at home and send it with your student. I will provide the answers for you.
I am asking that you work on your project. The due date is coming up quick. It is due April 15. I am inviting all the parents to watch these. Parents please make plans to be here for the presentations.
Next week please bring a statement about yourself that is either a fact or a fictions. We are going to try to guess which it is. As always please ask me any questions you may have. I will answer it as soon as I can. Thanks for all your hard work.
Here is the videos from this week.

Week 22

We started Unit 9-Circles. We jumped in with 9.1 The Grammar of Circles. This unit took us the most amount of time. There is so much vocabulary to learn so we can talk about Circles. This unit also had some theorems that we translated into formulas. We worked together on some problems from the homework. The next section 9.2 had some more vocabulary, more formulas. This assignment for this section looks long, but we did so many of the problems together to reduce the amount you have to do at home. Those 2 sections took so much time to cover that we didn’t get to 9.3. I have made a video here at home, so that everyone can watch it and keep up with the units. That video is uploading as I am writing this. I was unable to cover some of the Formula Madness formulas and there is a video uploading for that also. The next Formula Madness quiz will include these 13 formulas. Please send me questions if you have any. I am here to help. Thanks for your hard work!

Week 21

This is the last week for Unit 8. We covered only 1 unit this week, but there is a review and a test to do. I gave one day to work on the project. This weeks lesson was more trigonometry. We used trig to find the missing angles of right triangles, and to find the information to find the area of a triangle. After that we did some constructions. I reviewed many of the previous constructions, then we created 60, 30, and 45 degree angles. We used these to make 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 triangles. These constructions are important because each student has to remember the properties of these triangles to make them. It is also very useful for those kinesthetic learners. Please let me know if you have any questions. Here is the video for this week.

Week 20

We were a few days late for our class, but everyone was on their game. We met yesterday on Google Hangouts because of sickness. This was a unique way of meeting,  I would miss seeing everyone if we did it every week, but it worked for this week. We covered 3 topics; Special Right Triangles, Trigonometric Ratios, and Solving Right Triangles. We did not take a formula madness quiz yesterday, we will take one next time we meet. Make sure you practice these. We will not meet next week because it is a break. Have a great break, If you have any questions don’t hesitate to send them to me. Here are the videos from class.

Week 19

Again this we covered only 2 lessons. There is not a test this time, I want to give you some time to work on your project this week. I will be asking you again in class to give a little summary of your research in front of the class. This should give some time to practice your formula madness also. There is no new formula madness this week. I posted the answers on GroupMe so that you can check them after you practice. One way to practice is to put the handouts in a paper protector then use a dry erase marker to write your answers. Then you can erase and practice again another time. Another way is to use the back of the paper inside the paper protector as a dry erase board. Have your parent call them out and you write them out. You will have instant feed back after each one. Erase the answer and do another one. The 2 lessons we covered pertained to the Pythagorean Theorem.  We worked on several problems from the homework in class on both lessons. I want to reemphasize that I want to help each of you. Please send me problems from your homework that you don’t understand. Send them sooner rather than later! The sooner you get help the sooner you can be successful!

Week 18

Today we covered only 2 lessons, because we have test and review this week. We did a bit of algebra review, and then started a new unit. This unit will deal with right triangles. We also took a formula madness quiz in class again. We will continue to take these quizzes over and over for the rest of the semester. You can only use the formulas if you know them. I introduced 10 new formulas for this unit. There will only be 20 formulas on a quiz, so I will take off 10 and add 10 formulas, but you don’t know which 10 I will take off, so you must know all of the formulas. Don’t forget to do some research for your project. I am going to ask each student for some details about his/her project next week. Be ready. We have class next week then a break on February 11.  As usual please let me know if you have any questions. Send me the section and problem number and I can make a video about a problem similar to that one.

Week 17

Class went well. We took our very first formula madness quiz. We will take another one next week. There is nothing new to add to our formula madness. But I might change some of the letters in the quiz. So make sure that when they memorize the formulas for the proportions or the geometric mean they understand how to do it with different variables, because the variables will change. Formulas for area variables will not change. After the quiz we went over in detail the different answers and what options they have to write them down so that they were clear on the expectations. We cover three sections 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6. In 7.4 we covered similar triangles. This was an extension of a similar polygons that we did last week. On the section 7.5 we had proofs. I went over three proofs with them which are extremely similar to the ones they’re going to have for their homework. You can watch the videos on them to make their homework more clear. On section 7.6 there were some more ways that triangles form proportions. If you have any questions please send me the section number and problem number and I can make a video for you. It is likely that if one person has a question on a problem then someone else does too.

