🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <26759.2B21B456@puddle.fidonet.org> Carol.Hooper@f89.n381.z1.fidonet.org (Carol Hooper) writes:
>I found a great geometry project that my class is embarking on Monday 
>and I thought I'd see if anyone else had completed such an activity 
>and how it went over.  This involves creating the "kite" with straws, 
>string, and tissue paper (but we are using Christmas paper) and then, 
>after discussion of vertices, area, perimeter, volume--combining them 
>in a large tree (which we are placing in the library).  I'd like to 
>ask for those who have tried this to let me know what topics of 
>discussion came out of the activity concerning the figure created and 
>also offer a copy of the activity to anyone who'd be interested.  
>THanks...........Carol
>

Back in my junior high math class, our winter holiday assignment consisted
of making polyhedrons out of paper and cardboard, decorating them, and
putting them up in the school Christmas tree.  The choice of polyhedrons
ranged from your usual Pythagorean solids to multifaceted shapes filled
with decagons, squares, hexagons, etc.  The one I made was (I think) the
truncated rhombidodecahedron (or something like it).  The teacher had a
book full of scores of different solids, photographs of models of each of
them, and pertinent information on their construction (e.g., number of
each type of polygonal face).  Students decided on one model they wanted
to make, and then made a test case using manila folder paper.  After 
finishing that, they went on to the final model.

I don't remember any associated activities that our teacher had us do.
However if a student in the class decides on a model requiring pentagons,
hexagons, or shapes with even more sides, then he/she will have to learn
about constructing these polygons geometrically with protractor and ruler.
(Or maybe even compass and ruler for even more fun.)  Related activities
could include calculating the total surface area of the solid; or verifying
relations between number of sides, number of edges, and number of vertices
on the Pythagorean solids.

I hope this helps.

>--  
>uucp: uunet!m2xenix!puddle!381!89!Carol.Hooper
>Internet: Carol.Hooper@f89.n381.z1.fidonet.org


-- 
*Ka Chun Yu               * Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy       *
*kachun@spot.colorado.edu * Astrophysical, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences*
*         --or--          * University of Colorado,  Boulder, CO 80309        *
*kachun@vela.colorado.edu * (303) 492-6857                                    *