Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Voices in History - The Story of Christopher Columbus
Over the last few weeks we have been reading, singing, and writing about Christopher Columbus. It's been interesting to see how he is presented in each text. Some authors show him as a hero, while other texts show him as a greedy man only looking for gold. Each of us chose a perspective to write from. This is helping us to see that history is not a single story, but a group of diverse voices.
Press the PLAY button (triangle).
Feel free to check out the website where we made this Voice Thread:
http://voicethread.com/share/695042/
You can even leave your own comments (audio or written). We'd love to hear what you think. There are few more of us that still need to record, so check back for an updated version tomorrow.
Press the PLAY button (triangle).
Feel free to check out the website where we made this Voice Thread:
http://voicethread.com/share/695042/
You can even leave your own comments (audio or written). We'd love to hear what you think. There are few more of us that still need to record, so check back for an updated version tomorrow.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Investigating the strength of regular polygons
In math we have been exploring polygons:
You are a structural engineer, which means you work on designing bridges, roads, canals, dams, and buildings that are safe. You must have a strong understanding of two and three-dimensional geometry to be a structural engineer. Today you will be investigating the strength of polygons. When designing something like a bridge you need to know which shapes offer the most support and can hold the most weight. Did you know that some shapes are actually stronger than others?
Task 1: Before you begin your investigation, make a prediction about which shape you think will be the strongest.
Task 2: Create polygons using the strips and brads provided. You should make polygons with three, four, five, six, seven, and eight sides for a total of six polygons. Record your observations of these shapes using words, pictures, and numbers. Use mathematical language to describe the polygons.
You can see Will's recording work below. One of the patterns that he (and we) noticed is that "the bigger the shape the less sturdy it is," which means the triangle was the strongest shape. This surprised many of us who predicted that "the more sides a shape has the stronger it will be." It was an ah-ha moment to build the shapes and realize that we needed to revise our thinking.
Task 1: Before you begin your investigation, make a prediction about which shape you think will be the strongest.
Task 2: Create polygons using the strips and brads provided. You should make polygons with three, four, five, six, seven, and eight sides for a total of six polygons. Record your observations of these shapes using words, pictures, and numbers. Use mathematical language to describe the polygons.
You can see Will's recording work below. One of the patterns that he (and we) noticed is that "the bigger the shape the less sturdy it is," which means the triangle was the strongest shape. This surprised many of us who predicted that "the more sides a shape has the stronger it will be." It was an ah-ha moment to build the shapes and realize that we needed to revise our thinking.
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