Triangles!
Last week, I came across a list of mathematical WebQuests for middle-schoolers, available here. As I mentioned in my last post, I really enjoy fractions, so I wanted to look at the ”Want to Party? A WebQuest on Decimals and Fractions,” but the link doesn’t work. My next choice features my favorite geometric shape, the triangle.
This WebQuest lists ten tasks (six are classified as optional) which examine the different kinds, parts, and uses of triangles. The activities include using Kid Pix software, looking for patterns, and examining angles. I think this is a good WebQuest because it incorporates different ways of learning and utilizing knowledge on triangles. However, it might take a while for each student to complete all ten tasks, so the WebQuest should probably be done over a period of several days. The website recommends working in groups of three.
Few resource links are provided. The main ideas of triangles can be supported with a glossary of geometry terms and the important conjectures (e.g., there are 180 degrees in a triangle). Other items needed: digital camera, paper, writing utensils, a scanner, and possibly a ruler and protractor. The final activity is to “make a HyperStudio Stack to share with the class.”
In order to do everything, the students have to be able to use all of the equipment (camera, computer, software, scanner, etc.). The students may need support for any of those things, depending on the class’ prior experiences with each. A teacher would have to carefully plan the time for this WebQuest, especially if expecting the completion of all ten tasks. It might be best to pick and choose the ones that would be most useful for a particular set of students. So, it would be very important to keep the students on task and guide them through any particularly difficult problems.
March 21st, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Sounds like a good webquest. You may also need to update the software used. Hyperstudio is still around but most school shave switched to PowerPoint. And, you’re right about the time needed to complete this. It might be fun, though to stretch it over several days.