Week 16 Back from Christmas Break

We had a wonderful break. We spent time with family and friends. Some of us worked on school, some of us tried to stay away from school work. This week we started a new unit. Unit 7 covers Proportions and Similarity. We started out with some review of Ratios, Proportions, and Solving by cross multiplying. We covered some other properties of proportions, and similar polygons. There were no proofs this week and the students were relieved about that. I did introduce Formula Madness quizzes and the Geometry Project. Formula Madness is a page of 20 formulas that are to be memorized and a 5 minute quiz will be given in class. The students are to study the formulas and then write them down on the quiz. I am suggesting that they put the Formula Madness sheets in a paper protector and use a dry erase marker to practice them. I am suggesting that they practice everyday. I am also suggesting that they time themselves to see if they can do them in less than 5 min. Each person chose a Geometry Project topic. This project is a chance for the students to choose a topic to explore on their own. One that explores geometry outside of their assignments. I am hoping that after they learn the topic they will teach it to their fellow students. This will introduce everyone to the topics. I want to invite the parents to the presentations. I will give more information later about that.

Here are the videos we covered in class.

Geometry Week 15

We have covered a semesters worth of Geometry material. CONGRATULATIONS! On a job well done. Now it is up them to get it all done. Some are behind and need to finish up the assignments. The past videos are posted here. It will be best to get caught up before we come back in January. Some of them are done with everything, but need to finish 6.7 and the final exam. I sent a video with a proposed schedule to finish up. While they are working on the review for the final exam, any problem that is difficult I can help. Send me a message with the problem number and I will send video with an explanation of a similar problem. It is important that they understand the problems before the final and before we move to second semester. Geometry builds on previously learned material. Here is the video for this week. There was only one. This topic will not be on the semester final, but it will be reviewed second semester. The formulas in this lesson will need to be memorized for formula quizzes second semester.

Geometry Week 14

Just one more week until our semester final. We covered 3 lessons, but only had 2 videos and explanations. We covered 6.4 about Rhombuses, Rectangles, and Squares then we covered 6.5 about Trapezoids and Kites. There will be an assignment for 6.6, but there will be nothing new, just a review of all that was covered in Unit 6. The assignments are long this week, because we are studying for the semester final. I have included some problems for previous units. Also many of the questions only take a word answer, so it may look long, but many of them will not take long. We did many in class for 6.4 & 6.5 together. Yesterday I talked about the semester final. It will be cumulative for Units 1-6. We will not be taking it in class next week. Each student is to take it when he/she is ready at home. Next week in class we will have one more section for Unit 6, some constructions, and we will do some review for he final exam together. I want to encourage any of you who have questions to send me pictures of the homework problems you need and I can send some help. It may only take a couple problems to help you get started on that type of concept. Here are the videos we covered in class.

Geometry Week 13

Everyone was at class yesterday! They were a lively bunch. I believe they were rested from the Thanksgiving time spent with family. We started a new Unit. This will be the last Unit before Christmas Break. We covered 3 sections. Each of these sections will have some review for the semester final. I have included problems from Unit 1-3 on these assignments. Section 6.1 will have unit 1 problems, 6.2 will have unit 2, and 6.3 will have unit 3. I encouraged them to send me pictures of any problems that they have on any homework assignments. I can help in many ways.

Here are the videos for each section covered.

Geomerty Week 12

We got so much accomplished today. We learned lessons 5.3 & 5.4 and then finished 5.3 homework together.  Some of us even got 1/2 of 5.4 done too. This way they can have a more relaxed time over the Thanksgiving holiday. There is a test this week. Unit 5 was very short. There were no new ways to do proofs this unit, but there were many constructions. This unit was very construction heavy. We did many constructions together in class.

I counseled them to learn the information on the yellow note sheet. There will be pictures on the Unit 5 test and they must know the terms well. the end of 5.3 and 5.4 have a multiple choice and matching section to help them study for that portion.

Here is the video from class:

Geometry Week 11

Yesterday was fantastic. Everyone was there at least 5 minutes early. We always have some time spent turning in papers, getting notes in the notebook, and such. Yesterday all those items were done and there was 3 minutes to spare. I was so happy. I talked about the semester final. Here are some of the highlights that I covered:
1. The exam will be cumulative for Units 1-6
2. There will not be a test for Unit 6 but the material will be on the final.
3. There will be a matching section that will have all terms from all the units.
4. There will be proofs on the exam.
5. When we get to Unit 6 I will be reviewing units 1-4 in the assignments.
This next week there will be a review and test over unit 4 and 2 lessons for Unit 5. There were a lot of constructions in the lessons yesterday. We drew several pictures on the terms sheets so that when they copy them into their postulate books they can include the pictures. Pictures are so much easier to find later than words. We took the time in class to write the converse for 2 theorems on the term sheet. After I explained each lesson we did several problems together from the homework. We did the most on unit 5.2 There were several constructions and we did half of them together.

Here is the videos from class:

Here is a link to the other videos in this unit.