Finishing Up Unit 3B

What made this project amazing because it:

• 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

General Lesson Plans in most recent days listed on top:

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