MKerrigan

Introduction Reading. A simple skill that it is used by everyone, everyday in today’s ever-changing society. Although it is one of the most crucial skills that one can poses in today’s world, it is widely viewed as elementary. Most people consider it as basic education and feel that it’s instruction should only be included in the first few years of student’s lives. However, it would surprise many to know that most adolescents in schools today are reading below standards. Students today are struggling with reading instruction and are falling behind. And so the task falls on teacher’s to set aside time in their instruction to address the reading needs of their students. Reading instruction should be incorporated into all subjects to both improve reading skills and deepen the student’s understanding of the material. Just because a student can read does not mean he or she has the skills to understand and comprehend the information in a textbook. They need practice at reading and interpreting many different texts to broaden their reading ability. Context of the Text set And so I present to you my set of diverse texts. As someone who is studying to be a math teacher I can fully appreciate the importance of reading in my instruction. Here are several different texts which all deal with the same topic. The lesson for which I am applying these texts is properties of triangles from high school geometry. The grade levels for this course are 9-10. The lesson would be spread out over a couple of days so allowing me to spend more time on specific topics. A. Print Resources Text 1 Citation: Citation: Brown, C. (2007). Geometry Formula Sheet, Test manipulatives. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Assessment/Manipulatives/GEOMETRY_BP2003.pdf The Text: The first text in my Diverse Text Set is a geometry formula sheet. The sheet contains the property formulas such as area, perimeter and others for the triangle, as well as other shapes which students would have either learned already or will learn in the future. The sheet has pictures to help illustrate certain formulas as well as a key, which identifies the variables used. Rationale: I selected this text because I feel that in math knowing the formulas is crucial. When I was a student, teachers would always hand out formula sheets similar to this one for us to use. By having this sheet students can get be better familiarized with the formulas and will feel more comfortable applying them in their work. Use of Text: I would have students use this sheet as a reference and a study tool. By having this sheet of formulas to study, they could be better prepared for tests and assessment. Attachment: I included the sheet in the hard copy Text 2 Citation: Ganterit, A. X. (2008). Amsco’s geometry. New York, New York: Amsco School Publications Inc. The Text: This is a typical high school geometry text book. It was recommended to me by several high school teachers for the clear and precise way that it presents the material. Having looked through it myself I can that does a very good job addressing triangle properties as well as the other topics in this class. Rationale: Naturally, a math class needs a textbook to go along with the lesson. The hard part however is finding a textbook that the students can read and understand. Often, the textbook used in a class can be a huge factor in how well the students grasp the material. I picked this textbook because of both the strong reviews it got from fellow math teachers and because I particularly liked the way it presented it’s material. Use of text: I would use this text as a form of both instruction and assessment. I would look to the textbook to gather ideas about the direction I want my lesson to go in. Also, I would assign problems out of the text for in class instruction and homework. Attachment: This was a full length textbook so not included here. Text 3 Citation: Dye, B. (1997). Interactive Pythagorean Theorem, Mathsnet. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.mathsnet.net/dynamic/pythagoras/index.html The Text: This is a brief article about the history of Pythagorean Theorem and its creator Pythagoras. It gives a brief background of the mathematician’s life and accomplishments and discusses how he invented his theorem. Rationale: Pythagorean Theorem is essential to the properties of a triangle. So, I thought it would be interesting to discuss the history behind the theorem. Not only would be a nice change of pace for students, but it would also give the theorem a more personal touch if the students knew about who made it. Use of Text: I would use this text in class as an introduction to the formula. I would read aloud the article to the class and have them follow along. After that was finished, I would go on and teach the theorem that they had just read about. Attachment: I included the article in the hard copy. Text 4 Citation: Miller. M. (2003). High school geometry: Why is it so difficult?, Home school math. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/geometry.php The Text: This text is an article written by a teacher about the difficulties in teaching high school geometry. It discusses the different parts of teaching geometry that are difficult, as well was ways to improve on your lesson to make it more instructional. Rationale: Geometry is a difficult subject to teach and an aid like this could be very useful if I find myself struggling on how to teach a certain concept. Use of Text: I would use this text myself as a personal aid for my lessons. If I found that I was having difficulty in conveying an idea, I would look back to this article to aid me in my instruction. Attachment: I included the article in the hard copy. Text 5 Citation: The Math Forum. (2005). Dr. Math presents more geometry. Philidelphia, PA: John Wiley and Sons. About the Text: This is a companion book to any geometry lesson. It gives a different approach to many different concepts in geometry including triangle properties. Rationale: I felt that it would be very useful to have another book to get ideas from. Use of Text: I would use this text for two reasons. One would be to get ideas for preparing a lesson, and also to get problems to give to students for assessment. Attachment: Full length book so not included here. B. Media Resources Text 6 Citation: Dye, B. (1997). Interactive transformations, Mathsnet. