Drawing Definitions Vocabulary Acquisition in Geometry
PLO LEARNINGS:
- Students struggle to solve problems in geometry, not because of the mathematics involved, but because they do not understand what the problem is asking them to do.
- Knowing mathematical vocabulary helps students access more complex problems.
- Mathematical vocabulary must be explicitly taught and used frequently in order for students to understand and retain it.
IMPLEMENTATION OF TECHNIQUES & PRACTICES:
The lesson, a modification of the Quick Draw activity, enables students to practice using geometric vocabulary. Students work in pairs and take turns describing or drawing figures involving circles and parts of circles, such as: tangent, secant, perpendicular, chord, etc. Before the students start describing their shapes, they look at their figures and write down relevant vocabulary in order to provide a more accurate description. The students who draw the shape do not look at the figure while it is being described. At the end of each student’s turn, they share the drawings and decide how accurate the descriptions were and what improvements they could make for their next turn.
IMPACT and DATA:
As a result of this activity, students better understood and retained the vocabulary of the circle. They were able to draw and describe the parts of the circle. The students were engaged and enjoyed the activity.
Student comments:
- “I like this activity because I have to use my knowledge of the vocabulary to figure out how the lines in the center might look. It’s mysterious, which makes it fun. It was difficult because it may get confusing when describing to your partner what to draw.”
- “I like this activity b/c it is good for our communication skills. It was difficult to describe the shapes.”
- “I like this activity because it helped me better understand the vocabulary. It was difficult because it was hard to describe where to put the line.”
- “I like this activity because it made me understand this concept more. It was kinda difficult because I didn’t know some of the vocabulary I needed to know.”
NEXT STEPS:
In the next school year, I plan on using this activity more often. It can be modified for vocabulary in many different units as an introduction to a new topic or as a review. I would like students to create their own drawings, as suggested by my colleagues. This will help the students better learn, use and retain the vocabulary.
