The Grades 6-8 STEMDay Lab invited participants to explore a variety of concepts in geometry through hands-on activities. Differentiated activities for 1) height and area of triangles, 2) the sum of interior angle measures of a triangle, and 3) relationships between geometric solids and derivation of volume formulas allowed exploration of concepts based on whether students have prior knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem, deductive proof methods, and algebra. A middle school activity guided participants through the derivation of area formulas for various plane figures including parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, and circles. A high school activity explored multiple methods for determining a general formula for the sum of interior angle measures of a polygon.
Participation in STEMDay 2025 also included a resource kit with materials and tools for implementing these activities in the classroom. Kit includes: Four geometry activities and student worksheets exploring triangles (height, area, and angles), area formulas for plane figures, and volumes of solids. Tools for these activities and further instructor enrichment include: Scissors (4x), Protractors (4x), Flags (4x), Tape Dispenser (1x), Bendable Rulers (4x), Colored Cardstock (50 sheets), Pegboards (9” double sided, 2x) with Rubber Bands, Relational Geometrical Solids (17x), Self-Sticking Sand (1x), 6 Quart Bin, Triangle Angle Activities Flipbook (1 copy), Additional Instructor Resources (online), Flatland Book (1 copy)
Area/Volume
6.GEO.1: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume
Figures
7.GEO.1: Draw, construct, and describe geometrical figures and identify the relationships between them
Geometric Measurements
7.GEO.2: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving angle measure, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume
Figures
8.GEO.1: Understand congruence and similarity using various mediums including geometric software
8.GEO.2: Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem
Area/Volume
6.GEO.1: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume
Figures
7.GEO.1: Draw, construct, and describe geometrical figures and identify the relationships between them
Geometric Measurements
7.GEO.2: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving angle measure, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume
Figures
8.GEO.1: Understand congruence and similarity using various mediums including geometric software
Figures
7.GEO.1: Draw, construct, and describe geometrical figures and identify the relationships between them
Geometric Measurements
7.GEO.2: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving angle measure, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume
Figures
8.GEO.1: Understand congruence and similarity using various mediums including geometric software
Area/Volume
6.GEO.1: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume
Geometric Measurements
7.GEO.2: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving angle measure, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume
Figures
8.GEO.1: Understand congruence and similarity using various mediums including geometric software
Volume
8.GEO.3: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres