- deepened student understanding of volume and how to calculate it.
- forced students to measure carefully and choose appropriate units.
- helped students understand the relationship between a 2 dimensional net and a 3 dimensional model.
- gave students choice and a chance to be creative.
- forced students to cooperate and find compromise.
- promoted planning and common sense in design.
- opened student minds to new career paths
One downside was the elimination of the learning targets for this unit based on how changing dimensions changes volume. In the future, I think steps could be included in the project to incorporate those ideas. If time had permitted, I was hoping to engage students in a Socratic dialog to explore those questions.
Lesson Plans for last part of Volume Project
Thursday, January 22
- Finished up PBIS lesson on racism
- Final day on project - what's done at the bell is what will be graded
Wednesday, January 21
- PBIS lesson on racism
- Project work time
Tuesday, January 20
- Test Unit 3B
- Start PBIS lesson on racism
Monday, January 19
- Go over Friday's quizzes and practice test
- Project work time
Friday, January 18
- Half day, guest teacher due to high school final exams
- Quiz over Volume
Thursday, January 17
- Complete work on finding volume of the solids for the ISN (cone, square pyramid, rectangular prism, cylinder)
- Make sure students are following six steps to completing these volume problems, and using correct units. Error alert: for the cone and the pyramid, students have to use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the height.)
- If time, students may get started on building the city for the final project