You are to create an instructional unit that will take three to five days to complete. Your unit should involve topics from this course that apply to your curriculum. At the end of the instructional unit you should assess your students understanding of the material with a performance assessment.
Geometry: Grades 8 - 12
GEOMETER'S SKETCHPAD PROFICIENCY:
CLASS TIME: 3-5 class periods
Students will learn to use sketchpad to construct basic figures including the
use of parallel lines, right angles and circles. Students will go on to create
right triangles and polygons of a variety of sides.

GEOMETER'S SKETCHPAD SKILLS NEEDED:
Students will become familier with the CONSTRUCT, TRANSFORM and MEASURE menus and
will know how to use the Sketchpad CALCULATOR.

Activities

1. Construct a right triangle. Move the vertices and sides to be certain it remains a right triangle.
2. Construct a square and shade it in. Manipulate the figure and be sure it is always a square.
3. Make a script for the square.
4. Save the script in the Script Tool folder as square, then delete the existing square.
5. Use your new script tool to construct a square on each side of the right triangle. Match points carefully!
6. Measure the areas of the three squares.
7. Relabel the areas as a2, b2 and c2. [c2 should represent the area of the hypotenuse.]
8. Use the calculator to determine the sum: a2 + b2.
9. Use the Measure Menu - Tabulate option to place the four measurements into a chart.

Additional Activities

1. Move the vertices and sides of the right triangle in your sketch. Notice that the area measurements change.
2. Double-click on the chart to add your new measurements to the chart after each of several alterations.
3. Write a summary of your findings. Use complete sentences.

Assessment

Notify students that when they feel they have mastered the material, they may come
to be checked off at any time. Then ask them to show the proof of the Pythagorean
Theorem on Sketchpad. Allow them to use the square tool in the interest of time
and allow them to consult their notes if they get stuck and a little nudging
doesn't get them there. Be sure to have a new task ready if they successfully
complete this one. It is okay to ask them to try again the next day if they become
stumped.
Simon's Homepage | 6420 Assignments - Computer Use in the Classroom

updated 8-02-05 by Simon Goble