The film The Promise, which premiered at the end of April, chronicles the events of the Armenian Genocide, an often ignored episode of World War I in which 1.5 million Armenians perished under the government of the Ottoman Empire. If you
Pythagorean Theorem Follow-Up
Activity for the big kids today: Without using a ruler, determine whether this triangle is equilateral, isosceles, or scalene. Prove it.
Pythagorean Theorem
In over our heads with radicals in 8th grade Algebra this week, so we took some time to review the Pythagorean Theorem. Â Geometry is so beautifully concrete. Â In addition to demonstrations you can do with drawings and such, here’s an
Teaching Econ
Here’s a great new resource for teaching your kids economics. The Tuttle Twins and the Miraculous Pencil follows Ethan and Emily Tuttle on a class field trip to a pencil factory. They learn about how products we consider simple, everyday objects are
Geometry in the Real World
Whenever I’m working on geometry with my students, I try to keep the focus as real-world as possible. So much of math operates in the abstract; geometry, by contrast, is thoroughly tangible. This is a time when we can easily
Geometry Across the Curriculum
I use geometric drawing across the curriculum in several projects. Below is an in-progress shot of an 8th-grader’s design for a stained glass window, an assignment from my medieval history unit that incorporates symbolism along with geometric design. In world
Keep The Promise
The Promise, the first major motion picture to shed light on the Armenian Genocide, premiered this past weekend. Here’s why you need to see it. The Worst Crime You’ve Never Heard Of If you’re not Armenian, statistically, chances are good
Construct a Hexagon
The construction for a regular hexagon is a favorite of my students every year and the one most of them choose as a basis for their geometric design project. We are simply going to begin with a line and use
Construct a Square
This simple, elegant construction yields a square simply by using the steps to bisect a segment. Begin by using your compass to draw a circle, making sure to mark its center. With your straight edge, draw the diameter of the
Bisect an Angle
Today we’ll be bisecting an angle, i.e. cutting an angle in half without using a protractor to measure. Â Begin with any angle and draw an arc from the vertex (V) such that your arc crosses both rays of the angle.