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.mathsnet.net/transform/index.html. About the Text: This text is an online website which gives an animated instruction of several different transformations of triangles. It explains the mathematical processes that occur during the transformation, and then gives an animated visual so that the students can see what is actually happening to the triangle. Rationale: I felt that this would be a good way to break up the lesson so that I was not constantly lecturing and giving notes. By incorporating different kinds of texts, I can keep the students more engaged in the lesson. I also felt that it would help students to understand the formulas for transformations if they could visually picture what was happening to the triangle as they did them. Use of Text: I would use this text in class as a form of instruction. Attachment: I included the homepage of the website in the hard copy. The rest included animated videos and was not included here. Text 7 Citation: Yourteachermathhelp. (May, 12 2008). Angles of a triangle, youtube. Retrieved 10/17/09 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8mTpH7tUuY The Text: This text is a youtube video in which a math teacher discusses the steps involved in solving a word problem about triangles. Rationale: Word problems appear a lot in math and geometry is no exception. What students usually struggle with is not the math concepts themselves, but how to comprehend what is being given to them. This video breaks down the problem so that students can see how to go about solving it. Use of Text: I would show this video to the class before I began to assign word problems. After the video was shown I would solve a few more problems for them using the same strategies and would then assign problems for them to do themselves. Attachment: This was a youtube video and is not included here. C. Online Interactive Resources. Text 8 Citation: McGraw Hill Companies. (2001). Self check quizzes, Online study tools. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/math/studytools/geolblr.shtml The Text: The next text in is a website that contains several online quizzes. Each quiz contains questions specific to a certain section in geometry, including triangle properties. You simply click on the quiz you wish to take, and are then presented with 5 multiple choice questions. You answer the questions and click check answers. The website then shows you score as well as the correct answers to the questions you got wrong. You can refresh the quiz and get 5 new questions in that area so you can keep practicing as much as you want. Rationale: I picked this text because I felt that it was a good way for students to hone in and review the parts of the lesson that they were having trouble with. I also feel that students would respond positively to an online resource as opposed to constantly using the textbook. Use of Text: I would use this website as both a study guide and a form of assessment. Before a test, I would encourage students to use site to help them study the material that they were having trouble with. The best way to learn a concept in math is by practicing problems which this website offers endless amounts of. Students could use the formula sheet to help them with the problems. I would also use this as a method of quizzing the students and assessing their progress. Attachment: A copy of the homepage and a sample quiz are included in the hard copy. Text 9 Citation: Knight, J. & Bates, S. & Acevedo, R. (2002). Geometry in real life, American school of Tampico. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.ats.edu.mx/personales/rocio/Math/index.htm The Text: This text is a webquest that I found online. It has students construct a model of a building or a monument and then find the geometrical properties of it. Students must make a worksheet of all of the formulas that they used to make this building. Rationale: I felt that this webquest was a great way to apply what they are learning in class to real life. One question that students always ask their math teacher is “why do I need to know this?” By showing them a real life application of the material and giving them a more hands on form of instruction, students will be more engaged in the lesson. Use of text: I would assign this text as a project to be due on a given date. Attachment: Copy of home page included in hard copy. D. Instructional Resources Text 10 Citation: Wolfe, J. (N/A). 30 60 90 Right triangles and algebra, Beacon learning center. Retrieved on 10/17/09 from http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/lessons/1688.htm The Text: This is a lesson plan about 30-60-90 triangles and how their properties relate to Pythagorean Theorem. Rationale: I choose this text because I felt that it went over the topic clearly and precisely. Use of Text: I would use this text as a model when constructing my own lesson plan for this topic. Attachment: Copy of lesson plan included in hard copy.

