Math Applet - Investigating the Concept of Triangle and the Properties of Polygons: Making Triangles

Investigating the Concept of Triangle and the Properties of Polygons: Making Triangles - Geometry (K – 2) http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap4/4.2/index.htm

Summary:

In this math applet students take what we all did as children on big wooden boards, and do it on the computer. This applet gives a virtual board with dots representing pegs on it. Students are asked to take the rubber bands on the side of the applet and to make triangles. They are encouraged to make many different triangles all of different shapes and sizes. Students can change the colors of the triangles and shape them in to make colorful geoboards. After they have made their triangles, they are to compare their triangles to a friend’s triangles and explain how their triangles are the same and are different. This lesson could introduce many other shapes as well as students learn more about polygons.

Critique:

I really like this applet. It is easy to use and fun to play with, even for me. If I were to use this applet in my own classroom I would not make it the main lesson. I feel as though students still need that object that can grasp and that physical geoboards are still a great way of teaching shapes. I think that combining the physical geoboards and virtual geoboards would make a much better lesson and give students opportunities to compare the two. This lesson is very easy to advance into learning about shapes with more sides and that makes this applet even more helpful. Students can advance to trickier polygons as they master them.