By Julie Jacques (July 2020)
Geometry is one of the most beautiful and versatile areas of mathematics, which is why it is my favourite area to teach. Shape fills the world around us; just look around you now, how much geometry can you see? During the lockdown period, 30 of our Year 7 mathematicians have been on such a quest.
During each lesson, the students have looked at one key mathematical concept through visual and creative means. These different representations have included watching videos, playing games, building with Lego, unpicking the language involved, creating fact files and making pieces of artwork. Through continual effort and enthusiasm (even during the heatwave) the accuracy in the students drawing of 2D shapes has increased and this, in turn, has enabled them to access more challenging material.
As the end of term approaches, we have completed our Geometry Quest by looking at five key properties of each mathematical shape:
- Side lengths
- Angles
- Parallel sides
- Line symmetry
- Rotational symmetry
and have delved deeply into the structure of the mathematics.
I wonder where the next Geometry adventure will take these students!
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