Activities Featuring Geometry

Transcription

1 Activities Featuring Geometry Strange Wind (a poem in A Light in the Attic) (1981) by She Siverstein HarperCoins, ISBN # Let s Fy a Kite (2000) by Stuart Murphy HarperCoins, ISBN # Overview of Poem and Books: Enjoy the siiness of Siverstein s poem about the wind. Then, expore the concept of symmetry in Let s Fy a Kite, as a famiy buids a kite and heads to the beach, ony to encounter many other exampes of ine symmetry. Mathematica Concepts and Skis: kites, attributes of quadriateras, ine symmetry Science Concepts and Skis: wind, aerodynamics of fight Overview of Activities: Students define, sketch, and expore the attributes of a kite, in particuar its symmetry. After seeing exampes of objects with ine symmetry, students create a symmetry coage containing images of symmetrica objects. Then, students expore and discover where wind comes from and engage in various kite-reated activities. Nationa Mathematics Standards (2000): Students in grades 3 through 5 shoud identify and describe ine and rotationa symmetry in two- and three-dimensiona shapes. They shoud identify, compare, and anayze attributes of two- and three-dimensiona shapes and deveop vocabuary to describe the attributes. They shoud aso recognize geometric ideas and reationships and appy them to other discipines (Geometry Standard) (p. 396). 32 Ward 2 Ch 1.indd 32 12/13/07 8:07:40 AM

2 Chapter 1 Literature-Based Mathematics and Science Activities 33 Nationa Science Standards (1996): Materias: Students in grades K 4 shoud deveop an understanding of position and motion of objects (p. 123). Students shoud describe and manipuate objects by pushing, puing, throwing, dropping, and roing and therefore begin to focus on the position and movement of objects: describing ocation as up, down, in front, or behind, and discovering the various kinds of motion and forces required to contro it (Physica Science, Content Standard B) (p. 126). Aso, as a resut of activities, students shoud deveop abiities necessary to do scientific inquiry and deveop understanding about scientific inquiry (Science as Inquiry, Content Standard A) (p. 121). magazines, 9" 12" piece of posterboard, ruers, scissors, guesticks, back markers, ruers, paper pate, hanger, string, amp Description of Activities: 1. Read Strange Wind to set the stage for the upcoming activity deaing with kites. 2. Whie most students are famiiar with a kite as an object one might fy on a windy day, a kite, ike a square or rectange, is a member of the quadriatera famiy and has a specific definition. Ask students to make a sketch of a kite in their notebooks and to work coaborativey in sma groups to deveop an accurate mathematica definition of a kite. Discuss students working definitions and then provide the definition and a sketch of a kite, which is a quadriatera with two distinct pairs of equa adjacent sides. 3. Show the inside cover page of Let s Fy a Kite to students. Ask students to study the picture and to notice what the kites have in common. Students shoud notice that a of the kites are symmetric. Ask students to describe what symmetry is and to articuate the symmetry they see in the iustrations of the kites. Expain how a kite has ine symmetry; that is, one can fod a kite down the midde and create a mirror image on each side of the fod, or ine of refection (or ine of symmetry). 4. Read Let s Fy a Kite. Chaenge students to ook for and identify other exampes of symmetric objects in the iustrations, noting their ine(s) of symmetry. 5. Students work in sma groups to create a symmetry coage (described on page 33 in Let s Fy a Kite) whereby they cut images of symmetrica objects from a magazine. Students paste the images onto a 9" 12" piece of posterboard and use a ruer and back marker to mark the ine (or ines) of symmetry. Ward 2 Ch 1.indd 33 12/13/07 8:07:41 AM

3 34 Literature-Based Activities for Integrating Mathematics with Other Content Areas, Grades Hang a of the individua coages in a rectanguar formation, creating a symmetry mura for a students to observe. 7. Reread page 20 in Let s Fy a Kite, which describes how kites depend on wind to fy. Students work in sma groups and discuss and define what wind is, where it comes from, why it is important, how it can be destructive, etc. Students share their responses with the cass. 8. Prior to cass, cut a arge spira out of a paper pate. Make a hoe in the center of the spira and thread a piece of string through it, knotting it at one end. Tie the other end of the string to a hanger. 9. With students gathered around, hod the hanger steady and just above a ight source (e.g., a amp without a ampshade). Ask students to first predict what wi happen and then observe what happens. Students wi see the spira move because as the heat generated from the ight source rose, it pushed against the spira, making it spin. Expain to students that this upward movement of air causes wind. Wind is moving air caused by differences in air pressure. As the warm air rose, the heavier, cooer air rushed to takes its pace, creating wind. 10. Students can now engage in a variety of activities where they might: a. create and decorate kites (see the Virtua Kite Zoo Cataog website or Kite Making website) and reinforce the concept of symmetry. b. discover and discuss the aerodynamic forces that act on a kite in motion (see websites isted at end of activity). c. expore the Energy Kid s Page website isted beow, where students earn about wind, wind machines, and how wind is converted into energy. Students then report and share their findings with the cass. d. visit the Make a Tornado website and aow students to create a tornado using simpe materias and then research and discuss what tornados are, how a tornado forms, where and why they occur, etc. Assessment: Did students notice that a kite has ine symmetry? Did students provide accurate descriptions and definitions of what a kite is and what wind is? Did students correcty identify objects with ine symmetry? Did students make reasonabe predictions regarding what might happen in the spira/amp experiment? Did students activey participate in the kite-reated activities? Ward 2 Ch 1.indd 34 12/13/07 8:07:42 AM

