#4718. Exploring Geometry

Mathematics, level: Advanced
Posted 05/21/2013 by Hernan Quiroz (Hernan Quiroz).
Instituto tecnológico metropolitano, Medellin,Colombia
Materials Required: Discovering Math: Exploring Geometry video Building Construction Chart (see below) Surface Area Char
Activity Time: una semana
Concepts Taught: Angulos

Tell students that they will be constructing three-dimensional models of a city. Discuss the directions and parameters of the project.
Construct a three-dimensional model of a city that has at least 10 buildings. The buildings must include two similar figures, two congruent figures, and two geometric transformations. Each building must be labeled and the figures used identified in the Building Construction Chart.
Use paper or modeling clay to create the three-dimensional figures that will be used to construct the buildings.
Add streets to the city using straight edges.
Students should be able to describe the streets using the terms parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting.
Ask students to describe surface area Display a three-dimensional figure and model how to calculate its surface area. Remind students to use the Pythagorean theorem when find the length of sides of right triangles.
Ask students trade cities with a classmate.
Have students calculate the surface area of at least five buildings in their classmate's city. They should use an appropriate measuring tool and record the surface area of each building on the Surface Area Chart.
Have students identify parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting streets in the city.
Ask students to identify the three types of two-dimensional representations presented in the video. Discuss the properties of planar cross sections, scale drawings, and blueprints. Have students create a two-dimensional representation of their city.
Remind students that two-dimensional representations should be drawn to scale. If needed, drawing to scale should be modeled and explained.
Have students share their representations with the class. They should compare their two- and three-dimensional representations of the city and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type of representations.