Transformational Geometry & Open House Tomorrow

We are beginning to learn about transformational geometry (moving shapes on a grid) in math this week. Today in math we reviewed and played some games using the three types of transformations we have learned about - translations (slides), reflections (flips) and rotations (turns). We learned how to reflect a shape over a diagonal line, and how to rotate a shape around any point on a coordinate grid.

Both of these tasks are challenging for many students. To rotate around a point, I ask students to use a piece of tissue paper, trace the original shape, then put their pencil tip on the point to be rotated around. Then they rotate in the correct direction and degrees to place the image. When they are sure they have the image in the correct place, I ask them to record each vertice. We will be doing much more of this on Wednesday.

When performing a reflection over a line, I ask students to count the units away from the line for each vertice, and then simply do the same in the opposite direction from the mirror line.

Here is a blendspace unit with resources for learning and reviewing the different transformations.





For our Open House tomorrow, we will be doing a vertical learning surface activity. It will be quite a difficult problem, so bring your thinking caps! Before the day starts you are welcome to come and visit the class, visit the book fair, and see the variety of things going on in our school. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.