4 Chapter 1 Literature-Based Mathematics and Science Activities 35 Activity Extensions: Students discover the rue for area of a kite, which is one-haf times the product of the ength of the two diagonas (the horizonta and vertica ines). Students take a symmetry wak on the schoo campus and ocate objects with ine symmetry. Read Fee the Wind (Dorrus, 1990) and share with students other facts and information about wind. Enjoy poetry about refections incuding Refection (Siverstein, 1981), Mirror (Lewis, 1998), or egami rorrim ruoy ma I (Preutsky, 1996). Cross-Curricuar Connections: Visua Arts Expore and discuss the work of artists who captured windy scenes (e.g., Vincent van Gogh s Wheat Fieds under Threatening Skies, Winsow Homer s The Coming Storm, etc.). Socia Studies Research the cutura history of kites (e.g., Korea, China, Japan, etc.). Expore biographies of scientists and other historica figures who experimented with kites (e.g., Benjamin Frankin, the Wright Brothers, Pau Garber, etc.). Research the faout and impications of historic hurricanes and tornadoes. Ward 2 Ch 1.indd 35 12/13/07 8:07:43 AM

5 36 Literature-Based Activities for Integrating Mathematics with Other Content Areas, Grades 3 5 Birmingham, D. (1988). M is for mirror. Norfok, UK: Tarquin. Birmingham, D. (1991). Look twice!. Norfok, UK: Tarquin. Chorao, K. (2001). Shadow night. New York: Dutton Chidren s Books. Cutts, D. (1998). Thunder and ightning (I can read about series). New York: Schoastic. Demi. (2000). Kites: Magic wishes that fy up to the sky. New York: Dragonfy Books. DeWitt, L. (1991). What wi the weather be? New York: HarperCoins. Dorros, A. (1990). Fee the wind. New York: HarperCoins. Gibbons, G. (1989). Monarch butterfy. New York: Schoastic. Higham, C. (2004). Snowfakes for a seasons. Layto, UT: Gibbs Smith. Jonas, A. (1987). Refections. New York: Greenwiow Books. Lasky, K. (1995). The gates of the wind. New York: Harcourt Chidren s Books. Lewis, J. (1998). Doode dandies: Poems that take shape. New York: Aaddin. Martin, J. (1998). Snowfake Bentey. Boston: Houghton Miffin. Murphy, J. (2000). Bizzard!: The storm that changed America. New York: Schoastic. Murphy, S. (2000). Let s fy a kite. New York: HarperCoins. Preutsky, J. (1996). A pizza the size of the sun. New York: Schoastic. Scieszka, J., & Smith, L. (1995). Math curse. New York: Penguin Books. Scieszka, J., & Smith, L. (2004). Science verse. New York: Penguin Books. Siverstein, S. (1981). A ight in the attic. New York: HarperCoins. Simon, S. (2006). Weather. New York: HarperCoins. Sitomer, M., & Sitomer, H. (1970). What is symmetry? New York: Crowe. Supraner, R. (1997). Weather (I can read about series). New York: Schoastic. Yoen, J. (1987). The gir who oved the wind. New York: HarperCoins. Yoen, J. (1998). The emperor and the kite. New York: Putnam Books. Guerra, R. (2004).The kite making handbook. Devon, UK: David & Chares. Honqxun, W. (1989). Chinese kites: Traditiona Chinese arts and cuture. San Francisco: China Books and Periodicas. Hunt, L. (1971). 25 kites that fy. Mineoa, NY: Dover. Levine, S., & Johnstone, L. (2003). First science experiments: Wonderfu weather. New York: Stering. Mack, L. (2004). Weather (Eye wonder series). New York: Doring Kindersey. Peham, D. (2000). Kites. New York: Overook TP. Schwartz, D. (2001). Q is for quark: A science aphabet. Berkeey, CA: Ten Speed Press. Ward 2 Ch 1.indd 36 12/13/07 8:07:45 AM

6 Chapter 1 Literature-Based Mathematics and Science Activities 37 Chidren s Books on Wind Energy Kid s Page EPA Kids Site Kites Aerodynamics Kite History Kite Making Kite Resources for Teachers Make a Tornado Symmetry Virtua Kite Zoo Cataog Virtua Manipuatives Library Refections Weather Facts and Events (Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Monsoons) Ward 2 Ch 1.indd 37 12/13/07 8:07:46 AM