Teachers - Read this first

Some resource links for the software. I would recommend:

- Key Curriculum Press Geometer’s Sketchpad Resource Center http://www.keypress.com/sketchpad/index.php
Teachers can download a trial version of the software here, access technical assistance, find sample lessons and activities, and more.

- Math Forum Geometer’s Sketchpad Resources
http://mathforum.org/sketchpad/sketchpad.html
A wealth of links, sample activities, units, groups, and publications.

This is a lesson for Sketchpad 4.0, but any version should work without much modification. This is a beginning Sketchpad lesson so there are no prerequisites. The lesson will take one to five class periods. I teach high school students in a lab setting and each student works independently.

Have students open this web site along with Sketchpad and be sure they know how to toggle between the two applications.

Demonstrate a step or two and then walk around the room to make sure they have completed the steps. Ask them to help each other to get steps to move more quickly. Students need to stay with the steps to avoid confusion and frustration. Make sure the students save their work often.

Note: Selection and De selection give many students trouble. Try to demonstrate and explain how it looks when it is selected, thicker and darker. Show them how to click anywhere on the document to deselect.

While demonstrating and walking around the room, talk about the properties of a square and repeat and define vocabulary such as congruent and same measure or right angle and 90 degrees, etc. Talk a lot about the concepts using strong mathematical vocabulary.

Grading is based on the quality and completion of work along with consideration of the students' level of mathematical understanding. The quality of the answers to the investigation questions should be a clear indicator of level of understanding.

Add your questions and observations. Students could write up a "report" in a word processor explaining their understanding and answering the question or they could use the text tool and write on the sketchpad document itself.

Please send comments/suggestions to me at LauraJaneAnders@aol.com