Prepare an activity involving a geometric manipulative designed to teach a geometric concept to an elementary school student. You may create your own activity or modify an existing activity; if you are modifying an existing activity, however, ensure your sources are properly cited.

Create a handout including the following information:

  • A detailed description of your activity, which must include the application of the characteristics and properties of the chosen geometric shape
  • Instructions for conducting the activity
  • Materials needed
  • National Council of Teacher of Mathematics standards addressed

The geometric manipulative is a big triangle having angles say A, B and C. The geometrical principle which is going to be confirmed here is that the total of the angles in a triangle is always 180o.

To begin with the activity, we require a piece of paper/cardboard along with a ruler. Ask the students to chop the paper/cardboard in the form of a big triangle using the ruler. Allow the students have various shapes of triangles so that the angles of the triangles are all different for different students. Label the angles like A, B and C. Next use the ruler to rip off the nooks of the triangle. The students will have now 3 little triangles. Next phase is to put the 3 triangles near to one another having nooks put together so the vertices are concurrent. Use the ruler to be sure that they make a straight angle. Measure the straight angle, or in simple terms, the total of the 3 angles A, B and C.

Ask the students to see whether or not they all are having the same value because the total although their separate angles were picked different. The total will always be 180o. The geometric principle is confirmed that sum of the angles of a triangle is a straight angle, or traditionally 180o.

The NCTM standards will be based on relative degree or level. This seems to match the standard of creating and checking a theory which has been formed by estimating geometric properties and connections and develop visually consistent or practical arguments to justify results.