We have been working on geometry in class for the past few weeks. For the final test your child will look at pictures of and should be able to identify:
line, intersecting lines, right angle, obtuse angle, ray, acute angle, point, line segment, parallel lines, a pentagon, hexagon, quadrilateral, scalene triangle, equilateral triangle, octagon, and isosceles triangle.
We have used kinetic motions to help us identify some of these, have taken notes, looked at pictures, drawn and labeled our own. A polygon is a shape that is closed and formed by straight lines, a quadrilateral is a closed shape formed by four straight lines. So a quadrilateral is a polygon but not all polygons are quadrilaterals since they may have more than four line segments.
Ask your child to show and explain to you what they have learned in geometry. Ask them to draw and label items for you. See if they can identify a right angle (90 degree angle) and compare that to an acute or obtuse angle.
They should also be able to answer the following questions which will be essay questions:
1. What do you use to identify geometric figures?
By counting how many line segments an object may have, by loooking at its angles, edges, etc. They can explain how they use the kinetic motions to remember parallel lines, intersecting lines, and angles.
2. How can you tell the difference between acute angles, obtuse angles, and a right angle?
They can tell what each one is and then how they remember it. A right angle is 90 degrees, an acute is less than 90 degrees and an obtuse is more than 90 degree angle. Ask them to show you how they do this with motions and then ask them to explain how this helps them remember how to identify each one. Practice with them how to express themselves in an essay answer with complete sentences. Getting our thoughts coherently onto paper is not easy at this stage and it takes some practice to become proficient at this.
3. What tricks do you know to tell the difference between the three types of triangles?
For instance: Isosceles Triangles: we think of a bicycle having two wheels (bi) and then we can remember that an isosceles triangle has two sides that measure the same and one that is different. For scalene triangle we think of scabby scalene who has no sense of fashion and nothing ever matches, all sides are different measurements, and equilateral triangles we see and hear the word "equal" inside the word so we remember that all sides measure the same.
I have put the hammer down the past two weeks on academic laziness in our class work. I am raising expectations at this point for all students.
Most of them can tell me how to write a complete sentence but then in their work they do not begin with a capital letter or leave off punctuation. This is simple academic laziness, and poor habits, that need to be broken. They can tell me that proper nouns need to be capitalized and what they are but then they do not do it in their writing or in our grammar sentences that we correct. From now on when they make errors that they should know better on, then they have to go and rewrite and learn from their mistakes. Initially this was hard but it is amazing that suddenly many are beginning to decrease in their errors and are learning that they actually save themselves some time by doing it right the first time. Also they are beginning to really learn by rewriting and rethinking about where they messed up. I am suddenly seeing an improvement in most students and also they are really proud of themselves as their work begins to improve.
I asked a teacher yesterday who also has a child here at school which grade was the hardest transition for her daughter who is now in fourth grade. She said it was this year, grade four, as the expectations are so much higher for quality work, and they do not give second chances for a grade. When you turn in a paper and you don't do a good job then your grade reflects that. This is when we need to prepare our third grade students for this higher expectation. If we do this then they will not feel the transition so hard. Actually this is what you see reflected now on their graded papers.
I do send them back to redo the work but they get the grade they earn on the first try. This way the learn from their errors and also should begin to realize the need for turning in quality work the first time. This is such an important year for all of our students. I also want to thank you all for how supportive you are of our classroom and me as their teacher. The growth of your child reflects that support as we work together to help them grow and improve.
Parents are welcome to attend our party if they wish to do so. It will be low key but we would love to have you if you are able to come.
Hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing and happy holiday.
B Arnold