Using the texts together in a classroom: I felt that these texts would go along with each other very smoothly in a geometry classroom. It is important to incorporate a diverse set of texts into one’s lesson so enrich the learning process. A simple lecture out of the textbook style will loose the interest of students and will not yield good results. By using different texts, I can not only enhance the lesson, but also develop their reading skills. Objectives Content Area Objectives M(G&M)–10–2 Makes and defends conjectures, constructs geometric arguments, uses geometric properties, or uses theorems to solve problems involving angles, lines, polygons, circles, or right triangle ratios (sine, cosine, tangent) within mathematics or across disciplines or contexts (e.g., Pythagorean Theorem, Triangle Inequality Theorem). (State)

M(G&M)–10–6 Solves problems involving perimeter, circumference, or area of two-dimensional figures (including composite figures) or surface area or volume of three-dimensional figures (including composite figures) within mathematics or across disciplines or contexts. (State)

Reading Strategy Objectives R–10–2 Students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary by… R–10–2.1a Using strategies to unlock meaning (e.g., knowledge of word structure including prefixes/suffixes, common roots, or word origins; or context clues; or resources including dictionaries, glossaries, or thesauruses to determine definition, pronunciation, etymology, or usage of words; or prior knowledge) (State)

R–10–2.1b Using strategies to unlock meaning including base words, general and specialized print or electronic resources to determine definition, pronunciation, etymology, or usage of words; or prior knowledge (Local)

References

Kozaczka, P. (2006). NECAP and local mathematics grade span expectations for grade 5-12, RIDE office of instruction. Taken 10/19/09 from http://www.ride.ri.gov/Instruction/gle.aspx

Kozaczka, P. (2006). NECAP and local reading GLEs for grades 5-12, RIDE office of instruction. Taken 10/19/09 from http://www.ride.ri.gov/Instruction/gle.aspx

Mike- I thought that your text set was a really great compilation of different approaches to the pythagorean theorem. I really liked the fact that you would be giving the formula sheet to students to have as a reference point during the lesson. This would have really helped me out when I was studying this topic in high school. I also thought that the text on the history of the theorem was a real change of pace from the mathematical equations and might grasp the students attention. Some students might not be real math oriented students, and this history may help them become more interested in the topic. I think that text four could be very useful to you if you had some students in your class that were having a hard time grasping the concept. I also liked that you were willing to try different approaches to teaching, and different ways of getting to your students. I think that your texts are very diverse, but all are very good selections to your topic, and all will really help you form a great lesson. Good job! -Maria

Mike Math has never been my strongest subject and so any good experience I had came from the instructor's instruction. The teacher was well prepared with all kinds of learning tools for the various levels of learners in the calssroom. Your text set seems to be well thought out and considerate of the learning diversities of most classrooms. I also think that your texts were carefully chosen so that everything you will be teaching is supported with articles, pictures, and video that explain these teachings so that it makes sense to your students. The websites that you have chosen sounds like great educational resources for students to get the practice they need. Math is a subject that if the skill is practiced the skills get better and you have expressed this knowledge in your text set. You are also aware of the critical decisions behind picking an appropriate textbook that is readable for all students; it would be a great addition for the text to have CD-ROM, this could be useful in preparing for tests, review, or extra help.