Activity Detail
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Making Sense of Shapes and Sizes
 


Activity Overview

Students develop algorithms for generating and generalizing patterns related to triangle and square geometric models.

Before the Activity

  • See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
  • Print pages 119 - 122 from the attached PDF file for your class

    		•

    		During the Activity

    		Distribute the pages to the class.

    Follow the activity procedures:
  • Use square tiles or centimeter cubes to build geometric shapes found on the Student Activity pages
  • Record the area and perimeter for each shape
  • Notice that the cubes take on a triangular staircase shape, and that the values in the Area column represent the triangular sums of that pattern
  • Use these results to write an algorithm to generate the number patterns in the Area column and the Perimeter column
  • Alternatively, use an algebraic model to generalize the pattern in these tables

    		After the Activity

    		Students complete the Student Activity pages and answer questions.

  • Review student results
  • As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
  • Re-teach concepts as necessary

    		Other Downloads




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    Subject Area:
    Math : Algebra I : Sequences and Series

    Author:
    Texas Instruments

    Level:
    9-12

    Activity Time:
    60 Minutes

    Device:
    TI-30X IIB, TI-30X IIS, TI-34 II Explorer Plus™

    Apps:
     

    Software:
     

    Accessories:
     

    Other:
    This is Activity 12 from the EXPLORATIONS Book:
    Math Investigations with the TI-30X IIS: Activities for Secondary Mathematics

    The following materials are required for this activity:

  • Centimeter cubes or square tiles
  • Grid paper


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