Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Draw a line segment inside a square the stretches all the way to the edges of the square.Draw an intersecting line segment. Draw another line segment so that each line only has one intersection point inside the square.How many line segments can you add to the square making… Read more →
Twitter-Length Tasks can be quickly and simply explained, yet allow for extensive exploration. Which has the greater portion of its area remaining: a circle with an inscribed square cut out or a square with an inscribed circle cut out? How do you know? Choose dimensions of the circle and square so the shaded regions will be equal. What about other shapes… Read more →
I once fixed a broken cruise control on my SUV. I used an internet search engine to look up the specific problem I encountered, I found the exact part number to order from the dealership, and a couple of online videos gave me step-by-step instructions on restoring everything to working order. Of course, I still know nothing about how cruise control… Read more →
The first two weeks of this school year, I have been teaching a Geometry course for 8th graders in a face-to-face/distance learning hybrid. My students were spread across several campuses. I would physically teach from a different campus each day, which students from other campuses would join us via teleconference. My biggest concern as the first day of school approached… Read more →
We just completed the first week of school, and I taught a middle school Geometry course in a distance learning/face-to-face hybrid environment. My students were spread across several campuses and I physically taught the class from a different campus each day. This allowed the students to have face-to-face class time with their teacher on the days I visited their campus,… Read more →
My oldest brother earned his undergraduate degree in astronomy. He puts it to good use. He studies space weather and helps design components for satellites. Sometimes we end up in remote locations with great views of the night sky. He enjoys pointing out some highlights: “The International Space Station should be visible near the horizon in view minutes over that… Read more →
Here’s the latest installment in my efforts to understand our students’ development of math concepts in the middle grades (based on the Texas curriculum laid out in the TEKS). My previous video looked at the Geometry strand, and I found the research eye-opening (and useful when working with students). As a long-time 8th grade math teacher, the take-away for me… Read more →
The folks over at Desmos have been adding several features lately (but the ability to copy entire graphs into another activity is still on the way *hint*). One of the newest additions allows users to label points. As you can read in their announcement, they are proud of the fact that the labels do not get in your way or… Read more →
For years, I was a victim of the way I was taught. Each year, the school supply list required black and blue pens, a red pen for trading-and-grading, and pencils for math. As I did my math homework, I remember my aunt fussing at me if I wasn’t using a pencil. So when I set up my own classroom, I allowed… Read more →
In a recent post I showed how I created movable triangles of fixed dimensions on a Desmos graph. It’s nice to have an outlined triangle, but nicer to shade in that triangle and make it easier to see. That is accomplished through clever application of Desmos’ ability to shade inequalities. This is actually a simpler application than others. I have… Read more →